Living Darkness

by vildtiger

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Crossover, Zecora, Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Team Fortress, Spike, Adventure, Derpy Hooves
Length: 431534

a crossover with Team Fortress 2.

Inspired by Waking Nightmares AU by KnightMysterio.https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7360739/1/Waking-Nightmares

Some of the mercenaries from Mann Co start finding themselves in a world dominated by colorful ponies. must admit it is a nice place, the ponies are a very welcome species but slowly the mercenaries start to realize there is a reason why they were brought here and why all of them are somehow connected to the element bearers.
an ancient darkness is gaining strength and if they and their new pony friends cannot stop it, then both their worlds are in grave danger.

Published 2018-01-02 16:50:07 UTC
Last updated 2020-11-29 08:25:37 UTC

Bloom of impatience

Author's Note

part 1 and made after the episode "Cutiepox"

this happens three days after the last chapter

Bloom of impatience

Note: part 1 and made after the episode "Cutiepox"
this happens three days after the last chapter

If this situation had been on one of his team members with less self-control Spy is certain that person would be out sucking love out from the locals. This hunger is putting him on edge, but he ensured Zecora that he can control it. He refuses to let his changeling barbaric needs get the better of him. He is a professional after all.

"My dear Spy, I have to leave you for now." Zecora tells to the changeling there has now been living with her for a while. She has come to trust he is no threat to her or the towns-ponies and thinks it will be safe enough teaching him the changeling's ability of shapeshifting. It might get him in a better mood to be able to mingle with other ponies; he seems like a very social changeling.
"When I return do perhaps it's time I teach you the magic your kind have, let you do your discoveries you so much yearn."

Oh, he never gets tired listing to her words, Zecora is a very interesting per- pony. Still needs to get used to that. "I take you finally trusts me." Spy points out to the zebra there has been very generous with her hospitality and share of her wide wisdom of this world he has found himself trapped in.

The zebra smiles back to him. "Indeed, I have resulted you are a pony to be trusted." And she leaves the hut, not worried he will mess up with some of her potions.

And indeed Spy has no wishes in ruin the zebra many wonders of potions. He is glad she has come to trust him, for all the waiting and practically doing nothing is not helping with his always tense mind and worries if he ever can get home. Fortunately, he has so far kept his mind busy from those thoughts by helping Zecora gathering plants she needed to her potions or keeping her hut clean. Those tasks were also a good training for him getting used to having hooves and not hands anymore.
Speaking of getting used to, Spy thinks he should practice his flying with his wings, like rest of this form; are bug-like. They start flapping rapidly, slowly but steadily makes him leave the ground. Spy has first recently gotten the hang of controlling his wings, he can hover and do simple turns but that is about it. So he is going to need more practice with them.
Spy learns forward and speeds up his wings, making him fly forward and at a quicker pace than just a slow hover. He almost crashes into one of the many shelves but gets his steering under control in last second. Spy flies back to the middle of the hut at a slower pace before trying again now he has a better idea how to control his new limbs. This time he doesn't almost crash and can fly relatively normally when Zecora returns.

The zebra smiles up to the airborne changeling. "Ah, I see you taught yourself the power of flight. That is good, but do come down before you give young Apple Bloom a bigger fright."

Spy notices a young, bright yellow, red mane/tail foal beside the zebra; staring at him with fearful eyes. He lands onto the floor, giving the young filly a polite bow. "No need of fearing me. A friend of dear Zecora will be safe from me." And he is not talking about his hunger for love. He is an assassin and has unfortunately killed children before. Still, he has some very clear rules: one of them that he will not harm a friend's friend unless that person directly tells him to do it. So unless Zecroa one day wants this foal dead, then Apple Bloom here will be safe.

Apple Bloom hesitates, this black insect-like pony is quite scary but he does sound friendly enough and Zecora seems to trust him. "Um, pleasure all mine." She greets him, not sure if she wishes to shake hoof with him, though. They look freaky with all those holes.

Chuckling at the filly's predicament Zecora heads over to gather some of her ingredients. "Now let's fix up your tooth my young friend of youth. Spy, I could use your help, can you get the bottle on the top shelf?"

Spy nods, flies up and carefully takes the bottle with his hoof. He hands it to the Zebra.

"Where's your cutie mark?"

Spy turns to the filly, frowning of what Apple Bloom has been asking. "What is a cutie mark?" He asks this is the first time he hears about it and honestly: it sounds incredibly silly.

"A changeling does not get a cutie mark my dear Apple Bloom, only you and I will get one in this room." Zecora explains practically both filly and changeling. She fills up a bowl of her potion and offers it to Apple Bloom. "Now drink down every little drop and this mixture will fix that chip on top."

Apple Bloom drinks the potions and in a matter of seconds, the chipped tooth has been healed. Spy is as always impressed a Zecora's skills of potion making and what wonders it can do. This time he is not alone as Apple Bloom jumps overjoyed over to the zebra. "Oh my star apples, you did it Zecora!" She looks around the hut as if for the first time. "Golly, you have all kind of bottles for all sorts of ailments."

Spy eyes the zebra while the filly checks out the labels on the many bottles. "How often does she visit you?" He wonders out loud.

"In the end, she has been here a few times my friend." Zecora replies him smiling, turning to the filly. "My brews have helped many to tell you the truth." The smile drops when Apple Bloom says while waving her flank. "I bet you could mix up a brew there could fix anything."
Zecora takes a deep breath before she lectures this impatience filly softly. "There are many mixtures in this room, but none that you want my dear Apple Bloom." She leaves the filly to brew up another potion. "A magic potion does not hold the key. For a cutie mark; time is the only remedy."

Apple Bloom sighs loudly, annoyed being told this again once again. "Fine..." She turns her gaze to the scary looking insect pony there is somehow quite interested in holding a stick on his right hooves. Looking away from the scary looking pony, Apple Bloom watches Zecora put three berries into a bowl and curious heads over to see what she's doing. "What are you going on here?"

"I am brewing up another mix for his rooster and his chicks" Zecora explains and stuffs her head into a rather large pot made out of bamboo, she pulls out a very beautiful flower with its leaves forming like a heart. "It seems the rooster has lost its crow; making mornings very slow."

"Hey, I have seen that flower blooming in Ponyville!" Apple Bloom exclaims excited seeing something she recognizes, but she has no idea what its properties is. "What is it?"

"It is one we call Heart's Desires." Zecora explains and shakes the flower the so the smaller leaves fall down into the bowl. "A batch will ignites the Rooster's fire," The rest she lies down into another bowl as this flower is also used for the potion she makes for Spy. "and keep a certain Spy fed from what he truly requires."

Said changeling eyes the two before he returns back to practice holding objects with only one hoof. He does turn his full attention when Zecora leaves as she has run out of amethyst for the brew. "I must go get this purple flower so the brew will get its full power. Spy could you be the dear and keep Apple Bloom safe in here?" She asks the changeling.

Spy nods and the zebra leaves. With her gone, he turns his gaze over to the young filly. Noticing she is staring at the Heart's Desire flower with eyes he has seen too many times in Scout's eyes. "Whatever you are thinking the plant will accomplice, it won't." He tells her, drops the stick and takes the flower away from the filly, it is still very strange holding stuff in his mouth but he needs his four hooves to walk.

"Huh? I wasn't planning anything." The filly defends herself; she hesitates but does walk over to where the changeling has put down the flower. "I was just fascinated by what it can do for the rooster." He looks down to her and she cannot stop from flinching away from those pupil missing eyes.

"You are a terrible liar." She pouts which Spy ignores and asks her. "Why do you want a cutie mark so badly?" For it is clear this young filly really wants it for some reason.

She looks wide-eyed at him in disbelief. "A cutie mark is everything! It tells somepony about their special talent!" The insect pony blinks and clearly not getting the importance of the cutie mark. She realizes it's because he cannot get one, not being a pony and all. "I want my cutie mark now and that flower can get it for me!"

Spy highly doubts the flower can help on that problem. He still doesn't fully understand the meaning behind a cutie mark and a mark on someone's talent is so important, all he knows is that this filly is desperate enough to try and do something really stupid. Too bad he can't kick the filly out like he would with Scout, guess he has to use his words instead. "Zecora made it very clear that no remedy of hers can give you this cutie mark— and of course you do not listen." He grumbles when Apple Bloom zips past him, grabs the flower, throws it into the brew and drinks the potion in one mouthful before he can stop her. She gives the not amused changeling a cheeky grin. Her eyes wide in sheer happiness when a silver mark appears on her flank. "I got my cutie mark!" She cheers, jumping around the face-hoofing Spy. She stops to give him a smug look, "and you said this wouldn't work."

Now he really hopes this will backfires on her. "Don't come crying when this backfires." He tells her simply and because he did say he would keep this stupid little pony safe. He escorts her through the forest, barely out, Apple Bloom gallops back to the town. "I gotta show my friends! Thanks Mister!"
Spy stares after her, already waiting for disaster to happen for that filly and when it does: he'll sate every moment of it.
He returns back to Zecora and explains the situation of what Apple Bloom has done.

Zecora hums about it for a moment. "Hm, Apple Bloom's impatience for cutie mark will backfire greatly, Spy could you keep an eye on her in case her mistake will get too crazy?" Spy points at his body; clear hint what he is getting at. Zecora chuckles and gestures him over. "Let us use this to our advantages, let me give you changeling powers a better understanding. Your magic allows you to shape-shift, do it right and nopony will know something is amiss."

Spy is starting to understand why he got this form. This changeling magic is practically like his disguise kit, instead of a machine, it is some kind of chemistry or magic inside of him. "Do you know how they do it?"

"Not quite but you will do alright." Zecora smiles, pointing at him. "Something tells me you know the stick to this little magic trick. But if it is any help, do try take my form as your first step."

Maybe he should consider this as his disguise kit, only that instead of a bottom he activates this one with his mind. Spy draws up a mental image of Zecora. A moment later, he feels a strange surge and when he opens his eyes, he realizes he looks like Zecora. Well, that was easier than learning how to fly. He wonders if he only can take form after already existing ponies or if he could take form after one he makes up in his mind alone? Using Apple Bloom and Zecora as his base, he draws up a blue adult stallion with his human hair. A surge of his magic and to Spy's huge satisfaction, he realizes he can make up forms on his own. That's better than the disguise kit!
He eyes Zecora, finding such delight watching her blush at how he probably would look like if he had been turned into a pony. "How do I look?" He asks and turns around himself so she can get a proper look.

Zecora is not sure he is teasing her or not, whatever the case he sure made up a very handsome form. "You are a very handsome sight," She blushes harder of what she has just said, "t-that didn't come out right..."

Spy smirks of her fluster. "Thank you for the compliment my dear." Bowing down as a true gentleman before turning his gaze to his flank which is at the moment completely blank, he knows he should put something there as having one sounded very important for that filly. But he doesn't think putting on his talent backstabbing people would be a wise choice, for who would want to be near a pony with a knife for a cutie mark? Eyeing the zebra. "Any idea for a mark? Something normal and harmless."

Zecora is happy his question shakes her out from her blushing like some filly gushing over her first crush. "Perhaps a flower there hides your true special power?" She suggests, she is fully aware that this changeling is not as harmless as he gives out. Being a changeling and gotten the name Spy should give anypony the hint that this creature is deadly when the situation calls for it. It does come as a bit of a surprise for Zecora that she ever decided to trust him.

There better not come some pony over and asks for his expertise in flowers, for all he knows about flower is which one he should give to women. Spy scan the hut for a flower, spots some white roses and in a quick flash of green, those flowers decorate his flank. This form should keep him well hidden among the other ponies, and hopefully he won't discover what will make this disguise break while being in the town. "I will need to practice this skill of mine. When sure I can hold it without problem, I will keep an eye on that kid."
Zecora smiles very satisfies of his answer.

One too many Cutiemarks

Author's Note

part 2 of the episode "Cutiepox"
Zecora and especially Spy have a bit too much fun with Apple Bloom's

happens a day later in the last chapter.

One too many Cutiemarks

Spy heads inside town now that he is confident he can keep up his disguised form after a whole night of practice this new and yet old ability of his. Unlike the one he had as human, this changeling disguise will only break if he loses concentration; which means he has to be in a lot of pain or knocked out before that happens. So in short: he can keep it up way longer than his disguise kit. He is going to have a lot of fun with this ability and it is nice walking among peo- ponies instead of stalking the edge of the forest he was forced to not long ago. He will check out the many shops later, right now: well, he will keep his own promise by watching that foolish filly to Apple Bloom feel the consequences of her action trample over her as more and more cutiemarks forces her to perform different tasks.
The residence of the town gather around for the 'show' as well, however only Spy and a sort of purple lizard find the filly's predicament amusing.

"She's cursed!" A pink mare beside Spy exclaims.
"Hexed!" A white, rose-mane one cries beside her. Spy glances up at the sky, wondering when Apple Bloom would fall from the line she is forced to balance on at the moment, only looking away when another pink and green haired mare cries terrified. "Enchanted!" He is about to give these obnoxious mares a piece of his mind, but the purple lizard gets before him, telling them annoyed. "No, she's not!" The three mares sight in relief. "She just has some weird, mysterious disease with no known cure called Cutiepox." He explains them and apparently that is much worse for the second that word Cutiepox has left the lizard mouth; everyone panic and flee the scene.

Okay, maybe it's about time he gets Zecora. This bummer of Apple Bloom must be worse than he thought. Spy leaves town and about ten minutes later, he and the zebra returns to the pretty much ghost town. Zecora notices nopony is in sight and Spy explains her. "The moment they heard she had cutiepox, they fled."

"Ah I see, I jeer these ponies do not see there is no need for such a fear." Zecora scoff to the disguised changeling there smirks in return. Both turn when a purple unicorn with dark purple hair and mane with a pink and light purple stripe calls for Zecora in fright, pointing at the talent forced filly. "Apple Bloom has cutiepox!" Stepping over to the zebra, explaining. "We were just on our way to see if you had a cure."

"But magically you are here." A light orange mare with blond hair says relieved, asking the zebra suddenly very serious. "Was your zebra-sense tingling?"

Zecora steps away from the two young mares. "My zebra sense did not bring me out, instead my newest friend made a shout." Gesturing to Spy there gives the two a graceful bow. "Spy's the name. At your service my ladies." The purple one blushes lightly at this quite handsome stallions demeanor, the orange one brushes it quickly off as she's too worried about Apple Bloom.

"Nice meeting ya Spy, but can we skip the formalities?" She asks, nodding towards her sister there now is forced doing pushups with a weight. "My sister needs help!"

Spy glances to the filly, saying loud enough for her ears to catch. "Oh yes, and hopefully your sister has learned her lesson that patience is better than reckless behavior." Apple Bloom stares at him for a moment, not recognizing his form but his voice. When realizing who he is, she gives him a weak embarrassed smile before a new mark forces her to clean the nearest windows. He and Zecora watch her do it rather amused, both know she sure deserves this small punishment of trying forcing her cutiemark out before the time is right. However, Zecora thinks it's best to quit the fun while they are ahead. "A Cutiepox cure I have in use, for you see the healing power is in the seeds of truth." The zebra picks up three seeds from her saddlebag with her tail.

"Well then, give them to her!" The older sister of Apple Bloom demands incredibly worried about her sister's situation and glares at this blue stallion for finding this funny by smiling of her sister now forced to spin around like a pony tornado.

Zecora can't help but chuckle at this whole situation as well, but she does dig a hole for the seeds. "These seeds must be planted in the ground. With the truth, they will grow and the cure is found." She drops them into the hole and returns the earth over them, turning to the two confused mares.

"Come again?" The orange mare asks, eyebrow raise in confusions.

"Someone needs to speak the truth and the plant- there is the cure will grow." Spy explains the two mares, then gives them a wryly smirk. "So you ladies better cough up some of your dark secrets." The purple one chuckles sheepishly, shifting uncomfortably on her hooves. The orange one shoots him a glare. "Why don't you do it?"
"I wouldn't be much of a spy if I can't keep secrets." Spy grins, turning his head to Apple Bloom who is still spinning around like a pony tornado; it's a wonder she hasn't puked her lunch up yet. Might be cruel from him, but he does have one hell of fun watching that filly getting forced into all these weird talents.

"Well, somepony needs to speak the truth!" The orange mare yells out to the empty streets.

"Yesterday I told Mrs. Cakes I ate two corncakes, but I really ate three!" A pink mare with a fluffy and also pink mane cries out, the purple and orange look expectantly down to the seeds but when nothing happens, they look up to the mare. The pink mare starts to sweat under the pressure she's feeling of the situation. "Okay six! I really ate six!" Still, nothing happens and the pink mare breaks into tears "make it stop! Oh, make it stoop!"

Spy notes himself that if he ever needs to interrogate that pink mare, he simply has to offer her sweets.

About then Apple Bloom got enough. "I can't take it anymore! I admit it! I didn't earn my cutiemark! They're all fake!" She cries and does stop her tornado spinning, only to be forced to step-dance again.
The small group eyes the small pile there gives a small shake from the truth being spoken by her.
The zebra returns her gaze expectantly to the young filly and Apple Bloom is too tired and afraid to keep up the lie anymore, now she just wants it all to stop. "I figured the Heart's Desire would give me what I wanted the most! And even though Spy warned me, I still took the potion and mixed the rest of the Heart's Desire in it!" Her confession did it, the flower bloomed and before another cutiemark would appear, she ate the flower in one mouthful and to her huge relief: all the marks on her body disappeared.

"Apple Bloom!" Her friends run over, asking if she is alright. Applebloom gets on her hooves. "I'm great, and I have never been happier being a blank flank. But I am awfully sorry I lied..." She apologizes, feeling really bad she treated her friends this badly. "I was so desperate for my cutiemark; I just got carried away..." She walks over to Zecora, "and I am really sorry I stole that flower from you, Zecora." Lowering her head in sadness "I wouldn't blame you if you don't want me to come by again."

"Now Applebloom, do not be silly, you are always welcome my little filly." Zecora lifts the filly's head back up, even though this small theft has been quite annoying. It's far from enough that she does not want to have Apple Bloom on a visit again."With each mistake; you'll learn something new. Growing up into a better you."

Apple Bloom smiles up to the zebra, she turns to the somehow now pony looking Spy. He does look less scary like this. "I'll try and listen to your warnings the next time," She promises the changeling.

Spy touches his chest, grumbling that he has forgotten he does not have his cigarettes anymore. So he decides just to say this to the filly without them. "I'll be sure bringing a snack the next time you get into trouble like this again. your mistake did make an amusing show." She giggles embarrassed. With that, he and Zecora leave the town, and Spy must admit that this day has been very interesting. It did make him forget about his troubles of finding a way back home.

***

The next day and on Zecora's suggestion, Spy heads over to the huge oak tree there is the home of the ruler's student. He did not fancy the thought revealing his secret not being from this world AND being a Changeling, but if it would help him get home sooner, then so be it.
Fortunately, Spy has already gotten Twilight Sparkle here on his good side with Zecora saying he is her friend.
He knocks on the door and the lizard- of right Zecora said he is a dragon and his name is Spike. Well, Spike is the one who opens the door.

"You're the pony Zecora spoke about?" The blue earth pony nods and Spike lets him inside, calling for Twilight. Moments later the purple unicorn comes walking down from upstairs.

"Oh hello, Spy. Zecora said you wished to send a letter to the princess?" Again the very handsome looking pony nods and Twilight calls for Spike, trusting Zecora's friend enough for write to Celestia. "Speak what you wish to say and Spike will write it"

Spy shoots the dragon a glance, not entirely sure how to take how easy that went. These ponies are trusting to the point of ridicules. "Perhaps it is best you write it. You see; your ruler might believe your words above mine." Twilight and Spike both give him a confused look. Resisting the urge to face-hoof and groan loudly, Spy warns them. "Do not get frightened. If I meant any harm I would've done it a long time ago." And turns back to his true- well in this world's form. Twilight gasps, while Spike just looks confused.

"You're a changeling?!"

Only in this world, back home he is a deadly assassin. "Yes, but as I said: I mean you no harm." Spy reminds her, thinking explaining him not really being a changeling can wait for just a moment. At least until this unicorn calms down, he can literally sense her fear.

It takes a moment, but Twilight does calm down around this new revealed changeling there hasn't made any sign of attacking. He must mean his words of not meaning any harm, for why else would he reveal himself with a warning? Okay, she can for now give him the benefit of the doubt. "Alright, what do you wish to ask Princess Celestia about?"

Yup, trusting to the point of ridicules. Persuading people to trust him back in the human world could've taken hours or days instead of mere minutes. Spy do wonder why, but he needs to think about that later. "Be ready for a headache young mare. You see, I am not really a changeling. I was turned into this form when I arrived in this land." Spy images himself as human and to his great satisfaction, his changeling magic allows him to take that form as well. The unicorn and dragon jump in surprise. "I am supposed to look like this." He explains, putting a hand on his chest. It's strange how his disguises feel like the real deal, but from the sense of strain, it's clear he cannot stay like this for long. "Where I am originally from, this what you see before you are the dominant species."

"That's... a lot to take it," Twilight admits; it's confusing enough she had been standing before a friendly changeling.
Spike seems to be dealing with this a bit better as he asks this strange two-legged creature with a large frown. "So you are some creature from another world?"

Spy returns back to his pony disguise. "Something like that, my kind are called humans."

"Cool!" Spike grins, thinking maybe those comic books were onto something. And that makes them twice as awesome.
Twilight in the other hand does not look sure how to react on this.

Spy does not blame her, he is in the situation but he still doesn't fully believe it. "Now you know, I would like if you wrote your wording on what I have told you and request your ruler's help in looking into if there is any way for me getting home."

"I- alright." Twilight nods as she is unsure Spike can write half what she wishes to say. She decides to write this letter on her own. In the letter, she explains to Celestia that a very strange pony-- or rather a changeling-- there's not really a changeling but some two-legged creature calling himself a human. She ensures the Princess that Spy does seem friendly, although there is something about him there makes her uncomfortable; perhaps because he is not only a changeling but some creature she has never seen or heard about before now. She writes that she has decided to give him the benefit of the doubt since Zecora has made it clear she trusts him and she trusts the zebra's judgment.
She finishes the letter explaining that Spy would very much like getting home and hoping perhaps she could help. With the letter written, she levitates it over to Spike who sends it off with a burst of his green flames. "There," Eyeing this very strange creature- or human. "now we simply have to wait for the reply."
They didn't have to wait long as Spike belch out a burst of flames there turns into a letter. Twilight levitates it over, reads it quickly and is rather surprised of what the Princess wishes. "The princess will come in a few hours, she requests you to stay here." The changeling simply nods.

When Celestia arrives, Twilight and Spike leave by Celestia's request, letting the changeling and ruler of Equestria speak in private.
Spy is quite taken aback standing before such a tall and radiant pony, wanting to show his best side. Spy bows down before the white alicorn.

"Raise my foreign visitor."

He does, meeting Celestia's old, wise, and yet still filled with the joy of youth eyes. The alicorn seemly looks him over as if trying to figure out who or what she is dealing with.
"Twilight wrote in her letter you are not from this world, is that correct?"
"Yes, I am from a world where humans—" Spy takes his human form for a moment before the strain forces him to drop his disguises altogether. Alright, one other thing he needs to be aware of: his shape-shifter magic can get drained, faster if taking bigger forms. "-are the dominant species."

Celestia nods in understanding, asking with her calm soothing voice. "I understand why you wish to return home. Nopony wants being stuck in some foreign place; unable see their loved ones. Unfortunately..." She closes her eyes, getting a very regrettable expression on her face. "I do not know any magic leading to other worlds."

Spy feared that would be his answer, he has to resist letting out a hiss of his looming frustrations. "So I am stuck here forever?"

Celestia can see this truly brings this... human distress and knows from decades of watching her sister trapped on the moon how hard it is not being able to see somepony with all their heart. She is sure that is how this foreigner feels right now, after all; he is far away from everything he knows and cares about. "I will search for any clues there might bring a way home for you. Until then, I am afraid you have to get the best out of your time here in Ponyville."

Spy snorts lightly, but not out of anger, more from the irony of a murder like him ends up in this trusting place. "It's not like I can complain, the people I have met so far have been very kind to me." He could've ended up in some hellhole, sure he would deserve that better but Spy must admit it is... nice being treated like a- well a normal person. But he would like do something, doing nothing is not helping on his mental state at all.
"If I may be so bold." Turning his glassy blue eyes up to the princess. "Where I am from I was a highly skilled infiltrator. If you promise to search for a way of returning me back to my world; I will work for you as your personal informer." It's not like he is breaking the contract back in the human world anyway.

This takes Celestia a bit off guard, she honestly did not expect he would be willing to work for her. Tilting her head slightly. "May I asks why you offer yourself like this?"

"I am not used to idle." Spy replies, again forgetting he does not have his cigarette. He really would like one right now but this world doesn't have such things. "I need do something before I losses my sanity."

She can understand that, and although Celestia is hesitant making this Changeling work for her. She is willing to give him a chance. "I will see if there is something of your caliber can do. If there is something I will call for your aid and keep you updated through this." She conjures a mirror and levitates it down to the changeling, she notices he both looks quite surprised and relieved at the same time. Like he didn't expect she would want to hire him. The spy pony does quickly recover and bows his head in respect. She smiles, yet has to warn him as Equestria doesn't have much need for espionage as much his world probably needs. "Fair warning my little spy. I have only rare times needed an espionage, so there will be days where you have to figure out what to do on your own."

Spy figured as much. What he has gathered about Equestria, this land is literally sunshine and rainbow... good god he has ended in Pyro's hallucinating world, except this is real. Keeping his thoughts behind his calm facade, Spy nods to the ruler of this land that he understands. With their agreement settled. Celestia takes her leave.
Not long after Twilight and Spike walk back inside with Twilight asking curiously. "So, did she have a way taking you home?"
He shakes his head, adding. "But she will read up on it." Thinking there is no need telling the unicorn the other agreement he came up with the ruler. After all, he is a spy and a professional. Speaking of professional. He really needs to make a better disguise to hide his Changeling form.

Jealousy leads to felony

Author's Note

made after the episode Owl's Well That Ends Well.
another chapter because I am on a roll!
this happens a week after the last chapter.

keep an eye out tomorrow, I already have a new chapter ready.

Jealousy leads to felony

Returning back to Zecora after a trip through the town, Spy has come across some very interesting news of what's going to happen tonight. "What do you say about Metour showers?" He asks the zebra when stepping inside the hut.

"I hear you have heard about the night of meteor shower," Zecora says, returning a bottle back onto its spot, giving her guest a smile. "I do consider giving it a watch throughout the later hours." After all, such a phenomenon is quite the rare sight.

Spy smiles, he was hoping she would say that. "Wonderful," and reveals her the basket with snacks he bought underneath his wings. Giving the baffled zebra a smirk. "Perhaps I did the right choice buying the last oatcakes, I hear they are your favorites." His smirk grows larger when Zecora's cheeks turn into the shade of pink. Even if she had said she wouldn't go, he doubts she would say no with this little lure. Sometimes it's so good being a spy.

"Spy you are such a rascal, but I am glad you went through all the hassle." Zecora says and gives the now pegasus with a dark blue, mysterious vision of the poison joke as cutiemark Spy a nuzzle over the cheek.

He smiles down at her. "It was nothing mon cher." He knows he shouldn't do it, but Zecora is attaching him like a moth to the flame. Part of him wishes that he still was together with Saffira but that night his RED counterpart got pictures from would be their last. When he got back from the incident with the RED Medic, he and his former sweetheart decided to end their relationship. Mostly so she would stay safe from his enemies; one of them being the Administrator there for some reason hated everything good in the world. Part of him wishes he could use her as an excuse to stop this, as he is a man who would never betray someone he truly cares about. But there isn't and trying tells his mind that this is wrong doesn't really help either since he does have an equine body at the moment.
He really likes Zecora and from how she is around him, how he can feel and gets sustained by the love she gives him. He knows she feels the same thing. Spy dares to steal a kiss from the zebra, it takes her by surprise but before he can fear he made the wrong move. Zecora returns it.
The moment is however short-lived, he reminds himself that he does not belong here and she that he won't stay in this world for long. The two steps away, embarrassed they let the moment capture them.
Spy smirks weakly to the zebra. "I have a feeling tonight it will get harder."

She nods in agreement, standing beside a handsome stallion under the nightly sky and watching the wonders of a meteor shower: that's the recipe for romantic and Zecora has a feeling they will both fall for that trap and hard. That thought makes her cheek feels very hot, which both bothers and excites her.
Like Spy, she knows he won't stay here for long but do hope he will so she can have him just a bit longer. "Let us not worry about the future, you will find a way home when time calls so for now—"

"time to woo her." Spy finishes the sentence with a grin, Zecora's cheek turns almost brightly red.

"Not what I had in mind but I do like the idea of what you incline."

"So do I." Spy coos, nuzzling his head through her mane that smells like a flower he cannot name but really likes. He tries not to think about it, but he is starting to consider just put the search of getting home to a rest. For really? What is it he wants to go back for? He dosesn't have anyone waiting for him and he could honestly care less about the war games. And his fellow teammates? He doubts they miss him, it's not like he was friends with any of them.

(later that evening)

When the moon raises onto the sky, Zecora and Spy pack a blanket and the oatcakes, heading towards a hill closely side by side. Up on the hill, they find many other ponies, all have come to see the nightly show as well.
Zecora eyes the area filled with ponies, she recognizes a certain group but does not feel up joining them. Tonight she wishes to be with Spy. "I feel the spot on top has too many, let us find a place with less than twenty." She suggests. Spy simply smiles, they move a bit further down and find a lonely spot. Here put down their stuff and just as the shower starts, the zebra rests her head against his neck.

Spy wraps his bird looking wing over her shoulder and is probably busier seeing the wonder in her than the one happening onto the sky. He does turn his gaze to the sky, wondering if he really should try to find a way home or just accept it this is now his home. It's sort of scary how easy this dilemma is, but he does force himself to think about both his options.

***

The next day, Spy has come to a step closer to that internal dilemma. The logistic mind of his keeps telling him to find a way back but his heart disagrees with the very good argument: there are ponies here there cares about him. But this is wrong, his mind argues. Someone like him shouldn't deserve happiness this world offers him on a silver platter.
His thoughts about his situation doget set on momentarily stop when he notices that dragon to Spike is skulking around, dressed up in a black cape and top-hat, even acting like some cliché villain from how he holds the cape before his face. Spy cannot help but stare at that scene and-- not sure why but he feels quite offended by it.
(in the human world; the RED Spy looks around, feeling as if someone has just offended him greatly but cannot find any source for it.)
Spy watches the clearly not to no good Spike trots through the town, towards what Spy presume is a clothing store and one he yet has to check out. Spy decides to follow the villain acting Spike. The young dragon sneaks into the shop when the owner; a white coated with silky, curly purple hair of a unicorn leaves with her cat. Spy transforms into a young colt he spotted the day before and follows the dragon into the clothing store.

Inside he finds Spike holding up the cat's toy mouse with the dragon trying to monolog but only ends up spewing out his plans. "-and when Twilight finds it shredded on the floor; she think mouse eating Owlowiscious is to blame. And I'll be number one... again." About there the dragon notices a light brown colt stare at him with a 'you gotta be joking' look in his vermillion eyes. Spike gives this extremely serious foal a weak smile, embarrassed he got caught in the act and looked down at a kid younger than him-- Hold up, this foal is younger than him, so why should he feel bad? He returns the stare, asking. "What are you doing in here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." The foal replies and to Spike's shock, he turns into the changeling. The dragon jumps. "Spy?" He asks startled. Can that pony turn into anyone?? That's freaky!

Spy eyes the toy mouse in the dragon's claws. "May I asks why you are using a toy mouse for your plan? Using a real mouse would be more effective."

"Huh?" Spike blinks and eyes the mouse, it takes him a moment to realize what the shapeshifter is hinting at. "No way! I'm not hurting a real mouse for this!" and hurries out, hoping to leave the changeling behind, but just to his luck, the now again foal shaped Spy follows him with the mocking remark. "A villain with a heart, how touching."
Spike shoots the disguised changeling a glare which Spy completely ignores.

"You won't be fooling anyone with that toy. And drop the villain disguise; it's an insult to a true schemer."

Giving his disguise a quick glance, for a moment confused what the shapeshifter meant. Hold up, so this guy knows how to be a villain? "You used to be a bad guy?" Spy gives him a smug look, Spike decides to take that as a yes. "But you're a good guy now?"

He won't call himself a good guy, simply a bad guy knowing when it's time playing on the good side. Of course, Spy won't tell this kid that and instead says. "Correct."

Oh, that's good. Hey, perhaps this former bad guy can help him with his problem. "Have you ever tried someone replacing you?"

"Yes, several times in fact." Spy replies, thinking on the many assassins trying to kill him over his years in this professions, all of them failed of course.

"How did you avoid that?"

"I killed them."

Spike stop dead in his track, staring in disbelief but also a bit fearfully at this shapeshifter pony. "You... You have killed somepony?"

"I haven't killed any ponies." Spy replies calmly and smoothly as if talking about the weather. After all, for him; killing people is part of the daily grind. Granted those he has been killing lately were all working for Mann Co and would come back to life about ten minutes later. "But I have killed humans, it was what I was hired for." He turns back to the now wary dragon. "If you want my opinion on your rival issue: if you cannot kill them; blackmail them. You can start by finding yourself a better mouse substitute, make sure you don't leave any tracks behind and be sure you have an alibi when the trap is set."

Spike is split between refusing Spy's helpful suggestions or thanking him. Before he can settle on either, the changeling is gone. Spike cast the toy mouse a glance, now that he looks properly at it, he must admit it doesn't look like a real mouse. He drops it and heads to the joke shop, if he remembers correctly that place has some rubber animals. The shop does have rubber mice, he buys one and hastes back to the Golden Oak Library to make out the plan. Back at the library, and when sure Twilight is out. Spike takes out the rubber mouse, uses his claws to tear holes into it before throwing it onto the floor. he stalks villain-like over the refrigerator where he pulls out a bottle of ketchup and carefully pours the content over the rubber mouse, making sure he won't step on it. As the last touch, he grabs Twilight's pillow, spreading out the feathers around the area before hastily taking his leave to make that alibi. The first pony there comes to his mind is Rarity and finding her will be easy as he did hear where she was going. So he heads to Fluttershy's cottage to hang out with the two, thinking that if this works: then he has to thank Spy for this brilliant plan.
At evening Spike returns back to the library, gleeful that the owl no longer will be around. But to his great horror, Owlowiscious is still there, resting on Twilight's writing desk while Twilight cleans up the mess of the trap. Spike makes a fake gasp of the sight. "Oh that poor mouse..." to then point judging at the owl. "How could you?"

'Who' Owlowiscious hoots, Spike is about to get into that one-sided argument with the owl, Twilight stops it before it starts.
"Spike, don't blame Owlowiscious for following his nature. Owl's hunt mice and I should've expected this to happen."

What? She just accepts it? Spike is dumbstruck. "But- but--"

Twilight gives Spike a look, wondering if he is taking it this badly because it's the first time he has seen an animal hunt another. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he won't take his prey back inside again." She ensures the baby dragon with a smile.

But Spike is more annoyed that she didn't kick out the bird for this, he worked so hard on this plan...

(next day)

Spike heads to Zecora's hut to find Spy and asks him to help get rid of that owl. As hoped he finds the Changeling at Zecora. "Spy, I need your help. The plan didn't work!" He calls into the hut.

The sudden barging in startles Spy out from his disguise, much to Zecora's amusement. Annoyed the changeling shoot the dragon a glare, Spike chuckle sheepishly up to him.
"Um sorry?"
Spy rolls his eyes and returns back to his pegasus disguise, and brushing the fur on his chest, he asks the dragon. "What do seems to be the problem?"

"The rubber mouse worked- I mean it didn't. Twilight thought the mouse was real and all, but she didn't throw that owl out." Spike explains, hoping the changeling would come up with a new brilliant plan. But all he got from that one is a raised brow.

Zecora chuckles lightly at the young dragons problem. "My young dragon, you're letting yourself get controlled by jealousy, it is messing up your sense of morality."
Spy nods in agreement, for even he can see there is really no point in getting worked up by Twilight having an owl around.

Spike do. "But Owlowiscious is taking my spot as her Number 1 assistance! I'm getting replaced by an owl!" He cries and the mere thought of getting replaced terrifies him.

"You will not get replaced," Zecora puts friendly a hoof on the young dragon's shoulder. "If you do not believe me, asks Twilight and she will tell your fear has been misplaced."

"How long has she had that owl?" Spy asks, starting to see a picture of what is going on. "About two days now," Spike replies quietly.
Ah yes, Spy has seen this behavior before. BLU Scout got quite upset when Soldier had to pay those disgusting raccoon more attention than sparring with the speedster. Silly boy tried to blow them up at some point. Maybe it was a good thing Scout always has been terrible at planning. Too bad Engineer is not around, it would save him from playing the voice of reason which he is just as terrible at as Scout as at keeping quiet. "It's not the world's doom she has gotten herself a pet." He tells the dragon, adding with a sigh from the look Zecora gives him. "Talk with her, tell it bothers you." and sends the zebra a 'there, happy now?' look

Highly amused by Spy's bit childish behavior, Zecora nods in agreement with the changeling and tells Spike. "Only with the truth, you can put down this dispute."

Spike lets out a long sigh, he guesses he should talk with Twilight about his feelings... "Alright..." and leaves the hut. He returns back to the library and barely three steps inside, Twilight says. "Oh good timing Spike, I could need some assistance in the—"
"Um Twilight, can we talk?" Spike interrupts her, wringing his tail in discomfort.

Twilight blinks but can see this is important. "Of course, what do you need to speak with me about?"

"Um... it's about Owlowiscious..."

"What about him?" She asks, eyebrow slightly raised. She has taken notice Spike has gotten quite... well huffy around the owl, but she merely thought it was because Spike was so tired all the time.

Zecora and Spy better have been right about this... "Is.. Is he taking my place as your number 1 assistance?" He asks, ignoring the owl turning around to look at him. He wants but cannot meet Twilight eyes. "Because... because I am feeling like I'm not important anymore..."

So that's what has been bothering him. Twilight feels bad she hasn't realized that him feeling left out has been the cause of his huffy behavior. It seems he hasn't realized that no one can ever replace him. "Oh Spike." Twilight walks over to him and pulls him into a small hug. "I never meant for you feeling this way. It's just—" eyeing the owl sitting on the stand beside her writing desk. "Sometimes I need some help at night." Turning back to Spike, Twilight gently lifts his head by the chin. "I can't ask you to stay up late; you're a baby dragon and you need your rest. You see, owls are nocturnal; so I asked Owlowiscious to help, but not to take your place." She explains Spike, glad to see he is looking less worried now. She nuzzles his head with her hoof. "No one can take your place; you're my Number 1 assistance after all."

And that is what Spike needed to hear, he smiles up to her, happy Zecora and Spy managed to persuade him taking this up with Twilight. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let my jealousy get the better of me."

Twilight beams, her eyes light up from the idea striking her. "Say Spike, would you like write to Princess Celestia about what you have learned today?"

"Really?" Spike asks ecstatic of been allowing this. "Wow, that's a big responsibility!"

"I know," Twilight smiles, "but nothing my Number 1 assistance can't handle."

Excited and happy, Spike starts to write. 'Dear Princess Celestia. This is Spike writing to you about something important I learned this week. I learned that being jealous and telling lies will get you no-where in friendship. I also learned that if feeling such emotions, it is best telling your friends about and get it solved before things get out of hoof. Without Zecora and the changeling Spy voices of reason, I might never have learned this important lesson and tell you about it. '
After have sealed the letter, Spike sends it to the princess. When Celestia will get the letter, she will smile and the fear of have let Spy live among her subject decreases and learning further towards the feelings she might trust him more in the future.

Frenemies

Author's Note

part 1 and made after the episode: Secret of My Excess.

this happens two months after former chapter.

Frenemies

(the human world at the base of Badlands)

Another day, another game of who could kill most of the other team, that and the few times they get swarmed by robots there mysteriously looks like them.
RED Demoman is perhaps one the few of the mercenaries who do not fight this war for the money but because he prefers being part of something instead, alright maybe his BLU counterpart too has that line of thought. For he sure does not know who of them is the real deal; none of them do. But the fact is, as long he can get his booze and the materials for his explosives, then he is fine with his current situation.

Friendships, on the other hand, cannot be bought, that has to be earned.

Speaking of friendships, it still hurts he and once his best friend, the BLU Soldier and him have been forced to fight against one another. Just because that heartless bitch to the Administrator apparently is allergic to friendships, it wasn't like either their friendship influenced their job. Didn't matter for her, though. At first Demo was offered great weapons in return he would end the friendship. He refused, no matter how wonderful those weapons were he wouldn't betray his best pal for a piece of tool. What he heard from Spy, Solly had refused in the first round as well. Apparently, he would rather die than betray him after the Administrator had threatened to kill him. That warms his heart knowing. But if there is something about the Administrator, that she is smart and heartless. That she showed when she threated to kill Demo's old, blind mother and from what he has gathered from Solly: She made him believe that he called him as a civilian and that is one thing Demo here would never call his crazy friend. Solly is a insane but good man. So calling him something Solly find so offending, he would never do. Demoman has more than once thought about if he should tell BLU Soldier this and straighten things out between them once again. He would if it wasn't for the fact that a certain heartless bitch holds a knife over his mother's life. He just can't risk it... "Move it Cyclops!" RED Scout calls and runs past with baseball bat raised, reminding Demo that he is still in the War Games. Another day, another fight with his best pal... "It would be so much funnier without this shit..." Demo sighs and runs out to kill a bunch of BLUs and probably get into a senseless fight with Solly again.
And so right he was. At one of the checkpoints of this game, Demo stands face to face with Solly. And like ever since they 'ended' their friendship the two attacks one another with a ferocity of the frustrations and anger they feel against the other and themselves of this situation they are stuck in until this senseless war end and who knows how long it will last.

"Die you twirl-swirling drunk!" Soldier roars and swings his trusty shovel down to Demo's head, the Scotsman saves himself through a trip from the respawn by blocking the attack with the same sword he got in agreement to end their friendship: the Eyelander. At times he does wonder if this possessed sword really was worth it. He loves this sword to bits, but if he could get Soldier's friendship back in trade for it, he would've done it-- although he would hesitate for he has gotten quite good pals with the spirit inside the sword.
He kicks Soldier away but does regret that action right away when Solider pulls out his bazooka. Well, might as well take Solly down with him. With a loud battle cry, Demo charges in to chop his friend's head off just as Soldier fires a rocket at him. The explosion from the rocket is bigger and steam up a lot more fire than Demo remembers.

Suddenly the ground beneath them disappears, making both drop down from the sky and crash right on top on some sweet little house. Fortunately the landing is soften by the thatched roof. "Ey, what just happen?" Demo asks dumbfounded, one moment he and Solly were trying to kill one another, the next he is lying on a house there looks like it belongs to a sweet village and something. Not a house typical found around their area of the War Games. Looking around Demo notices something incredibly strange. "Ponies... colorful ponies, must be drunk." He muses, putting his hoof up to his head-- wait hoof?! Demo stares at what not long ago had been his hands, now a cedar colored horse hoof. "Bloody hell!" He turns to Soldier and realizes he too has been turned into a colorful pony, except he is olive green with greyish yellow short hair. He still wears his helmet, hiding most of his face, yet Demo can see Soldier has gotten a white stripe down his muzzle and only left of his clothing is the blue colored uniform. Soldier stares several seconds at his hooves before he demands annoyed; "Marasmus! You better turn us right back unless you want me to kick your ass so hard you throw up your spine!" However no crazy wizard appears. "Marasmus!"

"I don't know anypony with that name," A grey winged mare with blond mane with a cross-eyed look says, flying carefully over to them. The two turned humans turn to her, split between being dumbfounded or just accept that the horses apparently can talk in this place. She doesn't seem to notices this and continues. "But I can ask around if you like."

"Ehm, thanks lassie." Demo thanks her, wondering if he's too drunk or not drunk enough for this weird situation. He decides he will get a drink later, sure hell needs it with this weird shit going on. "Could you perhaps tell us where we are? We're not exactly from around here." He asks the mare, very certain they are not in their world anymore.

Soldier nods in agreement, his mind has already gotten used to that he is talking to a winged pony. "My roommate threw us into a portal. Must've forgotten to pay the rent again." He grins and the grey pony giggles in return.

"That wasn't very nice of him."

"I'll be sure to kick his ass for it when I see him again."

She opens her mouth but Demo stops her, reminding the mare of his first question. She giggles sheepishly that she forgot. "Whoops, my bad. You are in Ponyville."
"Ponyville?" Demo asks and not sure how to feel that he was correct about them not being in their world anymore. Well, better look around and see if there is someone who can help them back. "We got further away than expected."

"Ponyville doesn't sound like an American name." Soldier points out, the mare gives him a confused look. Demo eyes the now olive green and also winged Soldier. He knows it's just asking for trouble telling his friend they aren't in America anymore. "It is, it's simply a shorten vision for pony village." Soldier takes that as a good enough explanation, with that crisis evaded, Demo turns back to the grey mare. "Any chance you know someone who knows about portals?"

"Perhaps Twilight Sparkle does." The mare muses and tells the two she is more than happy leading them there. "But let's first get you down-- oh, I completely forgot," she gives the two a sweet smile. "I'm Derpy Hooves, nice to meet you."

"I'm Demo and this is Soldier." Demo introduce both of them to this talking pony. Soldier salutes, hitting himself over the head with his own hoof, Derpy giggles at that.
It took less time than thought, for the moment Soldier got aware of his wings when Derpy pointed out he had them; Soldier threw himself off the roof without flapping his wings and landed face first onto the ground. Derpy did seem to find this whole ordeal very amusing, not at all confused why a pegasus did not know how to fly. After having made sure Soldier is alright, Derpy helps Demo climbing down.

When finally down from the roof, Derpy leads them through the pony infested village. Under the helmet, Soldier frowns of the many colorful ponies walking around them. "This is a camp filled with hippies and—" he shudders, "civilians." And gets struck by a dread but also anger that the man— who currently is a pony called him that horrible word. "To you notice; I am not a civilian Tavish! And I will break your neck if you call me it ever again!" Derpy and several other ponies send him a worried glance. Taking Demoman more off guard when Soldier suddenly asks him incredibly distressed. "You really don't think I'm a civilian, do you?"

His tone and body posture of unease almost makes Demo say the truth about this whole mess, but the thought about his mother stops him. He hates doing it, but unlike Solly, his mother cannot defend herself. "... I do." He muses weakly, it stings lying like this, especially to his best pal.
Soldier freezes up for a moment, then drops his head with a deep growl. There will be a dead-match between them later, Demo just knows it.

"Everything alright?" Derpy asks worriedly.

"Everything's fine lass." Demo brushes her off, there's no need dragging a real civilian into this mess.
The grey mare hesitates, looking as if she wishes to say something but to Demo's relief, she lets the subject drop and trots over to a huge oak tree and from the looks of it with the door, windows and a balcony, it seems like someone is living in there.
Derpy knocks on the door and moments later, a purple unicorn steps out, giving the grey pegasus a confused look. Derpy smiles to her. "Hello Twilight, I found these two strange ponies on top of my home." Twilight turns to the two stallions, and like those walking past them: can sense some sort of tension between them. Her eyes return to the cross-eyed mare as Derpy continues. "They said they come someplace far away and asked if somepony knew about portal magic. And since you're the best unicorn I know there can do magic—"

"You came to me." Twilight smiles weakly, she is happy of the other pony's confident in her magical skills but even though her friends said they wouldn't stop being her friend because her magic skills are better than most. Twilight still says she has a lot to learn and there are ponies out there better than her. But she will try and help these two newcomers... after Spike's birthday. "You did come at a busy time for me. But I promise I will help you the best I can after this party, alright?"

"Yeah! It's my birthday!" Spike cheers, appearing beside her with a huge smile on his face.

Demo and Soldier stare at the small dragon for a moment, Demo this time is the first to recover and asks a bit hesitant. "You don't happen to be a dragon, eh lad?"

"Yup! I'm Spike." Spike introduces himself, blinking when this brown stallion suddenly gives the green one with the helmet an almost smug look. The one with the helmet snorts loudly. "We're not friends anymore, so it doesn't count." The brown stallion lowers his gaze, disappointed in this.

Twilight feels sorry for the one-eyed brown pony, the green one as well. "You used to be friends?"

"Ay, but certain circumstances put a cog into that." Demoman explains this female pony, it's quite the pity for Soldier would've owned him a very special whiskey for this lost bet.
Soldier only grumbles, seemly split between something but Demo is not sure what. Brushing that thought aside, he turns his eye down to the soon to be birthday dragon. "Don' worry about us, enjoy your birthday dragon-boy."
Spike beams at that.
Turning his eye to the purple mare as she says apologetically. "I'll sure help you out the moment this party is over. Come by tomorrow and we will talk about your location issue." Demo nods and leaves along with the still grumpy Soldier.
Derpy flies over to them. "If you like, I can show you a nice hotel you can stay in." That is a nice gesture, but "we don't have any money." He tells this Derpy.

"I don't need a flimsy hotel!" Soldier declares loudly, making several ponies stop. "I have slept in the mud with bullets flying over me, and I sure hell can do it again you hippie ponies!" and several ponies frown of being called a hippie but are wise enough not confronting this muscular and loud pegasus pony.

Demo simply rolls his eye, but Soldier does have a point of them having to sleep outside. "Thanks for your help, lassie" He thanks the mare and drags Soldier away before his once friend would attack what he presumes is a male horse with a very long mane for giving them a dirty look of being called a hippie.

Derpy watches the two leave, even though she do not know them much and they are a bit scary, she still feels they don't mean any harm and would like to help them with their house problem. She flies off to find a way of solving this problem— didn't see the pole and hits it. She giggles embarrassed of the bummer and when sure she won't hit it again, flies off.
She almost hits a house when a male pony suddenly speaks where she is passing. "Now didn't those two look familiar." Derpy turns around, spotting that handsome blue pegasus there often hangs around Zecora. "Oh hey, um... " what was his name again?

"Spy"

"Spy," She smiles and lands before him with the question: "Do you know those two?"

Spy sure did, even though he could do without Soldier and from how he and who Spy presumes is Demoman with that missing eye and pelt color, he is certain that Demoman is the RED one from how tense the two are around one another. it's only a matter of time before they try and kill one another. Just what he needed...
"Yes, I know them." He answers the cross-eyed mare smoothly and asks. "What did you speak with them about my adorable bubble of joy?"

Derpy blushes lightly, yet unlike most mares in this town; she isn't that interested in his flirting.
Spy is handsome and sweet in his own way, Derpy admits that, but she would like her special somepony to be a bit more, well funny. But she wouldn't mind having this one as a friend. "The one named Soldier's room-mate teleported them here. They don't know how far off they have been taken and asked Twilight if she could help-"

If Demoman is smarter than his buffoon attitude inclines out in the War Games, then Spy is certain that the Scot has realized they aren't in their world anymore. Soldier, on the other hand would practically believe anything people- or ponies told him. Maybe it was a good thing those two got transported here together, for sure hell he can't keep Soldier in check on his own.

"Twilight did promise to help, but first after Spike's birthday— that reminds me: I should bring him a present." Derpy reminds herself. Spy gives her a small frown, of why she is not sure and decides to ignore it. "Anyway, since you know them. Perhaps you can help them find a place to sleep?"

It will be best finding them a place to live as long they are stuck here. Celestia has found some suggestions on what might have brought him and now the two others here, but none of them holds a solid clue how they got here. This means they will be here for quite a while. Being stuck here for two months and come to the small conclusion he won't mind living here. Well, the search for a clue getting back home has become more of an afterthought. He is really enjoying the friendliness of the ponies, oh and weird things happen all the time. Halloween in the War Games or that crazy wizard got nothing on this place's daily life. Anyway, back to the question in hand, Soldier and Demoman need places to rest. No way in hell he will ask Zecora about letting those two morons stay with her. They will destroy all her remedies with their trigger/explosive happy personalities and he does not want to expose her to such a headache in form of those two. No those two needs to stay with someone else. His eyes land on Derpy, she seems to have gotten attached to Demo and Soldier, perhaps enough she will open her door for one of them? "I do not think Zecora can house more than me. So I will have to ask somepony else." He gives her a sweet smile. "Any chance you can house one of them?"

Derpy ponders about it for a moment. "I do have a spare room, but I am worried how Dinky will take it." She points out.

Oh yes, if he remembers correctly, this mare has gone through a rather messy divorce with some unicorn about a month ago. He must give Derpy credit staying this strong for her foal. Whoever Derpy will house has to be very respectfully around this small family, which Spy somehow doubts either Soldier or Demo knows the word of.
"I will take it up with them that your foal comes first."

"Thank you, but I can only house one."

Which means he has to asks around for a second room. "I'll got that covered." She nods and flies off. Spy starts leaving the other way, pondering who he could ask for this second room to house a pretty much trigger-happy mercenary. Whoever it is, Demo and Soldier need to be aware that this is not the War Games and they have to stay on their best behavior AND not kill anyone!
Spy decides to meet up with the two before searching for a living quarter, he finds them just in time as they have gotten into a fist— no a hoof fight with one another. Over what, Spy doesn't care.
"I find it fair warning you two idiots that respawn does not work in this place," He tells the two, walking calmly over to them.
Soldier stares at him while still holding Demo in a headlock for about three seconds. Then he lets go, much to Spy surprise. There must still be sparks of comradely between them it seems.

"Didn't need your help, you know..." Demo grumbles, getting back on his hooves. He could handle Soldier just fine, but it is good Spy warned them both. If they kill one another now then the dead one stays dead. Even though there is a lot of aggressively between him and Soldier, Demo doesn't want his pal permanently dead.

Soldier might not like RED Demoman anymore but... Tavish was once a friend, and former friends should only kill one another if they can come back again from life. So he won't kill Demoman as long they are here.
Turning to the pony there sounds very much like Spy, it takes him a moment but if looking past the pony form. This is indeed the BLU Spy
"Spy! I knew you wouldn't go AWOL!" He cheers and claps the blue pegasus over the shoulder, enough that he accidentally activates another disguise. That disguise looks weird with him being black and insect-like.
Spy do quickly remove it, shooting him a glare.

"What was that?" Demo asks surprised seeing Spy take such a strange form when Soldier clapped him over the shoulder.

Not sure if he should be happy or disgusted that Soldier showed genuine friendship towards him. It took Spy so much off guard getting literally fed with those emotions that he lost control over his disguise. He shakes his head over the sudden surge and tells the RED. "This world turned me into a shapeshifter." Not wanting to say that what he has been turned into feeds on emotions— preferably love, he would like to keep his head.

"What can you tell us about our forms?" Demo asks.

Eyeing the two and their new features. "Soldier, you have been turned into a pegasus. They have the ability controlling the weather and walk on clouds. Demoman, you are a unicorn. You can levitate objects and do certain magic with that horn of yours." Demo puts his hoof up to his forehead, first now realizing he has one.

"Bloody hell, Pyro better not see me like this." But he would be happy if that firebug didn't set him on fire for once. He eyes the BLU Spy, first now realizing he is stuck with two BLU's, not to mention he has no weapon to defend himself and there aren't any respawn either. "Umm... what about a truce until we get back?"

"Agree," Spy nods, he would prefer that as they will be busy enough trying finding a way home to worry about the War Games. "That part might take longer than any of us would like, so you two have to find a place to live."

Soldier snorts. "We won't die sleeping outside for a couple of days."

"I have been stuck here for almost three months—" Spy admits that he has been very relaxed on the search but he needs to pick up the pace now with these two around. "—and I still haven't found a clue how I got here or how to get back." He points out, the two stare at him in disbelief. He flicker his wings before continuing. "I spoke with the mare Derpy, she has agreed she can house one of you. Whoever it is though has to pay in mind for her child." Soldier and Demoman send each other an uncomfortable glance, neither are used to be around kids. Spy will let them figure who will go there on their own. "I will ask around for a second place. It might take a while, but it will be easier if the two of you stay on your best behavior." And he leaves the two in order to find a second place to sleep for either of them.
It took him a few hours, but Spy managed to track down a pony having and willing to share a room with either Demo or Soldier. And that is at Sugarcube Corner.
"I thank you for such hospitality." He thanks Mr. and Mrs. Cake after they have offered their second room for him upstairs. Whoever is going to live here will has to deal with having a roommate— who happens to be the weirdest pony ever.

The two cakes nod, with Mr. Cake voicing their thoughts on payment. "All we would ask in return is him giving us a hoof here in the shop." Giving his plum wife a sweet smile.

And hopefully either Demo or Soldier can do that without blowing half the place up. "That is a fair payment, you have to speak one of my friends—" no way he is friends with those buffoon's but if it will make this pair calmer. "-what sort of task is best suited for him. We are still discussing who should stay where."

"Where will your second friend be living while you're here?" Mrs. Cake asks curiously.

"At miss Hooves." The pair send each other a glance, as if unsure if that is a good idea. Derpy is a good mare, but not exactly the most safety to be around with her almost unnatural skills of clumsiness. Then it is a good thing, both Soldier and Demoman are used to buildings falling over them. "Do not worry Mr. and Mrs. Cake, my two friends are both very study ponies. They can handle that mare's clumsiness." They sigh in relief and Mrs. Cake tells him. "That's good. When you have figure out who will stay where. Could you send that pony over here so we can discuss his tasks?" Spy agrees he will. On his way out he encounters a very excited Spike. The disguised changeling stops at the door, watching the young dragon trots up to the desk.

"Hi Mrs. and Mr. Cake!" Spike greets the pair, completely unable standing still in his excitement.

Mr. Cake walks over to the dragon, beaming. "There's the dragon of the hour. Happy birthday, Spike!"

"Thanks." Spike smiles.

Mrs. Cake nuzzles her husband, explaining the young dragon. "When we found out it was your birthday, we couldn't resist trying out a new recipe: Sapphire!" She takes out a blue cupcake with blue sapphires mixed into the cake.

Spike stares almost awestruck at this cake, he shouldn't be able but got more excited when the Cake pair gives him this cake as his birthday gift. Holding the cupcake in his claws, Spike waves to the pair as he leaves the shop, "Thank you so much!" He calls before turning hungrily to this nice treat. Then he realizes who else has been in the shop, "oh Spy!" He calls, turning around and sees the disguised changeling just in time before the bug-horse walks past a corner. "Wait up!" Spike trots after the changeling, he still hasn't personally thanked Spy or Zecora for that matter about helping him solving the problem about Owlowiscious taking his spot. Before he can catches up to Spy, Spike, in his hurry didn't see Cheerilee walk in front of him. The two bump into one another, she drops her bag and all the fruits spreading over the ground and Spike's cupcake almost got ruined if he hasn't caught it the last second. He breathes out air in relief he managed saving his treat, about then he realized what has just happened and apologizes to the mare. "I'm so sorry Cheerilee." He steps over to help her gather up her stuff but that caused him to almost drop his cake again.

"That's okay," Cheerilee says, accidents like this does happen. Picking up her scattered fruits, she notices that Spike does looks quite excited and asks him about it.

Spike hesitates with his answer, he wants to help the mare with her stuff but he really doesn't want to ruin his cake. Well, might as well eat it now, he thinks and eats the cake whole. "Pinkie Pie told me I should see the Cakes." He explains her with mouth still full of the cake he got from them, "and they gave me a cake because it's my birthday."

"Well, happy birthday Spike." Cheerilee replies, now she can see what got him so excited and hearing this is a special day for the young dragon. "I wish I have something to give you." She muses, stroking her chin in thoughts. Oh, wait! She does have something she can give this birthday child. Cheerilee searches through her bag and puts on a white cowboy hat with a red feather attached to the crown. She did buy for herself but thinks Spike deserves it more this moment. "Here you go."

Spike is both very surprised and excited getting yet another gift. "Wow, really?"

Cheerilee nods, "Sure, everypony should get fun gifts on their birthday," she tells him, beaming when Spike jumps up and hugs her. When he lets go, Cheerilee takes her bag and leaves, hoping this birthday boy will have a wonderful day. "Have a great birthday Spike."

"I wish every day was my birthday," Spike thinks out loud, pulling excitedly down his new gift. Today has been such a great day!

"Well, happy birthday."

Spike turns around, a grayish gold unicorn mare with flopped green hair walks over to him; giving him a small smile, he doesn't notices this mare is lacking a cutiemark. "Thanks, it's so nice getting gifts from ponies." Spike replies this pony with a smile.

"That it is." The mare agrees in a slow nod, turning her dark- almost black eyes over to the streets where several ponies are walking by. "You know, if you mention to other ponies it is your birthday; I am sure more ponies would give you gifts."

"Really?" Spike asks surprised, yet unable to keep back his excitement from the thought of more gifts.

"Of course, you are the birthday dragon after all. Why shouldn't they give you gifts?" The mare asks with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure they would love to give me more." Spike agrees with her, he hesitates only for a moment and asks her. "Do... Do you have a gift for me?"

Smirking the mare conjure another cupcake and levitates it down to the dragon, he eats it greedily, not seeing the oily substance dropping from it. When he turns around to thanks her, the mare is gone. He shrugs and now with darker green eyes turns to the many ponies there can give him more wonderful gifts.

***

From the shadows of a house, the mare watches Spike demand more gifts from ponies, at each time losing more self-control. The mare smirks."Oh you stupid dragons of the earth, you should've known sending a child to do an adults job would fail from the start."She laughs with the shadows surrounding around her and only a small oily pool with a cluster of black crystals of dark magic is left behind of this mare's departure.

Tokens of Gratitude

Author's Note

this chapter is not based on any episodes. it happens the day after the former chapter.

there is a reason why many call Team Fortress a hat simulator, I find it hilarious how a bunch of mercenaries can wear so many different forms of cosmetics.

Tokens of Gratitude

At the crack of dawn, Soldier got up from bed and starts his morning exercise. He did, however, forget this is not BLU base and only realized his mistake after he had shouted: "Up and at it maggots!" A very sleepy but also startled filly appears from the door. After an awkward moment of silence, Soldier muses a very quiet: "Sorry miss." and stalks outside, feeling rather stupid over have forgotten he's not in BLU base at the moment.

"...Why are you up this early, sir?" The purple coated and blond filly unicorn asks, following their guest outside. She is still a bit scared of him with his loud voice but warmed up to him after that dragon incident. The olive green stallion stops for a moment before he returns back in trotting around the house with: "Only lazy bums waste precious hours sleeping."
She watches him for a moment, thinking about his words and can see a bit of reason in them. "Makes sense I guess... but mother says sleep is important too. Without it, we cannot focus when awake." The stallion only makes a strange humming sound, too busy trotting around. The filly yawns and returns back to the house for some more sleep but does stop at the door as she would like to get to know this stallion better. "I would like to join you; if you got up later."

That catches Soldier off guard, he stops and stares at this child. "You would like to... train with me?" He asks, not sure he got that right.

The filly, Dinky nods with another yawn. "Uh huh, I saw you save that pony when the dragon attacked." She lowers her head slightly, "and... um, I would like to be able to do the same when I grow up."

Soldier has to take a moment to comprehend what this child has just said, then another moment when he contemplates if he should train this child-- this girl becomes a true soldier. Women aren't supposed to be soldiers, they belong in the house, but this filly asked him to train him. So he guesses he can bend the rules a little bit. "Alright, I will get up a bit later, but you better be prepared for some hard training!" He tells this girl hard. "Doesn't matter you are a girl, do I make myself clear?!"

Dinky copy what she at times has seen Soldier here do when he shows he understand or agree. "Yes you do." He returns the salute and with that; both returns back into the house.

About three hours later, Derpy wakes and heads over to wake her daughter only to realizes the filly isn't in her room. "Dinky?" She calls worried and bit in a state of panic searches the house for her. She finds her daughter along with Soldier, and to her surprise, both are trotting around the house with Soldier singing some song she does not recognize.
The two stop and Soldier tells the winded filly. "Nice job Cadet! Keep this up and you'll turn into a fine soldier one day. Now let's get some breakfast!" Dinky salutes, first there seeing her dumbfounded mother.
"Mom, I and Soldier have become friends now." She giggles up to the bit taken aback stallion.
Well, isn't that good news. Derpy smiles. "I told you he wasn't so bad." Turning to Soldier. "Thanks for giving Dinky a chance."

"Not a problem ma'am!" Soldier salutes, again forgetting he doesn't have hands and hits his head. "Ow!" The two women giggles and Derpy suggest they should head inside. "You two must be hungry."

"Starving!" Dinky says with a huge smile.

Giggling, Derpy starts on the food. When done she puts down a plate with apple muffins. "Here you go." and Dinky digs in right away, Soldier fumbles a bit with the muffin in his hooves. Derpy shows him the trick and the green stallion can finally eat without the risk of dropping his food. He gives Dinky a smile when the filly says. "Mommies muffins are the best!" Derpy blushes lightly at her daughter's praise, more so when Soldier agrees with her. "They are very good, you should be proud!"
"It's nothing, just an old home recipe." Derpy brushes it off.
After the breakfast, Derpy takes her daughter to school before she will head to the mail-office. Speaking of job, "Have you found yourself a job yet?" She asks Soldier. What she got from Spy, the three would be here in Ponyville for quite some time.

"Not yet." Soldier replies the grey mare, he is still looking for something to do, something where he would feel of use. But, as much he hates to admit it; the only thing he is good at is being a soldier. Although deep inside he knows he's not a real one...

"Well, I wish you luck then." Derpy says and leaves along with her daughter.

Soldier heads to the town not long after, he doesn't want to idle in Miss Hooves house. He needs to do something...!
Inside the town he encounters Spy talking with that mare there got trapped by that dragon. With nothing else to do, he walks over to them.

"— been long I last spoke with anypony of finer taste." Rarity replies the blue and very charming pegasi. "If you have the time perhaps come by my boutique, I might have just something for you."

Spy smiles, both to charm her but also because he has found a pony there knows how to make proper clothing. "I am sure whatever you show it, it will be just as dazzling as their creator."

"Oh, you flatter me." She giggles waves a hoof at him to then let out a startled yelp when a ruff looking pegasus suddenly appears beside both of them with a rather loud: "Hello again! I see the dragon didn't eat you." She gives him a weak smile, remembering this one from when Spike was that rampaging dragon. "Eh ha ha... no, he didn't..." and now seeing him up close, this stallion is rougher than she had feared, it's like looking at a dull stone. Perhaps she can get two birds with one stone. "I must say it was very brave of you and your friends trying to save me." She smiles sweetly at this ruffian looking pegasus and suggests. "What do you say I repay you with some new clothing?"

"There is no need for it, Marsmoselle." Spy tries but the white unicorn brushes his attempt to decline off.

"Oh, I must insist."

Her funeral, "Alright, I presume you would like to thank our third member as well?" She nods and Spy heads out to find Demoman, praying Soldier won't destroy miss Rarity's shop too much when she tries to put a tuxedo on him. Demoman is busy enough helping to repair Sugarcupe Corner as it is.

Turning to the olive green pegasi there for some reason pokes his muzzle. "Should we see if there is something for your need?" Rarity asks, still with that sweet voice of hers and request the stallion to follow her back to her boutique.

Soldier follows this unicorn into a shop filled with mirrors and more clothing than he has ever seen. He blinks when the unicorn uses that ability Tavish at times uses on him, making a jacket looking very much like one Spy would walk in floats before him.

"You would like quite dazzling in a tuxedo." Rarity observes.

"If I was a spy." Soldier grumbles and pushes the spy suit away. Boasting his chest proudly. "Soldiers like me do not uses cheap trick like those backstabbing snakes!"

Rarity is not entirely sure what this stallion is talking about, but she did catch on one word. "soldier?" So this one is part of the royal guard? First time she has ever gotten the chance of suiting one of those, a challenge she eagerly accepts! "Tuxedo won't do, then." She puts the suit back to its place and trots over to another shelf. If this stallion is a royal guard, then something showing strength and yet a certain elegant would fit him better. She finds a piece of clothing, and levitates it over but can see it is still not exactly what she has in mind. "Hm, no that won't do-- what would you say I made you a new uniform and perhaps spruce up your helmet a bit?" She asks the stallion. Not sure if he likes the idea or not since the helmet cover most of his face.

"You can make a uniform?" Soldier blinks, quite taken aback hearing this.

"Oh yes, and no offense but the one you have now have seen better days."

Soldier looks down to his BLU uniform, it is dirty and covered in holes from both his battle back when he was human and from that dragon. That woman horse might be onto something, his higher officer always said that a soldier should look properly in order to intimidate the enemy. "Alright." He agrees and lets the unicorn take his helmet, he feels sort of naked without it, though...

Oh, he is going to love what she has in mind for him, Rarity thinks excitedly. She would like to put gems on the new uniform, but she has to restrain herself since she doubts a royal guard pony would predicate having objects there can blind him when out in the sun. Maybe a single gem formed as a star on the helmet, perhaps? "I would need a few days before your uniform is done." She tells him while levitating the helmet over to the work table, noticing the stallion looks a bit lost without his helmet. Feeling a bit bad she somewhat is the cause of this lost puppy look, Rarity presumes she can allow him to borrow one of her hats. "You may borrow one of my hats, but be sure to return it in good condition."

Is she giving him a hat? Soldier whole face lights up hearing that and zips over to the shelf where the hats are.
He doesn't notice Spy and Demo walking inside.

"I see you are handing Soldier just fine." Spy remarks, hiding his surprise she kept him seduced without no trouble. He thought Soldier would destroy something the moment she tried dressing him up.

Rarity walks over to them with a smile, thinking that green stallion must really take his royal guard job seriously when his name is Soldier. But putting that one aside, she levitates a black tuxedo over to Spy but quickly changes her mind when realizing his dark coat will just make the suit disappear. "No, something lighter perhaps." and levitates a lighter blue one over to him, that looks better. But could use— "Perhaps something white." and leaves, dropping the suit in the pegasus's hooves.

Spy catches the tuxedo, letting Rarity head out in search of some cosmetics for him. He lifts up the suit and can see he wasn't wrong saying she has a good taste of style.
"She's so going to dress us all up isn't she?" Demo asks with a weak chuckle, Spy simply gives him a look. This is going to be quite amusing if Demo keeps being this skirmish.
A white shirt and flower get levitated before him, and before Spy knows: Rarity has put the suit on him. He is not sure if he should be impressed or scared how fast and effective she did just that.
Rarity scratches her chin deeply in thoughts on her work, making Spy suddenly feel like he's literally a show pony and to his embarrassment; that is making him quite nervous as he doubts this unicorn will allow him to leave before she is done.

Rarity eyes light up and levitate over some gems— to then drop them when Soldier is suddenly by them with a joyful laugh. He now has a captain hat for a role-play she made for a customer. "I found a new hat!" Spy and Demo turn their full attention on Soldier, both having a curious look in their eyes about the new headwear and Rarity notices how excited the three gets when they see her stock of headwear. The blue pegasus then turns to her, asking in his always polite tone. "If you wouldn't mind, could I and Demoman find ourselves a piece of headwear as well?"

"Of course." Rarity says and is curious about their excitement of getting a hat. It's like watching foals getting their presents at Heart's Warming Eve; not exactly a behavior she would expect from a royal guard, a gentlestallion and... well she still not sure how to describe the one with the name of Demo. "May I asks the interest in headwear?" She asks the three.

Snapping out from an almost unnatural zeal of finding a hat, Spy explains the white unicorn a bit sheepishly over their huge interest in getting new hats. "It's a bit of a strange story. You see, we are fighting against... ponies looking exactly like us."

"Ooh my, how do you know which one is who then?" Rarity asks, she might find herself dazzling and all but she would prefer there is only one Rarity in the world.

Demoman steps up beside Spy. "We can't lass, not sure about Spy and Solly's team, but for RED that whole situation was really depressing at first."

"Same for us." Spy admits and pushes the thought aside from that he shouldn't share information with a RED or a civilian. They aren't in the War Games and he is not sure if he ever would return to the human world again AND this world ridicules high level of trust in one another is rubbing off him. Both turn to Rarity when the mare asks shocked. "Wait, aren't you on the same team?" Spy shakes his head. "Non, Demoman here is part of the RED team, the one I and Soldier were hired to fight. Our own Demoman looks and acts exactly like him, though. Demo has two team member looking and acting exactly like I and Soldier. It's a very depressing thought; not knowing if you are real or fake. So in an attempt of cheering the team up, my team's Scout came with the suggestion we should begin to wear hats."

Demoman cannot help but laugh at the irony. "Our Scout did the same, words all a mess but he said it with heart in the right place."

That counts with the BLU Scout as well, Spy thinks and although he's never allowed to show his true emotions towards that boy, he does feel a twitch of pride for Scout. Even a headache like Scout knows how to make people smile with his stupid ideas and stupider mouth. "Not long after we began wearing all sorts of hats and other sorts of cosmetics; many of them silly but it did in some way separate us." He explains the confused looking unicorn and feels almost an inch putting that blue fedora onto his head.

Well, this does get onto the top ten list of strange habits but far from being the strangest and besides— Rarity levitates the fedora onto Spy's head, she noticed he kept glancing at. Giggling how child happy he looks for a moment before forcing himself back to his calm exterior. "Well, if you continue on aiding Ponyville and perhaps me once and a while; I could make you a few cosmetics." She suggests. These three might help her attach more male customers by showing what the opposite gender appraise.
Demoman and Soldier both start cheering and doing some sort of dance while Spy looks like he's really struggling not to do the same thing, Rarity has trouble not laughing at their colt-like excitement they show of her suggestion. They are really some strange stallions.

"It's very generous of you," Spy says while lightly touching his new hat.

Rarity blushed and waves her hoof at the blue pegasi. "It's nothing, darling."

"No really, no-one has been this kind to us." Spy tells her seriously, he has never met someone wanting to give so much and only expecting a helping hand to the town in return.

"Spy's right, we cannot thank ye enough." Demoman says with Soldier nodding in agreement.

The unicorn mare titles her head slightly in her small confusions. "It sounds like you aren't used to be treated like this." Jumping when all three say at the same time. "We aren't!" They eye one another for a moment. Spy turns back to her, explaining. "Our line of job has made a lot of pe- ponies look at us in fear and detest."

"...What are your jobs?"

"We kill one another over worthless land!" Soldier exclaims cheerfully before Spy and Demo can stop him, he doesn't notice the angry look the two other gives him or the fearful look Rarity now has.

"You- You kill ponies?" She knew they were warriors from how they fought and handled getting beaten around by Spike, but to think these three actually kill other ponies.

Soldier opens his mouth but Demo's magic forces it shut and explains the pony before she calls the police on them. "Aye, but do not worry lass. We do not wish anyone in this town harm. And although I was hired to fight Spy and Soldier here, the three of us have come to an agreement of ceasefire until we return back home."

Okay, that's a relief these three has the tenacity of keeping others out from their war. Taking a deep breath, Rarity asks them as what Soldier said of what they fought about made little to no sense. "Why are you fighting over worthless land?"

"That what was we were hired to do." Spy replies simply, the two others nod. The blue and now fancy dressed pegasus nods towards the door to the two others before he eyes her again with a somewhat somber tone "We will be leaving now."

Wait, do they think now she knows what their job is that she doesn't want anything to do with them? What did they except? A pony with no heart? Sure them being practically mercenaries is scary, but they did say that they wouldn't fight as long they were here and— "Gentlemen please, you don't have to leave." They stop, Spy and Demoman giving her a surprised look, Soldier is still trying to open his mouth through Demo's magic. Ignoring that soldier pony, she will say: "I admit I am a worried and scared about of your... line of job. But I and many others here in Ponyville saw goodness in you when you— without a moment of hesitating fought against... well that dragon." But that's not what made her believe there is goodness in these three, every ruffian can fight a dragon. She takes a step towards these three, knowing they will not harm her. "You protected us, you tried to save me; even though you didn't know me. When wounded, you still continued trying helping me. Only good ponies do that." And from how taken aback they stare at her, it seems like nopony has told them anything close to what she has just said. She smiles, then with her business glasses on, she turns to Demoman. "Now, let's see if I can find something there would look good on you." The brown pony chuckles nervously.

About an hour later, the two mercenaries and one assassin all leave Rarity's shop quite happy and all having a piece of headwear. Demo and Soldier do however have to wait a few days for their uniforms, but they can wait for a month if they have to, it's quite the experience been giving such gifts. And that just for keeping a few ponies safe and whack a dragon over the head a few times. "I think I'm going to like this place," Demo says, Soldier nods in agreement with; "Even they all look like hippies"

Good to know he's not the only one getting affected by this world ridiculous high level of friendliness. Which does reminds Spy. "I will have to leave you now." and heads over to the shop he was supposed to be hours ago. He will have to apologize and tell Zecora he got quite caught up thanks to Rarity. He only thought they would talk for a short hour, what he hasn't expected was getting a whole new suit and a nice hat as well. Can't say it was a waste of time.

**
Back in the human world:

Administrator's order, the RED Spy, and Sniper are walking around the location where their Demoman disappeared along with the BLU Soldier. But they will not find any clues now as well they couldn't three days past. Sniper stops at the now offline control point. "This is bloody ridicules." He grumbles and corrects the rifle on his shoulder. When Spy doesn't reply Sniper turns around and realizes the man is smiling. "What are you smiling at spook?" He asks for he cannot see the joke.

It first now Spy realizes he is and cough embarrassed. "I don't know." he admits.

"You don't know?" Sniper raises a brow.

He just felt really cheerful off of sudden, like if he has found some secret cave filled with hats and cosmetic just for him. That's the best way Spy can explain this, not that he will tell that to the bushman. To be honest, he has been feeling very weird this whole day. He keeps having this feeling he should be somewhere else, but not entirely sure where or why he feels like this. Brushing off his internal confusions of his own emotions, Spy asks the frowning Sniper. "You found anything about Demoman's disappearance?"
Sniper shakes his head, yeah, he thought so. "Then there is no need staying here. " Spy tells Sniper and is more than happy to return back to base. They have been out here for hours with nothing but dirt turned their way.
He does wonder why certain members get taken away without a trace. And better question: who will be next?

Zap in Line

Author's Note

made after the episode "Family Appreciation Day"

this happens a week after the last chapter.

a quick side note. I am changing a lot of the My Little Pony and Team Fortress 2 lore so it suits a story flow better. some of those changes come to the Elements of Harmony and the story about Star Swirl.

Zap in Line

It has been so long she last was down in her and Luna's old teacher's study. Celestia hasn't been down here since Star Swirl disappeared, it had been too many memories for the back then grieve stuck alicorn. Star Swirl disappeared in a very bad timing as Celestia was grieving over she had been forced exiling her sister to the moon. She never found out what happened to their old teacher, but she is very sure that he is dead. Not to mention it has been 1000 years now and she cannot think about those troubled times. Now she has to be in the present and focus on the mystery on why creatures from another world have been brought here and how come another Element has appeared. She sure hopes that Star Swirl had studied into the subject about other world transportation or at least the Elements of Harmony. It would be nice knowing if there exists more she and Luna did not know about.
Celestia walks slowly into the study, feeling very hesitant about disturbing the room as Star Swirl left it all those years ago but it has to be done. Letting out a small sigh, Celestia levitates a book over to her; after having read a few pages she returns it exactly back where she found it. Doubting the dictionary of the stars will be any help.
She heads over to the large bookshelf, for a moment thrown back to when she and Luna were foals, studying along several of these books with Star Swirl. Celestia smiles sadly at the memory and if she hasn't a mission, then she would've left by now. But since three from another world counts on her, she pushes her own feelings aside, continuing searching the shelf for anything useful.
Her eyes stop on a book with the title of 'Pathway to other worlds' that one sounds promising and Celestia levitates it out.

'Over my years of researching the nature of the Pillars of Virtue, I have discovered that there have been several more Pillars than just the six I know about. It is unclear what exactly happened to them, but I have a theory that the dark forces I and my fellow pillars are fighting against have thrown the missing Pillars of Virtue into another world. One I yet have to reach even with all my magical powers. Until then, I and my fellow Pillars will ensure the element found will not be forgotten if the dark forces will defeat us. We will infuse our magic- our virtue into a crystal seed and plant them deep inside Harmony's Forest.'

Celestia stops reading her old teacher's writing, these Pillar's of Virtue the old unicorn spoke about. Could it be the Elements of Harmony? And there had been more, how many more and what kind of elements would they be- better yet, who could become their bearers? That is questions she has to find answers on later. Celestia flips through the pages and finds a paragraph about the subject of her reason coming down here in the first place.

'I have found a way and created a spell there can take somepony into another world very different from our own. I realize there are many such worlds, some I would have to be very careful exposing to ours as beings on the other side may be a threat or worse; allies to the dark forces at play. But even with that threat, I has to try. The forces of darkness are growing and I realize that the six Pillars of Virtue are not enough defeating them. We may represent and hold the power the dark forces fear, but we do not have any conduit in order to tap into the Spirit of the Virtue itself. The seeds we planted might give us such a conduit. All I and my fellow Pillars of Virtue can do for now is keeping the darkness at bay. But if my theory is correct, then the dark forces have thrown certain of the virtues into another world in attempt denying us a fighting chance. The destruction of the conduit will render the current user defenseless but like with the dark forces; the Spirit of the Element can never be truly destroyed. Exiling the spirits of the element has been the dark forces attempt getting rid of the power keeping them at bay. I will search for them in other worlds. I have already created a pathway to one of these other worlds and hope one of the spirits of the virtue is trapped there.'

Celestia is deeply troubled by what she is reading but also has a spark of hope, are Spy, Soldier, and Demo from the world where the Spirit of Virtue had been trapped? Do they have the spirit inside of them? She does not know but is carefully optimistic that is the case. According to Twilight, this new element; the Element of Guidance seems to have been inside Spy before it found its place at this Zecora and he got a silver necklace as well. She will have to speak with Spy about this, hear if he had any idea about the element resting inside of him. It still does not answers the question: who brought them here in the first place? And did the one know about the Elements? She has no idea, but at least it seems her old teacher did. So that's one good thing in all of this confusions.

***
(in Ponyville)

"Wait, you going to have a baby?" Demoman asks flabbergasted at what Mrs. Cake has just told him the reason she and her husband would like the extra help down the shop. The pair eyes one another with somewhat dorky smiles before Mrs. Cake turns back to Demo, nodding.
Okay, he did not see that coming. Mrs. Cake does not look pregnant, but maybe it's just him unable see the difference between being plum and being pregnant. "What do you need help with?" He asks as he is sure being pregnant will be exhausting, plus he does owe them a place to live while stuck here.
Mr. Cake gestures him over to the desk where he pulls out a list of the orders they have gotten. "We would very much like if you made these delivers. The cakes and boxes under the desk are over there." The yellow stallion explains, showing Demo the spots of each object he would need for the deliveries.
Demoman is more than willing to lend them a hand- or hoof. He goes straight to work and trots over to the certain addresses for the delivery. He has finished them about past midday, the last being with his new mare-friend in form of Berry Punch.
"Here ya go lass." He hands the light-plum mare the oat-chocolate cookies.

"Thank." Berry Punch says and gives him the bits for the payment. The box with cookies gets placed inside his private quarters and before Demo leaves, she asks hopefully. "How many more delivers do you have left?"

"This is my last." Turning back to the mare, curious what she has in mind.

"Oh, good, I was hoping you got time." Berry Punch sighs in relief and pulls out a bottle, explaining; "I got this from Saddle Arabia, good drink but one I find best shared with a good friend." Eyeing the one-eyed stallion with a hopeful smile and glad her coat color hides the small blush on her cheeks. "Care for a drink?"

Demo grins, that is why he likes this mare so much; like him, she appreciates good liquor. "It would be my pleasure." She pours them a glass each, he takes his with his magic, not trying to use his hooves- doing everything with magic is so much easier. "Cheer lass." They hit the glasses gently together and take sips of the drink. Demo realizes it is wine, not exactly his choice of liquor but he must admit this is good stuff. "Do you have more in storage?" He asks Berry, "I am certain a certain stallion—" still weird saying that "— would appreciate this brand very much."

"I have two more in storage." Berry Punch replies, tilting her head slightly. "Is that stallion you talk about one of your friends?"

"I won't call him a friend, more a fellow co-worker."

Berry nods, having an idea who her one-eyed friend talks about. "It's Spy right? He seems like a stallion with luxurious taste. Very much like the ponies at Canterlot, is he from there?" Demo gives her a questioning look, hm she guesses not if he does not recognize the name. "It's our capital, you can see it on top on the mountain up north." Pointing at the location.

Ah, he has seen that city when the sky is clear. Looks like a fancy place, not for him but— "Spy's not from there, but I am sure he would like the place."

"Me too, I wouldn't though, bit too refined for me." Berry laughs and takes another sip of the wine. Speaking of Canterlot. "If you ever need an excuse going there, I do at time transport some of my homemade apple cider up there. It's stronger stuff compared to what the Apple family sells."

"I believe you." Demo grins and does think a delivery up there could be a good excuse checking the capital of this country out. "If you ever lack a delivery pony, I can help you out with it." Might as well get to see more of this place now they are stuck here. Who knows, maybe he finds something he— "What that racket?" He asks from that horrible sound coming from the streets. It sounds like his mother trying to sing the national song when drunk— which can shatter his scrumpy bottles. And he is sure Berry might have gotten more than just that wine if that racket makes her smile.
"Oh my gosh, is it time again?" Berry asks excited and hastily leaves the shop, leaving behind a very confused Demo. He follows her outside, finding the source of the horrible singing being an old green mare. Demo snorts amused, it seems like every old lady cannot sing. "Whose that?" He asks Berry Punch.

Oh right, he's not from around here and probably yet haven't met the Apples. "That's Granny Smith; she's the matriarch of the Apple family." Berry explains, watching the old mare heads towards a stand selling pots. "She is usually only this... vocal when it's Zap apple season."

Did he hear that right? "Zap apples?" Does this place has electric apples? If that's the case then he wants to see if they will create a shock-wave if greeting thrown. "What's a Zap apple?"

"The best apple you'll ever taste!" Berry exclaim joyous, it's a wonderful timing for she has just run out of zap apple cider too. "The Apple family are the only ones in Equestria who knows how to make them. And they can only harvest them once per year. When the harvest is done, I'll share a bottle Zap apple cider with you. Trust me, it'll be the best cider you'll ever taste." She smiles at the still bit confused unicorn. Noticing this, Berry thinks that perhaps it is best the Apples explains him the deal. "What about you asks them the Zap apples? I'm sure they can tell you more about it."

"I'll do that." He replies for that zap apple stuff sounds both weird and glorious at the same time. He will ask them about it, but first, he needs to be sure that the Cakes doesn't need his aid anymore for today. He says bye to Berry Punch and trots off.

Demo couldn't return that day he first heard about Zap apples, the Cakes needed him all day. But the next he could have a day off and after have gotten the directions right, Demo heads over to the Apple Farm. Here he finds a light orange mare with a cowboy hat and a red big stallion walking around, both watering a glade of trees. He walks over to them, "Excuse me?" the two turn towards him. "Are you one of the Apples?"

"Sure are." The mare replies with a Southern accent, pointing at herself. "I'm Applejack, and this is Big Macintosh." Her brother gives the brown one a nod as a hello.

Guess like even in a world of sentient ponies there are Southern, oh Engie would be so proud. "Nice to meet you, I'm Demo." Demoman introduces himself before asking his question of the reason coming here. "Could you tell me what a Zap apple is. Berry Punch suggested I should ask you about them."
The two- he presumes siblings eye one another, Applejack turns back to him with a small smile. "I can tell you: as long you allow me to work while doing it."
That he can do, help too if they would like. Demo suggests that and the siblings look both surprised but happy about it.

"Thanks for the help mister." Applejack says and gestures over to the wheelbarrow filled with watering cans. "Now if you could water these trees, I'll be happy tell you about Zap apples." Demo levitates two cans and Applejack leads him over to the tree needing watering as she explains. "Zap apples are a very special sort of apple, they only grow when certain signs occur. You see, they are made out of a special magic, both make them heavenly delicious but tricky to harvest."

"How's that?" Demo asks as he empties the second watering can.

Applejack nods up the blooming trees. "The Zap apples will disappear in a matter of hours after ripening. If we don't get them before that; we will have to wait until the signs appear again."

Alright, that sounds like a tricky crop to deal with but it also makes Demo here very curious about tasting those apples. This world is strange in some wondrous ways he must say.
He levitates two more watering cans but stops in his track for a moment when a pale yellow with bright red mane filly trots past him with a worried look on her face. This filly walks over to Applejack, sits and lift her hooves with a face there reminds Demo about a begging puppy.
The moment Applejack notices the filly, she sigh turns to her. "I'm sorry Apple Bloom," the filly's whole body posture drops. "I've already told you I just can't take a break from harvest and come to your school. You know what will happen."
The filly nods sadly. "I know... after the fifth day the Zap apples will disappear..." and just then a strong wind starts blowing and the sky gets clouded by hoards of ravens, much to a certain mercenary astonishment as the ponies looks like they have been expecting this. The old mare especially. With a speed beyond her age, that old pony Demo faintly remembers the name Granny Smith storms up beside her grandchildren; shouting like caught on fire. "The third sign! Right on time!"
Demo stares dumbfounded how the ravens fly in a certain pattern of a heart, more so when the trees around start blooming with electricity surrounding them. He admits that is quite a display.

"Alright, you lazy-daisies!" Granny Smith cries out, breaking the moment of awe. "Move your caboose!" and the elderly mare leaves in a pace way more suiting someone her years.
Applejack eyes her sister, giving the filly a small smile. "I'm sorry Apple Bloom, but don't you fret." After all, Granny Smith has seen a lot in her many years. "Granny has no shortage of entertaining stories to tell." She winks but that did not help on her sister's worries, in fact:
"I know... that's what I am worried about..." Applejack blinks, not sure why her sister is so worried about their grandmother has many stories. Before she can asks though, Apple Bloom leaves. Watching her sister for a moment, Applejack returns back to work, glancing at the stallion there came to help not long ago.

"The wee lass seems rather worried, eh?"

Applejack sighs in a nod, but she can't see what's her sister is so worried about. "I don't get why; Granny has so many good stories. I'm sure Apple Bloom's class will love to hear about them." The stallion Demo hums in thoughts for a moment, then turns his remaining eye to where her sister went. "I might know what is bothering the lass. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to her."
Applejack is a bit hesitant, this is a stranger she barely knows, but something about him makes her trust this stallion. She hears no ill will in his tone, he sounds honest that he wishes to help her sister. "Alright, she might be heading to her friends' clubhouse, it's located in a tree over there." Applejack points at the location.
Demo nods and heads towards the spot, leaving Applejack to wonder why she feels a strange sort of attachment to this stallion. Like she can see herself in him.

Finding the tree house is not hard, it is located just outside the glade of zap-apple trees. He finds the filly heading up the stairs to the tree house, he stops her before she goes through the door. "Can I have a word with you lass?" He asks up to the young girl, explaining his idea what is bothering her. "You're worried your granny will be an embarrassment for your fellow classmates." Apple Bloom winches slightly, looking slightly bad about having such thoughts. He brushes it off with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't tell. You see, I have a mother very much like your granny."

"You do?" Apple Bloom asks, taken by surprise of what this newcomer of a brown stallion is telling her.

Demo admits he is worried how his old mother is doing. He can only hope his clone is taking good care of her in his absence. It is sort of nice getting the extra hand, but Demo would've preferred his clone didn't visit his mother like he would. It always made it harder figuring out which one of them was the real deal, for apparently they also have the same memories of his childhood. His old mother had never been a help, for she couldn't spot the differences between the two. Pushing those feelings and thoughts asides; "Aye, my mother can be a bit overbearing at times. But if there is one thing I love doing with her; it is hear all the stories she has to tell about my great grandparents and what my grandfather did in his youth." He chuckles and does wish he could've met the man who blew up a whole castle and got away scot-free. The way his mother told him about his grandfather often made him think he and that old guy had a lot in common. Except for the eye thing.

Apple Bloom slowly walks back down to this other pony. "You think Granny has stories like your mother?" She asks carefully. The stallion nods, but she is still worried about the presentation. "But what if she does something embarrassing or forgets? I'll be the laughing stock in the class for the rest of my life!" Apple Bloom cries and just thinking about it makes her feel sick, the stallion puts a hood on her shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"We all do embarrassing stuff all the time, old ponies do it mostly because they tend to forget but you can't blame them for it." Demo says, thinking about his own mother forgetting her teeth some weird places. It could be embarrassing for a kid but nothing others will laugh about for ages, after all; that's just how old people- and talking colorful ponies are.

"Alright, I guess I can take Granny forgetting stuff..." Apple Bloom agrees quietly, she can after all not blame Granny forgetting in her old age. But that does not excuse what she finds most embarrassing. "But that's not what I am worried about..."

"Then what is lass?"

But Apple Bloom can't describe it, he has to see what she is talking about. "You have to see it before you believe me." And takes the stallion back to the farm. Not sure it is luck or not that Granny is currently doing one of the embarrassing stuff: this time yelling at the jars with a military helmet on. She glances up to the brown coated stallion, winching in how he stares as in trying to comprehend the scene. Then to her bigger embarrassment, the stallion grins widely. "You see what I mean...?"

Okay, he did not expect this and can partly see this filly's problem. But he can't go over and make that old mare stop this. No, he is going to encourage it! "I have to get Solly," and he storms off, for the moment forgetting about poor Apple Bloom.
Demo hurries into town, he finds Spy speaking with a middle-aged mare with a scroll for a cutiemark. "Spy! Have you seen Soldier around lately?" He asks, trotting over to the shapeshifter.
Spy and the mare give him a confused look, the mare mostly as Spy does look more annoyed over the interruption.

"He was lecturing some pony about his haircut the last time I saw him."

"Find him, the ponies of Sweet Apple Acers needs him." Demo urges the blue pegasus who looks almost offended being commanded around by a RED. Rolling his eye. "Just do it! Trust me, it will be worth your time."

"It better." Spy grumbles and takes to the sky. He and Soldier arrive about ten minutes later. Barely landed, Demo tells the green pegasus with a very goofy face; as if trying to hold it straight but utterly failing. "Solly, there is an urgent discipline problem at Sweet Apple Acers and only you can help!"
Soldier gets all excited and stepping into his drill sergeant mode. "Lead the way! I'll whip those maggots into line!" Spy, on the other hand, is starting to get the idea that whoever Demo has in mind to be disciplined by Soldier will be a complete joke. And that is why he follows the two back to the apple farm.
Indeed it proves to be a joke as the 'troops' shows to be a bunch of jars.

Soldier looks around after the troops, but not finding anyone but an old mare with a helmet on. Eyeing her, he presumes it is her but just as he's about to discipline her. Demo turns his head down to the jars.

"There are your troops, be sure to discipline them right."

He might not be the smartest, but even Soldier finds this stupid, he shoots his pal a glare. "You gotta be joking."

Demo really struggles to hold his face straight. "It is very important you discipline these rascals—right Granny Smith?" He asks the green old mare.

Taken a bit off guard someone else should do the discipline, Granny Smith nods. "That's darn right, if not told; the jars won't keep the jam fresh."

"They are jars!" Solider growls, glaring at the grinning Demoman. "I can't discipline jars!"

"You discipline bloody heads!"

"Yes, because they have ears! Jars do not have ears!" Soldier exclaims angrily. Not seeing Apple Bloom and her two friends appearing from upstairs to see what is going on.

Not wanting to waste a huge opportunity for a good laugh, Spy scribbles down three stars onto a paper and puts it onto Granny Smith's helmet. "Just go with it." He tells her and calls for Soldier's attention. The pissed green pony turns away from Demo and over to him. Spy points at the sticker on the elderly mare's helmet. "Don't come and tell me you're denying a higher officer, oh Soldier how low the mighty has fallen." He taunts his fellow BLU.

Greatly offended by Spy's taunt, Soldier jumps at the blue pegasus, would've hit his teeth out but gets stopped by the old mare.

"Ten-hut Soldier!"

Looking up, Soldier is caught off guard seeing three stars- a higher officer before him. He let go of Spy and whacks himself over the head in his attempt saluting the one before him. "Ow!- Sorry, I didn't see you there sir- I mean ma'am!"

At times he loves that Soldier is so easy to deceive. "He's all yours." Spy says smugly from his spot on the floor.

Seeing what that fancy-pansy pegasus have been doing and deciding just go for it, Granny Smith points at the jars. "Discipline these troops for the Zap apple season, or you will be cleaning the whole farm for a week!" Stepping forward the saluting pegasus, glaring into his eyes with one of her closed. "Unless you cannot do it, is that it Cadet?!"

"NO SIR! I WILL DISCIPLINE THE TROOPS SO THEY CAN PLAY THE AMERICAN SONG WHEN I'M DONE!" Soldier shouts and turns to the jars, now so caught up in the moment that he did not see how stupid what he is about to do is. "Men, we have a grave fight ahead of us. And that is keeping the jam soon in you fresh and delicious! And I will not accept any failure, do I make myself clear?!"

Apple Bloom and her friends carefully walk up beside Demo and Spy; both grinning at the ridicules of the whole scene. "What's going on?" Apple Bloom asks up to them and blinks at the brown stallion replying.
"Helping your granny discipline the jars."

Now so caught up in the moment like when he disciplined those heads, no longer seeing jars but soldiers. In Soldier's head, he heard his men haven't shouted 'yes, sir' loud enough. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" He stomps on the table, the shock going through it made one of the jars crack. In his delusion, he thought that soldier has passed out. "Is that weakness I see there private?!" He grabs the trembling soldier- cracking the jar further between his hooves. "COWARDLY MAGGOTS LIKE YOU DO NOT DESERVE THE UNIFORM!" and hurls the jar into the nearby wall, smashing it to pieces. But he is not done, stomping over to the broken pieces he yells down to the shards. "And that is a fact!"

By then neither Spy or Demo can hold it back anymore, both drops onto the floor, howling in laughter from that whole scene. Spy laughs so hard that he starts snorting, and that makes the three fillies start laughing.

Soldier blinks, snapping out from his delusions and realize that the cadet he lectured has been a jar all this time. He grumbles at the two laughing on the floor, just knowing they will make fun of this for weeks. Well, not on his watch! "Let's see how funny you find it with both your num-skulls cracked!" and with a battle cry, Soldier charges at them.

Spy and Demo, both wise enough to get the hell away from the pissed Soldier's take the run for it, although having trouble getting too far ahead because they are still laughing so hard.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootalo all stare at the door where the three stallions were three seconds ago. Meanwhile, Granny Smith looks over the jars and is very satisfied with what she sees. "He did a good job that Soldier. Jar's never been more ready for the Zap apple jam!" Snapping the fillies out from their confusions of what just happen, the three turn their gaze back to Granny Smith; now cleaning up the jar Soldier broke.

'maybe Granny isn't so bad' Apple Bloom thinks in her careful optimism, after all, Granny Smith wasn't as loud or... imaginative as that green pegasus was. Good thing he wasn't the one having to come tomorrow.

Back in Ponyville, Soldier has calmed enough down that he didn't try and kill the two others, now all three walking more or less calmy through the town. Didn't stop Soldier from glaring at Spy and Demoman for fooling him like that though. "Discipline troops my ass..."

"Worth it." Demo grins, elbowing the sulking pegasus on the side. "You did a good job, Solly. "

"And made a nice fool out of yourself." Spy remarks, he really wishes he had a camera for the whole scene.

Demo levitates Spy away. "Shut up Franchise." Turning back to Soldier. "It looked mighty important for that old mare, and knowing you." Smiling to his best pal. "You had as much fun yelling at jars as when you yell at your heads."

"God, don't remind me of those..." Spy gags of the mere thought, he never wanted to know but still saw how his head would look like after have been rotting for a week.

Soldier snorts at Spy's weak stomach. "Pansy." Now it is his turn laughing at the annoyance of another. He must admit if looking past the ridicules: it was enjoyable pretending to be a drill sergeant again.

Helping a Friend in need

Author's Note

made from the "The Last Roundup" episode.
this happens three weeks after the last chapter.

don't know about you guys, but I was utterly unable to keep a straight face when I wrote the first part of this chapter

Helping a Friend in need

"Incoming!"

The ponies standing near town hall all look up before fleeing when a big female manticore lands on top of the building, roaring enraged up to the sky, all pegasi except one flee as well. Soldier does not, instead the grinning and military dressed (thanks to Rarity) pegasus plunges down towards the roaring beast with his own battle cry: "SCREAMING EAGLES!" and headbutts the manticore right in the face. The roof crashes under the force and both beast and pegasus fall through. The surrounding ponies all tip on their hooves nervously of the roaring and screaming coming from inside. All worried if this new pegasus stallion can handle the manticore on his own.

The moment those ponies able to fight hear the news, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Demo hurries over to the fight, but there is no need for them to worry. For about a second after their arrival; the manticore breaks through the roof again, fleeing from Soldier there flies out from the same hole; yelling at it: "Come back here bat- kitty! I did not grant permission of you leaving!!" But the manticore has gotten enough beating by this pony and right now would like to go home and lick its wounds and pride. Soldier lands on the half-destroyed roof, which breaks under him and he crashes back into the building. Rainbow flies up to the hole, hearing this brave but kinda stupid stallion has once again forgotten he has wings as seconds later the sound of him crashing to the floor; followed by; "Gravity no...!"

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes before turning back down to the two unicorns. "He's fine," and flies down to help him. Twilight informs everypony the situation is under control, letting Demo go inside and check on his friend. Demo finds Soldier standing on his hooves, wobbling a bit unsure but grinning widely from the crash he just has recovered from.
The rainbow maned pony rolls once again her eyes at Soldier, however, this time she is smiling. "Next time you fight a manticore, you better invite me." She tells him, and the stallion turns to her with a wicked grin.

Twilight Sparkle decides to step in before these two reckless ponies end up charging into the forest; asking for a fight. "I don't think that's such a good idea, this single attack has completely ruined town's hall!" The two pegasi follow her hoof up to the two large holes in the town hall's roof. Rainbow Dash then turns to Soldier who is now poking his face with his hoof. "She got a point." And claps the warrior pegasus on the back. "Good luck with the repairs; you going to need it," and flies off before Soldier realizes what she has just said.
Twilight rolls her eyes with Demo letting out a weak laugh, both very aware that Soldier will only make it worse if he tries to repair something, the fence around Derpy's house incline that fact. It's a wonder how it can even stand.
"Better speak with Mayor Mare about the repairs." Twilight says to her fellow unicorn, leaving the hall with the request. "Can you make sure Soldier doesn't destroy the place further?"

"Aye, I can do that." Demo agrees, walking over to his friend trying and utterly failing to pick his nose with a hoof. Taking him away from the building is easy enough; a promise of a victory drink at Berry Punch and Soldier are golden. Demo is, however, a bit disappointed that he couldn't have joined Soldier in this fight.
This place might look soft and cuddly but this pony filled world has a lot of interesting and quite dangerous creatures. Must admit the ponies are tougher than they first appear, for looking around; the local ponies are already returning back to their routine; not one bit traumatized by the manticore attack. In fact, these random attacks and building destructions seem more like a minor nuisance for the ponies-- exactly like getting back from respawn after being blown up was for RED and BLU team.

With Demo keeping Soldier busy it gives Twilight the time to talk with Mayor Mare about the broken roof and is relieved the Mayor did not wish to charge Soldier for the destruction.

"He did protect us from that manticore." Mayor Mare says and usually such destructions aren't really such a big of a deal since Equestrian taxes did ensure they could hire builder ponies when collaboration damage such as this occurs. However, as fate would have it. "But we do not have any more money in the construction vault until next full moon. We used it all up when that dragon attacked." Major Mare explains.

Twilight shift a bit embarrassed on her hooves since that dragon attack feels a bit like her fault, Spike is after all her responsibility. But what done is done and although she could ask Celestia for an extra fund, Twilight has no wish in making the princess play favorite with any of the towns. So it seems, the town hall has to stay like this for a while.

(two days later)

With Applejack's departure to compete in Equestria rodeo just around the corner and the farm pony has offered to give her prize money for the repairs of the town hall. Major Mare thought it would only fit if she and rest of Ponyville send her off with a small celebration.
Two of the better artist of Ponyville paints a beautiful banner with Applejack on, which Rainbow Dash and Derpy is tasked with hanging up on the town hall. However, Rainbow Dash becomes the pony there has to do it since Derpy has completely forgotten her task when she realized how bouncy a thundercloud is.

"Careful Derpy!" The rainbow-haired pegasus calls up to the grey mare after almost gotten her tail fried by the lightning bolt Derpy accidentally send her way, instead, that bolt leaves another hole in the already destroyed town hall. As it turns out; that grey pegasus can be just as destructive as the stallion she houses.
Flying up to the bouncing pegasus, Rainbow Dash reminds Derpy. "We can't have you do more damage than your roommate has already done." Pointing at the town hall with a roof now so destroyed that rest of it crashes down inside.

Derpy winches of the sound and sight rest of the roof falling but that is quickly forgotten. "I just don't know what went wrong." She replies, still very oblivious SHE has caused half of the destruction of the town hall. The grey mare starts jumping onto the thundercloud again, sending out more bolts of lightning until her fur and hair gets so charged jumping on it for so long that she gets one heck of a shock of electricity. But even half-fried by the lightning, Derpy still wobbles onto the cloud with an innocent smile of oblivious.

"Yeah, it's a complete mystery." Rainbow Dash replies her sarcastically, sure Derpy means good, but sometimes that pony has too many bobbles between her ears.

Derpy flies off the cloud to get a better look at the banner for Applejack, "It looks so nice, well done Rainbow Dash." She beams to the sky blue pegasus and didn't see the remnants of a pole holding the roof, only did when she flew into it, toppling it over.
Rainbow Dash tries to save the rest of the building by grabbing the falling pole, only too late realizes it's too heavy for her and she and the pole crash onto the balcony; creating another hole in the building. Concerned about Rainbow Dash's wellbeing, Derpy flies down, calling into the hole the rainbow-haired pony fell through. "You alright Rainbow Dash? Anything I can do to help?" Before she can suggest fetching an aid kit from nurse Redheart, Rainbow is up from the hole and right before her, yelling almost anguished. "NO! NOTHING!"

Rainbow calms herself just enough to not yell herself hoarse at this very clumsy pony. "In the name of Celestia; just sit there and do nothing!" Derpy did but as luck just would have it, that exact spot had loose planks so when Derpy sat, they broke and before Rainbow realized it, the grey pegasus grabs her and pulls them both back inside the town hall. The landing isn't exactly comfy as both she and Derpy lands on the pile of wood tiles there used to be the roof.

"Whoops, my bad!" Derpy apologizes smiling with a tile lying over her head, giving the half-buried in wood Rainbow a goofy smile. Rainbow grumbles in response. "Ugh, forget it..." She flies out from the rubble, and back out so she-- closely followed by Derpy can watch half of Ponyville are awaiting Mayor Mare do her speech to Applejack. "We are all here to send Applejack to compete in year's Equestria's rodeo competition in Canterlot!" The crowd starts to cheer loudly at the orange pony on the scene, Applejack bows her head as humble thanks to the cheering crowd.
Mayor Mare then tells the citizens of Ponyville that Applejack has been so kind to donate all her prize money for the repairs of Townhall. When Derpy heard this, she cheers loudly. "Yay, Applejack! Wooo!" and forgot she hung onto the hole in the floor, making her crash right back into the building again.

Rainbow Dash doesn't even bother lecturing Derpy about not destroying town hall anymore, she decides just to ignore said grey pony and the destruction she's causing, listens to the speech of Applejack down on the ground.

"This here is the nicest send-off anypony could ask for. You all have been cheering me on every rodeo ever since I was a little-little pony." Applejack thanks the residents of Ponyville, many of them are ponies she calls friends and all of them are smiling up to her. "So it seems only fitting that I will use my winnings to fix up Town Hall." She tells mostly Mayor Mare who looks so thankful for this generous donation, and as the last touch: "I promise to make Ponyville proud!" The crowd starts cheering again and Applejack feels very honored living in such an encouraging place. With the speech said and everything ready. Applejack tells her goodbye's to her family and friends, promising Granny Smith she will show everypony what a real rodeo pony looks like.

"See you in a week!" Rainbow Dash says, closely followed by Apple Bloom. "Be sure to return new blue ribbons."

"And lots of money!" Mayor Mare calls.

Applejack promises she will and as the train leaves, she waves goodbye to her friends.

(a week later)

After a failed surprise party and the letter that Applejack isn't coming home. Twilight and friends fear something horrible has happened to her and decide they will go out and find their missing friend.
On their way to Canterlot, they find Demo there explains them he has been doing some deliveries for both the Cakes and Berry Punch at Canterlot.

"You don't happen to have seen Applejack on your trips?" Rarity asks the stallion.

Demo has to think about it for a moment, there are a lot of ponies in this fancy place, most of them being unicorns. "Hm, I can't recall seeing her; earth ponies in Canterlot is bit of a rare sight." He admits to the five mares.

Twilight nods in agreement, she has, after all, lived most of her life in the capital.

"I can help you with the search, though." Demo suggests, thinking he could ask the ponies he will be doing deliveries to. "One of the ponies I need deliver to did mention he would be at the rodeo."

"If you don't mind." Fluttershy says quietly, the one-eyed stallion laughs and tells her with a quite friendly grin. "Not one bit. Applejack is a fine lass, and I am sure her family misses her."

"Thank you Demo, we really appreciate it." Twilight thanks him grateful for this another world pony- or human, whatever, was willing to give them a hoof.

(Canterlot)

As promised, Demo asks the different ponies about Applejack's whereabouts, but gets nothing out from it, not even the one there has been to the Rodeo knows where Applejack has gone.
"I only saw that mare at the competitions." The stallion explained and after has paid for the ciders, leaves Demo on the street. So Demo heads over to the rodeo show, hoping the mares had better luck than him.
They had; a single mare has seen where Applejack went after the competition, but like them; Demo too is quite surprised hear that Applejack has gone to a town called Dodge Junction. So with no other leads than from that mare at the rodeo, the group takes the next train to the town.
Before boarding the train, Demo buys a crate filled with different forms of cider as this is going to be a long ride.

"I hope this lead doesn't turn out to be a dead end." Rainbow Dash says and takes the apple cider from the crate with a small hope it will soothe her worries. "I don't want to go empty hoofed after we promised them we would find her."

"I don't know how we would break it to the Apple family..." Fluttershy muses softly, she waves a polite no thanks for the offered cider drink.

Twilight takes one of the very tame ciders, telling her friends worried. "I don't know how we would break it to Ponyville—"

"I don't know if I'm going to make it to the next stop!" Pinkie Pie whines, she has been drinking too much and now her bladder really needs a relive.

Demo levitates one of the stronger ciders, not as good as his scrumpy but its still good stuff. "I told you not drink too many lassie. Unlike me, you can't—"

"Please don't finish that..." Twilight cuts off Demo's sentence, thinking that now it's really not the time for toilet humor.
Demo glances at her with a smile, which Twilight responses by rolling her eyes and turns her attention to the outside. She smiles at what is approaching. "Good timing, we have arrived in Dodge Junction."
The train stops moments later and the group walks out. "Let's fan out and try and find Applejack," Twilight says, but before they can do that, Pinkie storms past them and b-line over to the nearby toilet.
Ignoring Pinkie and the laughing Demo for a moment, Twilight heads over to some of the local ponies. "Excuse me," they turn to her and she levitates a picture of Applejack over to them. "Have you seen—"
just about there Pinkie returns. "I found her, I found her, I found her, I found her!" The pink pony charts joyfully, jumping around the group.
Twilight and the others follow Pinkie and indeed find Applejack, such a relief seeing their friend alright.

"Oh Applejack, thank heavens!" Rarity says in great relief.

The same with Fluttershy. "We're so glad you are safe." Before turning her gaze over to Pinkie who jumps up and down, still charting she found Applejack. Then the pink pony realizes she still hasn't relieved herself and hurries over to the toilet. Turning away from that scene Fluttershy and her friends follow Applejack there asks them a bit confused. "Hey everypony, what's up?"

"Why didn't you come back to Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash exclaims annoyed how laidback Applejack is from seeing them.

"Yes and why here?" Rarity asks, gesturing out to this dusty place of a town.

"Your family is worried about you." Demo points out, although busier checking the crate for more ciders.

Fluttershy walks up to Applejack, asking worriedly. "Is something wrong?" Glancing to Pinkie and would like to tell the pink pony that now isn't really the time to ask about snacks, but is too nervous speaking her thoughts, so she keeps quiet.

Twilight, on the other hand, did not keep quiet and asks worried yet also a bit demanding. "Tell us what happened." Her worry increases when Applejack hesitates a painfully long time. Before she can ask what is bothering her, another voice asks.

"Applejack, are these some of your Ponyville friends?" A cream-colored mare with thick, curly cherry colored hair asks.

"Yes, ma'am." Twilight replies this new mare, walking over to her along with Rarity there decides to ask how she knows Applejack. "And you are?"

The mare smiles. "Why I am Cherry Jubilee, boss of Cheery Hill Ranch. Hasn't Applejack told ya?" She asks the friends of Applejack, it is a bit confusing for her employee sure did talk highly about her friends at the rodeo. Speaking of which. "Never saw anypony win so many ribbons in all of my life." She declares to the surrounding ponies. Applejack, being such a modest pony brushes her accomplishment off, but Cherry Jubilee knows that pony deserves every one of her praises and is very proud she both had been watching and now has this fine and strong mare working for her. "So when I heard Applejack was looking for a change of scenery. I snatched her up as quick as I could and brought her to Dodge Junction." But now she thinks she has been wasting enough of their time. "Well, I'll let you catch up with your friends." and leaves them to attend to her own duties at her cherry ranch.

It is clear that Applejack is nervous this would happen and in Rainbow Dash's mind; she has every right being so. "Change of scenery?" She demands the orange earth pony highly irritated about this whole thing. "What's what suppose to mean?!" Here they thought Applejack was in harm's way or something, but instead, they find her practically working at some Cherry farm for no apparent reason other than worrying everypony— her family included back in Ponyville.

"It's no big deal, guys." Applejack brushes Rainbow Dash off. "I thought cherries would be a nice change for apples." She explains and steps away from the blue pegasus and wants to make it clear that NOTHING is wrong. "So I took the job and came here. That's it; end of story."

"That's it?" Pinkie Pie asks in disbelief from such a vague explanation. "That's a terrible story."
Demo nods in agreement, his bottle forgotten at the moment.

"Sorry, but that's there all to tell. Thanks for checking on me, you can go home now." Applejack tells them and leaves her friends so she can get to work on the cherry ranch. "Tell my family hi and I am doing a-okay."

He may not look like it, but Demo is very good catching on the hidden meaning behind people's tone of voice and body language. He still has a bit of trouble with ponies but has learned certain twitch ponies does when tense or nervous. Example an Earth pony has a tendency scraping their hooves over the ground, as they seemly have a closer connection to the earth itself. And Applejack's left back hoof twitched against the ground a lot. Not only is she tense about them being here, but from how she refuses to meet her friend's eyes and brushes them off with minimum explanation. Demo has the feeling that something at the rodeo went very wrong. What, he is not yet sure.

Like the rest, Rainbow Dash did not buy Applejack explanation one bit. "Excuse me AJ," the pegasus lands before the earth pony, blocking her path and pushes her back to the others with the hard words. "but we didn't travel over half of Equestria searching for you and going home without you!"

"Well, I didn't ask you coming looking for me!" Applejack snaps back. For when getting pushed, it does not lie in her nature just taking it and has a tendency kicking back. Angrily she passes by Rainbow Dash, hoping they just get the hint she does not want them here! "There is nothing to tell and I am NOT going back to Ponyville!" and gallops off before they try to argue with her again.

"I don't care what's she says; Applejack is not telling us something," Twilight says, irritated about this situation just as much as the four other mares- except Fluttershy, she's more worried of what is causing Applejack's behavior.

Rainbow Dash agrees on whole heartily. "Twilight's right, we gotta get her to spill the beans!"

"WHAT?!" Pinkie Pie stuffs her head up against Rainbow Dash. "She had beans?" Pinkie exclaims to then groan loudly. "I told her I would snack it!" Quote to everpony gives Pinkie a deadpan look, well, except Demo. He is trying to wrap his head around how Pinkie is able to stretch out her neck is if it's made out of rubber.

"Perhaps we should speak with her." Rarity suggests.

Twilight nods and smiles of how they can talk with Applejack with the pony unable to get away. "And I think I got the perfect idea." Her plan is rather simple: get hired by Cherry Jubilee and talk with Applejack while working.

(an hour later)

Well, that plan of getting Applejack to talk didn't go as hoped. Twilight thinks as she, along with the others clean up the mess their talk with the earth pony caused. But really, all their talk did was enraging Applejack and causing a huge mess in form of smashed cherries. "Well girls- and sir." Twilight starts, cleaning the smashed cherries off the floor. "We seem to be striking out..."

"That's because we're too nice!" Rainbow Dash points out.

Finishing up cleaning the conveyor belt, Rarity must agree with Rainbow Dash. "Yes, desperate times call for desperate measures."

Demo throws a now cherry filled cloth into the water bucket. "Let me talk with her." He tells the mares, Rainbow, Rarity and Twilight give him a look, with Rainbow saying slightly hesitant. "No offense, but I doubt you can make her talk. We need the big gun." Eyeing Pinkie Pie there is oblivious to the conversation, too busy licking off the cherry sauce off the window. Demo knows what the pegasus means, Pinkie can be a torture when she first really starts talking. It probably will work, but— "Let me try first, I think... I think I understand what is troubling her." He tells the mares.

They blink, except Pinkie- she's still too busy licking off cherry. Fluttershy flies away from the conveyor wheel, asking him quietly. "What is it?"

"Sorry lassies but I can't explain it." Demo apologizes, for in reality: "It's more a gut feeling than a thought."

Can it be? Twilight thinks quietly; wonders if Demo here does feel a connection to Applejack because he perhaps is connected to her Element of Harmony? Maybe, and definitely, something she thinks needs to be tested. "Alright, talk with her." She tells the brown stallion.

Demo nods and leaves the factory to find a certain orange colored pony. He finds her bucking the trees, letting the cherries fall into the baskets she has placed around it. Taking a deep breath, Demo walks over to her.
The moment Applejack sees him, she scowls deeply in disapproval of seeing him here. "I told you: I don't want to—"
"I won't asks any question lass." Demo interrupts her, he can see that doing so will only lead to further irritations from her and that won't solve anything. He levitates the two cherry filled baskets and without a word, returns them to the ranch. He heads back to her with two empty baskets and places them underneath another tree. Applejack watches him suspiciously but does start bucking the tree and lets the unicorn returns the filled baskets back to the ranch.

Twilight walks outside from the factory, watching Demo quietly help Applejack with the cherry farming, she does turn away from the scene when Rainbow Dash flies up before her; asking annoyed. "What's the point in this? He's doing nothing but than making her stay."
"Give him a chance." Twilight tells her, turning back to the scene and noticing that Applejack is starting to relax around the one-eyed stallion.

"Another job on the list I never thought I would do." Demo remarks after have returned another pair of baskets for Applejack, the mare gives him a look and a raised eyebrow. He returns it with a smile. "Beleive it or not, but the list is long of what jobs I have been doing. Most of them include explosives."

Applejack hesitates but decides to join the conversation since Demo isn't talking about her. "Did you get fired since you have been through so many jobs?"

"A few of them I got fired from." He levitates the baskets closer to the tree. "But most of them I held at the same time. Before I came here, I was mainly hired as an explosive expert, when that duty was over though, I worked as the team's delivery man and on the weekends I was a bartender."

Stopping her tree bucking, Applejack stares at the stallion with mouth half agape. "How did you manage all of those jobs?"

Demo shrugs. "My family is good at multitasking. Mum often told stories about how my old man could keep ten jobs."

"You're joking." Applejack gasps, but from the gleam in his eye, she can see that he told her the truth but isn't sure if his mother had been exaggerated on that fact or not. Returning back in the bucking. "I know it's not really my place to say this; but... perhaps you should turn a bit down on the many jobs." And here she thought she was busy with that apple bucking season she took over for Big Mac.

"I'll try and keep that in mind lass." Demo replies and levitates the full basket back to the ranch when returning with a new pair, he says. "Still I do like being proactive, almost as much I love my scrumpy."

Applejack chuckles lightly at this, yes it is rare she hasn't seen this unicorn walk about with some sort of fermented ciders. She must admit she do at times enjoy a drink or two. "Perhaps I will join you from time to time, I am a bit of a lightweight, though." She warns him, for the first time having a genuine smile after her friends found her here.

Demo barks out a laugh. "No worries, I'll be sure not offering you the strongest ciders and if you do happens to get too drunk. We just say I did all the stupid stuff."

"I appreciate that." Applejack smiles amused but do highly doubt she will get that drunk. Then again, she never knows with this stallion. They work in a sort of comfortable silence for a while, broken when Demo makes a very startling statement.

"You didn't win any money, right." He is certain he guessed right from how Applejack stiffens up. He levitates the filled baskets, telling her calmly. "I know the feeling; not wanting to disappoint those depending on you. But I am sure I have it easier than you; no many people want to depend on a drunken fool like me." and heads over to return the filled baskets, does stop when Applejack asks him to. "Don't tell them." She practically begs him.
Demo turns so he can see her and notices how tense and fearful she looks, she must be more worried being a disappointment for Ponyville than he thought. "My lips are sealed." He ensures her and returns the baskets to the factory, completely ignoring the other ponies. So far only Twilight seems to trust him talking with Applejack and he is happy she makes the others let him do this. He doesn't know why, but he feels a strange sort of connection to Applejack. Like he is dealing with a sort of sister he never knew about.
Returning back to Applejack, Demo notices she hasn't moved from her spot. "What's on your mind lass?" He asks her and puts down the baskets.

Why does she feel like she can trust this stallion? Like she has known him for years but very certain she hasn't. Trusting her gut about Demo, Applejack finally opens up her reason coming here. "You're right... I didn't win any prize money, and after that big send-off Ponyville gave me... I- I just didn't have the nerve coming back empty hoofed." She drops her head in regret and feeling like a complete failure. "I couldn't come home like a failure." She feels a hoof on her back, looking up her green eyes meet Demo's single brown, the stallion has a genuine smile on his face. "You are not a failure Applejack. And if you tell this to your friends; they will tell you the very same thing."
Applejack is touched by his words, hearing honesty in them but even if her friends accept she won't return with any money. "But what about the mayor?" She asks him, gesturing to the cherry trees surrounding them. "That's why I came here to earn some. I don't think I can face her without the money I promised her to fix up town hall's roof."

"Well, Soldier was the one who broke it in the first place, so it should've been him fixing it." Demo muses, to then chuckle weakly of the deadpan look Applejack gives him; she is just as aware as anyone else that Soldier will just make it worse if he tries to fix what he has destroyed. "Right, bad idea. I am sure the mayor wouldn't mind that you didn't win any money, you did your best and that's what counts. But—" he gives the orange mare a toothy smile. "If you really want to return with some money, I am sure your friends are more than happy to help you out."

That has been the words she desperately needed to hear, something she couldn't see because of her worries and pride. "Thank you Demo, I really needed hearing that." She touches his shoulder lightly, but jerks away when a light appears from the touch and when the light fades; a silver necklace with an orange gem in form of a strange spiked ball is around Demo's neck. She is startled seeing this necklace around the stallion's neck, more so when she recognizes the feeling of her Element of Honesty beaming inside of her. The two stare at one another for a moment, then, Applejack laughs and gives the brown one-eyed stallion a one-armed hug around the neck. "I thought there was something special about you!" and now she can see why she felt a sort of connection with him.

Demo gives her a weak smile, not entirely sure what is going on. All he knows that whatever it is, this necklace appearance and the bond between him and Applejack finally confirmed; this is a good thing.
His nervous smile gets replaced with a genuine cheer and he asks her. "Ready to face your friends?"

"Sure thing partner." Applejack nods and together with her fellow Element of Honesty bearer, she walks over to tell her friends why she hasn't gone home after the rodeo. She and her friends return back to Ponyville two days later with a decent bag of money which Mayor Mare gets to the town hall roof, all thanks to her friends united teamwork at the cherry ranch. Applejack feels proud she somewhat kept her promise, and also so happy be back with her family again.

Demo watches the scene from a small distance, glad on Applejack's behalf and hope his clone is taking care of his own family in form of his mother.

***

In the human world, the BLU Demoman is not only filled with a very strange but also good feeling, like something has awakened inside of him. That strange feeling is however quickly pushed aside as he has decided to spend the weekend's ceasefire being with his mother. He really wants to be with her and can endure her nagging finding another job, for after all; he still loves her very much.

Predictions of the Future

Author's Note

part 1 and made from the "Feeling Pinkie Keen" episode.
this happens four days after the last chapter.
this chapter is the first introduction of an OC of mine. you will see more to that one in later chapters.

Predictions of the Future

She finds herself walking down the streets of Canterlot, and although she wants to, she cannot stop her slow walk. She cannot stop and help her subjects getting consumed by shadows in form of insects. They are screaming, pleading her to help them, but she can't. Something is keeping her from helping them and when looking down, she realizes it's because she is trapped, held back by a greenish substance and no matter how much she struggles: she cannot get free.
Her subjects cry fades as the shadows swallow them, and out from the shadows, a horse at her height-- for a short moment she fears it is Nightmare Moon, but then realizes this one looks different- closer to a bug than a nightmare pony. This newly arrived pony stops right before her, smirking at her failure of being unable to help her subjects. Behind this shadow forming bug horse, another stand, at first that one looks very much like the smaller bug shadows, but then a flash of light, a light of hope in all of this despair before the leader of these bug ponies spins around and strikes it.

Celestia jerks her head up from her sleep, taking a moment to compose herself from this very strong and scary vision. It has been ages since she last got such a powerful vision of approaching danger. Thinking about it, the last time that happens, it had been when... Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. She had been a fool ignoring the signs back then, and Celestia doubts she can use the excuse that she did not fully understand the nature of these visions of an approaching future back then. Yes, she was young and still new on the whole ruler over a country thing. But that haven't stopped her and Luna defeating Discord. But she is not a young adult anymore, she is over a thousand years old and has been Equestria sole protector before Twilight and her friends became the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
Knowing she won't be getting any more sleep for tonight, Celestia leaves the bed, not bothering taking on her royal jewelry and leaves her room to find the only other pony who can get such visions. Celestia at least thinks only she and Luna get visions of an approaching future. She hasn't heard of the three common pony races mention it, and Cadence would've said it if she got such visions as they can at times be quite disturbing. So Celestia thinks this ability is something only the immortal alicorn she and Luna are getting. It at times like this she wishes that she and Luna weren't the only ones left of their kind, she wishes she could ask an older alicorn advice about how to rule a whole country or help to decipher these warnings through the visions. But like anything else, she has been forced to figure it out on her own-- well, not entirely on her own anymore.
"Luna?" She calls out to the balcony where her younger sister often stand to watch the night.

Luna's turns and is surprised to see her sister up at these hours. "Tia? Why are you up this late?" She asks, turning fully around to face her older sister.

"You didn't see the vision?" Celestia asks, trying her best hiding her disappointment for she really can't explain it in words.

That was a vision? She thought it was only a dream made from her own worries. "I saw it." Luna tells her sister, thinking it's best not voicing her thoughts she thought it was a nightmare of her past actions. Brushing her own worries aside, she must admit. "But I do not know what it means..." As she had been too focused on the shadows in the vision.

Oh good, she saw it, makes it a bit easier. "Visions are often very obscure." She explains her sister. "I am not sure why but I have the feeling it's because the future is never certain, not set in stone and thus changes all the time depending on someone's actions."

"Makes sense." Luna says and it does also explain why they happen in the dream realm. So now the question. "What did you make of it?"

Celestia turns her gaze out to the streets of Canterlot, only very few ponies outside at this time, rest of them are sleeping peacefully inside their houses. Part of that vision was clear for once. "An invasion is coming to Canterlot."

Luna follows her gaze down to the streets, still not happy that so few likes her nights. She wishes... pushing those thoughts aside, Luna instead focus on how they could stop this upcoming invasion. "We should prepare; warn out captains of the Royal Guard, tighten up the security." That will at least make it harder for this invasion to happen,

"Yes, I will speak with them in the morning." Celestia agrees on Luna's suggestion, the vision didn't tell when this invasion would happen but she would much rather be prepared and seen as paranoid than doing nothing at all. That does partly solve the threat of an invasion, but that last part of the vision keeps drawing her attention. "Before it ended, I saw a pony among the threat. At first, it was part of the invasion and... I am unsure what caused it suddenly to turn against its ruler, but I think it is very important we find this pony."

That part she did not see. Luna eyes her sister in wonder what that sign meant, it could be an ally but-- "We cannot risk searching for this ally on our own. Unless somepony just happens to know about this threat and this hidden ally come to us, there is little we can do."

Again Luna speaks the truth, without knowing who that pony is, then finding them is like searching a hidden gem among a pile of rocks. She nods in agreement with her sister's words. It did not ease completely her mind, but at least now, thanks to Luna; Celestia does at least have bit of a plan. "Thank you, sister. I really needed this talk."

Luna nods, telling her after a moment of hesitating. "You should get some rest." And trying her very utmost not letting her dismay of this fact show in her voice. "A lot of ponies depend on you." Celestia nods and heads back inside, leaving Luna to her own thoughts again.

(human world, hours later)

With the lack of two of their members, the BLU team got thrown up and down the battleground by the RED team and it did not help on the mood that the Administrator still nagged them to find their missing members. What did she think they could do? None of them knew how they disappeared in the first place.

But part of that mystery would get solved today.

A familiar face for the BLU's walk towards the base; a small, crouched man with a hooked nose, a constant bluish tint around the eyes; making him look constantly sick or tired. His black hair has several silver linings and greasy from not have gotten a bath for weeks. It is hard to see because of the black shirt, but if looking closely, three holes from a gun can be seen, however, no blood, only some greasy stuff looking like oil are on his clothing. This man, eyes unfocused walks slowly past the BLU Sniper's camper, not seeing the man he harassed by calling him a madman a few months back.

Sniper however recognizes that half-wit and what that interview did. That man gave the Administrator the information about his parents which she used to blackmail him if he ever goes over the line; then she knows where his family lives. And seeing the man, Sniper highly consider put a bullet through that wanker's head. But does reconsider when their team's Pyro passes by. Sniper usually wants a clean kill on those he hunts, but he can be incredibly cruel when pissed off. And that Director has managed to piss this hunter very much off. "Oi Pyro."
The masked maniac turns around to him, their always masked head tilted in wonder. Sniper points at the man slowly walking towards the RED base.

At first not sure what Sniper wants, Pyro stares at the slow walking man. Then realizes what it is and runs into the base to fetch the flamethrower.

Sniper smirks as Pyro follows the man out to the now quiet battlefield, waiting to hear the screams of someone getting burned alive.

Flames spew out from the flamethrower, engulfing the unaware man. In Pyro's broken mind, they do not see a defenseless human being, instead, they see a small baby angel, cheering for the rainbows Pyro fires at them from their rainblower. However unlike most other angels, Pyro cheers up with rainbows, the rainbows attach themselves to this angel, making it grow up to a bigger and prettier one. Pyro titles their head in wonder at this sight. The angel does look a bit confused by this change at first. Then turns around to Pyro and after a moment of the two just staring at one another; the Angel giggles happily. "More!" It says cheerfully.
Pyro obliges and blows more rainbows at the angel which makes it happier. Pyro cheers along with it, but is a bit sad they have run out of rainbows.
"More rainbows my friend!" The angel cheers but Pyro cannot give the angel anymore. Their good look-alike friend can though.
The RED Pyro runs up to them, spraying the Angel and BLU Pyro with rainbows. The angel laughs with the rainbows surrounding him, he takes a handful of the rainbows, forming into a snowball and throws it at the Engie and Medic Angel, both flying away with the rainbow.
RED and BLU Pyro clap their hands in excitement, wanting to see more of it.

(in the real world)

"Why the hell doesn't that guy die?!" RED Scout demands, he refuses to admit it out loud but watching some guy getting torched by both Pyros and not even flinching is scary as hell.

The man stares at the fire surrounding both him and the masked ones, yet even with the flames licking up his skin, no harm comes to him. Slowly he starts to remember why and his main reason for coming here. The man sticks his hand into the flames and as if they are a mass for him, he hurls a fireball right into the BLU building, hitting both the BLU Engineer and Medic. Not even torched bones can be seen when the fire dies out. The rest of the BLU team flees into their base to avoid more fire-balls if the guy decides to attack again. The man does but the metal of BLU's base stops him from torching the place, so he turns to RED's wooded base and hurls a fireball at it, a large chunk of the base gets lit on fire.

Scout lets out a girly scream, both from this guy could throw fire but also because that fire-ball hit a tad too close his location for comfort.

RED Sniper runs past him, aiming his sniper rifle at the fire surrounded man. That strange man has turned to the two Pyros; both too busy admiring the fire to notice the apparent threat. The man reaches out to RED Pyro, and although Sniper doesn't consider the firebug a friend or someone he would like to be close to, he still wants his fellow teammate to be safe. However, before he gets the chance pulling the trigger. The fire surrounding the man turns into an inferno, killing both the Pyros as not even their fire protective suits can protect them from these flames. This inferno looks to come alive as it flattens down when the man kneels down, to throw him up to the sky. Up there the flames forms what Sniper can only guess is a horse, a horse made out of fire. This fire horse charges into the building, blowing the wall protecting Sniper and Scout from the flames to pieces. Now fully exposed to the flames and man. The man steps into the room where Sniper and Scout are lying from the blast. His whole demeanor from when they first laid eyes on him has completely changed. No longer crouched and meek, now he stands straight and proud as if he knows this is a fight he can win. And Sniper believes it, this guy is not normal! "Get out from here Scout!" He commands the youngest of the team, there is no need for Scout to be caught in this.
Scout hesitates but does take the run for it when the fire from the guy starts engulfing the whole room. Getting on his feet, Sniper steps in between the door leading to the rest of the team and this man caught on-- but not at all bothered by the fire. Sniper pulls out his submachine gun. "Come and get some you bloody arsonist!" He fires and is sort of relived the bullets do damage this guy.
One of the flames lashed out at him, leaving a smaller burn over his hand which makes him drop his weapon. Sniper pulls out his kukri, but realizes he cannot reach the man with the flames surrounding him. He is trapped.

"I sense one of the Pillars in you."

Sniper eyes the man behind all this fire, the man doesn't look like himself anymore. His hair is set on fire, but moving in a calmer pace, the body stronger build and taller; almost as tall as him and the man looks decades younger as well. The fire behind him looks like wings and those eyes. That is the eyes of a true noble warrior. Sniper stares awestruck at this man, he can hardly believe the man both Pyros sat on fire about five minutes ago is the same he is looking at right this moment.

"But tainted by the dark magic tainting this world." The man says in a strong yet soothing voice, a voice that makes people pay him utter attention. He sure has Sniper's. The man turns his starting to become purple eyes towards the door from the sound of the team coming. He can feel more of the Pillars in those people, not strong but it can if giving a chance. "Not perfect, but—" the now dark purple eyes lands on Sniper. "Who am I to judge?"

"Sniper!" Heavy shouts and burst through the door with his minigun raised. The man on fire turns away from the trapped Sniper, giving him a confused look. It troubles Heavy that this man shows no signs of fear, only this calm confidence. "Let Sniper go!" Heavy commands him, aiming the minigun at the on fire man. The man made the wrong choice by letting the flames swallow Sniper. The Aussie only managed to let out a yelp of fear before he is gone.
Heavy fires his gun at the man, some of them hits but this man is faster than Scout and before he knows, the man is above him, those fire wings carrying him with ease. "Another Pillar." The man says and throws a fireball at him. Heavy has no choice than to block it with his minigun. Only a few sparks of the fire hit him, fortunately, they only send a small tingle over his arms.

"Heavy!" Medic calls and activates the Ubercharge before that abomination takes Heavy as well. Heavy's body gets engulfed in a reddish metallic cover, protecting the big man against the flames.

"I will squash you!" Heavy roars, grabs the man on fire and hurls him out from the window. Without the master around, the flames inside the building die out. The Ubercharge fades but Heavy doubts the battle is over. "Let's go, doctor." Both head outside to make sure that thing stays dead.

Outside the base lies the seemly dead man, the flames have died out and now the measly man with greasy black hair is back. The rest of the team walk outside, all of them has their guns ready in case that man is still alive.

"Is he dead?" Scout asks, leaving his spot behind Soldier and Engineer, daring to poke the seemly dead man with his bat. When he gets no response he asks the team. "What the hell was that crap?!"

"Looked awfully like when that wizard attacked us." Engineer remarks, and as on cue, everyone turns to Soldier.

Noticing everyone is staring at him. Soldier pulls his finger out from his nose. "Fine, I'll call him." He grumbles and heads inside to find the ball thing Merasmus left him if he ever needed to get hang of him when not back at the castle.

The rest of the team turn to the seemly dead man, Scout pokes him again and jumps when the man lets out a weak groan.

"Oh good, he's still alive." Medic smirks, then notice the others are giving him a look of disbelief. The doctor snorts. "Oh, come now, you're curious how he did it too." None of the RED's say anything but they all share the same thought that; yes, they are curious how this man did all of this without harming himself.

***

(Ponyville about five minutes past.)

Up on a hill, Twilight is showing Demo how to do magic along with Spike. "I have seen you do very complicated levitations, so I am sure you have the skills for simple transfiguration." She turns her horn towards Spike who has a bunch of leaves on him, after a minute or so, the leaves transform into a fancy jacket. Demo whistle impressed. Twilight smiles. "Now you try with the stick, it's easier turning it into objects of the same element."

Demo nods and activates his magic onto the stick in Spike's claws with the idea of making it into a piece of rope. The stick turns into a rope, but before he can settle it into that form. Demo notices that Pinkie is acting stranger than usual by being completely paranoid at something from the sky. His confusions of that pink pony's behavior break his magic and the rope reverts back to a stick.

"Demo, this magic needs your full attention to make it happen." Twilight lectures her 'student'. He can't do magic if every small thing breaks his concentration. And Spike is no better. "You too Spike."

"But Pinkie is acting really strange." Spike objects and gestures the purple unicorn over.

She does but all she sees is Pinkie being her weird self. "She's just being Pinkie Pie."

And yet, being pretty much roommate to that pink pony and have seen her do off the wall stuff daily, Demo must say that this behavior of Pinkie is weird. "Lass is weirder than usual." He tells the other unicorn and decides to head down and hear what is making Pinkie so paranoid about the sky. Spike follows with a very reluctant Twilight behind. Demo catches Pinkie sitting on the street, with the pink pony having an uncanny serious face. "Ey, what's with you today lass? Rainbow Dash trying to prank ya?" He asks and wouldn't blame her for seeking cover for that rainbow haired pony. Dash is just as a mean prankster as Scout, but he does not feel particularly sorry for that griffin. He dosesn't mind mean girl's but that Gilda just rubbed off him the wrong way.

Pinkie Pie shakes her head. "Oh no no no, it's my tail." She waves it before the two, both not really wanting to get that end up in their faces. Not that she noticed. "It's twitchy- twitching—you know what that means!" She exclaims and finally removes her tail from Twilight's face.

The two unicorns eye one another, hoping to know the other knows what Pinkie is talking about. When neither does, Twilight says "Actually Pinkie, we don't have the slightest idea."

Well then, better explain to them so they too can seek cover. "The twitching means my Pinkie-sense is telling me that stuff gonna start falling!" Both unicorns and dragon watch her jumping up in the air before cowering under her umbrella hat. "You better duck for cover!"

Again Demo and Twilight look at one another for clues, Twilight rolls her eyes when Demo starts checking the sky for what Pinkie is warning them about. "Oh Pinkie, it's not going to rain." She giggles to the pink pony, adding to Demo. "There's barely even a cloud on the—" her sentence gets cut off when a frog slams right into her face, startling both the one-eyed pony and dragon.

"Bloody hell!" Demo exclaims, not sure if he should be horrified or start laughing that some frog fell from the sky and hit Twilight right in the face; just as Pinkie had predicted.

"Oh, I am so, so sorry. You okay Twilight Sparkle?"

It's first here Demo notices Fluttershy up there, he hasn't seen her as the pale yellow pegasus has been in his blind spot. And while the pink mane pony explains her reason carrying a bunch of frogs, the turned human turns his gaze down to Spike, seeing he too is rather impressed that Pinkie predicted this. He does turn back to said pink pony when she says the obvious.

"Um Twilight, you got a little something on your face there." Pointing at the frog still hanging onto the unicorn's face.

Twilight is not amused one bit. "Oh really? Did your Pinkie-sense tell you that too?" She asks sarcastically.

"Nah, I could just see it." Pinkie smiles and trots off, humming a melody she came up with yesterday.

About a second later, the frog decides to jump off. Caressing her face from where the slimy frog sat moments ago, Twilight says to Demo. "Come on, let's do the magic practice where there is a little less commotion." and moves on, expecting the other unicorn to follow.

Demo does, chuckling at that whole scene. He turns his face partly around when he feels someone jumping onto his back, it proves to be Spike. "It was amazing! Pinkie Pie predicted something would fall: and it did!" The young dragon exclaims awestruck down to the smirking in agreement one-eyed unicorn and the far from impressed Twilight.
"I must say; that was bloody brilliant." Demo agrees to the dragon on his back.

"Oh please." Twilight rolls her eyes at the two being so easily fooled by this. "She said something would fall and a frog just happen to fall at the same time. A coincidence." She tells the two. "Nothing else to it." Barely have said that statement before Pinkie storms over to the small group; yelling: "My tail! My tail! Twitchy-twitch!" Showing it twitching like crazy. "Something else is going to fall!" Twilight rolls her eyes when the two boys start scanning the sky for whatever is now going to fall. "Oh Pinkie please," she walks away from the paranoid three. "Nothing else is going to fa—" and two ponies lands right on top of her.

"Bloody hell." Demo gasps, turning all over himself to see where those two ponies— wait only one of them are a pony, but still; where did they come from? "What's next? A bear?" If that happens, he is so out from here.

Spike jumps off Demo hurrying over to Twilight who is trying getting out from the two very confused equines. "Twilight! You alright?"

"I'm fine." The unicorn grumbles, shooting the strange bird faced horse a glare as he is sitting on her tail. "Would you please move away from my tail?" He does, musing; "Sorry miss..." with an accent like Applejack.

Hold up, that voice. "Engie?" Demo asks, tilting his head at this strange pale yellow bird horse with long, broad blue feathers forming hair and tail. The bird horse looks over to him, hard to see what he is thinking thanks to the welding goggles, but this must be him. The yellow hard-hat and blue shirt, it's the BLU team's Engineer! "It's me, Demoman! Not your Demo, but the RED." And looking at the light grey unicorn with a doctor coat beside him. Demo is pretty sure that is the BLU Medic, boy he sure hopes these two also would like to keep up the ceasefire. If not then he will get dominated all the way down to hell.
The two new arrived stare at him for a moment, then at Pinkie besides him, then over to the still very annoyed Twilight and lastly back at themselves and jump realyzing they aren't humans anymore.

Medic is the first to recover from this big surprise. "Hm, interesting." He muses, his mind spinning with theories how they got turned into horses and why everyone is as well.

Engineer in the other hand. "What in tarnation is going on?!" He demands, for not long ago, the BLU base got attacked by some crazy guy on fire! "Why did we get turned into horses when he sat us on fire?!"

"You look more a mix of a horse and a bird herr Engineer." Medic remarks, quite amused by the form giving to Engineer. For once the smallest member of the team has become the tallest, also the most-- he will say flamboyant with those bright blue feathers running down his neck and working as the tail.

Engineer shoots the doctor a small glare. "Not helping, doc..."

"Someone set you on fire?" Demo asks the two. They snap away from their small quarrel and Engineer explains; "About four months ago, Miss Pauling brought some dimwit to interview us. Not long after that, the Administrator send us pictures about our "weakness" as a warning what would happen if we ever stepped over the line."

"That woman knows no bond." Medic muses and looks up when something lands on his head, he smiles seeing his favorite dove hasn't been killed by that fire either.

Engineer simply nods before continuing. "Well, that man returned, but something was very wrong with him. He wasn't affected by Pyro's flames; in fact, he seemed to get stronger by it. He threw this mother-hubber ball of fire at us—"

"-and we ended up here." Medic finishes, eyeing this cedar colored horse there is the RED Demoman. "Is you the only one here?"

"Nah, your team Spy and Soldier are here as well." Demo says, nodding towards the train station. "They are currently visiting the ruler of this place. She would like to see if Solly could be integrated as a royal guard." Solly was like a child at early Smissmass when he got that news. Good for him. Still, Spy thought it would be best going with him, mostly to make sure Soldier doesn't cause any trouble, but also so he could visit the capital of this place.

Engineer gets on his fee- hooves does stumble for a moment as he is used to standing on two legs, not using his hands as feet as well. "That solves one mystery where you all went, now—" eyeing the RED and is glad Demo is not wearing any red, the shirt is replaced with a green Scottish pattern scarf and hat. It does help him not looking as an enemy as much. "—all we need is finding a way back."
The RED shift on his hooves. "Might take a while. Spy has been here for almost four months and he still hasn't found a way." He says. Great... just great. He's stuck in some horse dominating world while his wife is trying to remove all of his right over their son. He should've been in court this week! Now he can only pray his clone would help him out a bit...

"Are these friends of yours?" Pinkie asks Demo, the one-eyed horse shakes his head. "No, I used to fight these guys." She did not notice the two dressed in blue tense up, her whole attention is on her fellow co-worker at Sugarcube Corner. "You mean like with Spy and Soldier?" She asks, tilting her head. "But you look so much like friends now."

Yeah, it's funny how quickly years-long rivalry can fade in this place, and Demo is unsure if his small friendship with the BLU Spy will affect him when they return back to the battlefield.

"So you're not fighting?" Medic asks taken aback by this new information.

Demo shakes his head, explaining the two newly arrived. "No, we agreed to a ceasefire until we get back. Could we agree on the same?" He asks, for he really doesn't want they start fighting here.
Engineer and Medic look at one another, then Engineer turns back to him, nodding. Demo smiles in relief, it does make things a lot easier. "Good, now; this is Spike—" Spike gives the two a wave. "He's a dragon and these two ladies are Twilight Sparkle—the one you fell on." Twilight gives him an annoyed look, Medic and Engineer shift embarrassing of the reminder. "and this is Pinkie Pie, she predicted you would fall from the sky."

"Hia!" Pinkie smiles widely at the two new ponies staring oddly at her, the smile does drop when her knee starts aching. "Oh-oh, my knee is aching!"

"What does that means?" Spike asks, seeking cover behind Twilight.

"That means something scary is about to happen." Pinkie explains.

Engineer and Demo both turn to Medic, the white stallion has that creepy smile on his face when he's about to do some horrific experiment. Where his eyes are, the two knows who he would like on his medical table. "Not happening doc!" Demo shouts and uses his levitation magic on him, but that only saves Pinkie from the crazy doctor.

"This world can do magic? Fascinating— oh it's coming from the horn. I would like to know how it works." Medic says, giving the RED a smile. "Let's start with you shall we?"

"What about I stick your own horn right up your ass?!" Demo retorts.

Medic first now notices he has a horn as well and laughs. "Let's practice some magic!" and with no problem activates his own magic. A bluish shockwave hits the surrounding ponies, freezing them onto the spot. Demoman's own magic releases him and Medic lands back onto the ground and can admire his work. "Oh, this is quite interesting."

"She did it again..." Spike muses in his frozen state, for that light grey unicorn is scary!

This is interesting and all, but Engineer doesn't think it's a good idea scaring the locals. "Doc, let them go." He tells Medic. The horse-shaped doctor turns away from his admiration of watching Demoman frozen by magic, giving Engineer a confused look which the pale yellow creature returns with his serious one. Medic lets out a small gasp of realization what his co-worker means. "Oh right, just a moment. This is still all new to me.." A flash and the ponies and dragon can move again.

Twilight does not waste a second on that new magic user. "Are you CRAZY?! You do not use that kind of magic as your first try!!" She scowls this clearly turned human unicorn, he could've broken some of their bones if he had messed up that freezing spell!

"He is a complete manic." Demo snorts, caressing his bit sour left leg from that freezing spell. Medic isn't bothered by being called crazy. In fact, the unicorn agrees. "I may have lost my sense of Hippocratic oath in another time of war." The doctor says smiling. And Demo sure knows what war this guy talks about. "Yeah when you were a Naz—"

"Call me that word and I will turn you inside out." Medic threats coldly, his horn now beaming in a sharper blue.

Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie take a step back, fearful of this unicorn.
Demo on the other hand, he activating his own red-colored magic. "Come at me you Teutonic nursemaid!" But before he and BLU Medic can get into a fight, Engineer steps in between.

"Now there, no fighting outside the battlefield." But when that didn't work, Engineer lets out a sigh, steer and hits both unicorns right behind their horns with his front talons, knocking them to the ground. Both Medic and Demo groans in pain, with Demo crying; "God I hate that wrench of yours!"
"I don't have my wrench, drunkard." Engineer points out, returning back to a normal horse standing position. "But I'll be sure hit you with one if you prefer."

Sitting back up, Medic caress his pounding head. He knows Engineer is strong with all the building lifting he is doing but that hit hurts a lot more than he is used to. "Now I know how it feels like getting kicked by a horse with bird nails... thank you herr Engineer."

"You're quite welcome doc." Engineer grins, blinking to the pink pony when she says in relief. "Oh, my knee has stopped aching. That means the scary stuff over now." Wait what? Before he can ask, the pony trots away while humming some melody, passing by an orange mare with a cowboy hat. Engineer turns to the purple unicorn, asking. "What was that about?"

Twilight rolls her eyes. "Something about twitchy tail can predict the future."

"From someone who can remove the skeleton and a heart from a man's body and let him live. I'll say that is the most unlikely one." Medic points out, much to a certain purple pony relief.

"Finally somepony seeing reason!" She exclaims and not sure how to feel that Applejack too believes in this nonsense. "Don't tell me you believe in this stuff too." She rolls her eyes at the mare hiding underneath a corn stand.

Applejack slowly crawls out from the stand, explaining the group. "I know it doesn't make much sense, but those of us who have been in Ponyville for a while; have learned over time that if Pinkie is twitching: you better listen." And just by then Pinkie storms over to them, crying: "My ears are flopping! My ears are flopping!"

Demo and Spike both get into a small panic of what's going to happen. "What does that mean?" Spike asks, hiding behind Demo's legs.

Pinkie turns to the group of Twilight, Medic, Engineer, Demo and Spike, worried. "I'll start a bath for you." Demo quickly takes the run for it with Spike clinging to his tail, joining Applejack there wisely steps backward.

Twilight laughs. "A bath?" with Medic rolling his eyes at the RED's reaction. "Mein god, you have been here too long... believing in such—" and just by then, an elderly pony with a wagon storms past them, splashing a whole mud puddle at the three of them who didn't listen to Pinkie warning. Medic's neatly dark grey hair is now splashed down over his eyes. "nonsense..." He grumbles greatly annoyed. Engineer's dull blue neck and tail feathers now cling to his pale yellow body, not helping on his mood either and along with Twilight is starting to find this whole deal ridicules.

"Pinkie, you take care of Twilight?" Applejack asks the pink pony, walking over to the two stallions. "Come you all, let's get you washed up." and starts heading towards the farm.

Welcome to Equestria

Note: part 2 and made from the "Feeling Pinkie Keen" episode.
this happens just after the last chapter. it is very long so I apologize if I missed some grammar mistakes.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With Spike on his back, Demo trots up beside the two now muddy and unsure on their hooves BLU's."I wonder if this is earth pony magic." He wonders out loud.
Medic snorts loudly and shakes his head, splatter part of the mud onto the other unicorn. Demo shoots him a glare, which the BLU firmly ignores.

Looking past the rules of hostility against this RED, Engineer decides he would like to get some answer on this strange horse dominating world from someone who knows the difference between the two worlds. "What can you tell us about this place we ended up in?" He asks and is a bit startled he for once has to look down on to someone. Must admit that strokes his ego.

"Are you from that other world Demo and his friends are from?" Spike asks curious, Demo nods up to him which the young dragon finds very awesome. "Cool! Hey, can I tell them about some of the stuff?"

"Go ahead lad." Demo grins.

Spike clears his throat. "Ahem, alright, let's start what you have become. You in the white cape—"

"Medic."

"Right, Medic, you are a unicorn. As you already have demonstrated with that freezing spell; you can do magic. Most unicorns can only do magic close to their special talent so judging by your cutiemark—"

"My what?" Medic interrupts confused over what this strange lizard is telling him, Demo hushes him down with; "he'll come to that." So the doctor holds his tongue, letting Spike explains.

"As I said, by judging your cutie mark, I'll say your special talent is healing." Medic nods slowly he got that correct. Spike beams. "So that means most of your magic will be healing based. Of course, you can learn other kinds of magic but healing magic will come to you the easiest."

"Interesting." Medic must admit and does wonder. "So my medigun has been transferred as my magic?" Would explain why he got turned into a unicorn as the lizard said.

"Probably." Demo shrugs. "You should try it out."

Medic turns his horn towards Engineer and after a moment of trying to figure out how this magic works, a reddish beam with medical marks flows around it and starts surrounding the pale yellow bird/horse.

"That's the medigun alright." Engineer says. He can recognize that feeling of getting healed everywhere.

Medic turns off the magic, very intrigued by this and wondering if he could heal a RED or even ubercharge someone without the heart operation, he thinks he will test both those thoughts out on the same time but first: a bath.

But Spike is not done explaining them. "And you with the hard-hat—"

"Engineer or Engie for short, nice meeting ya." Engineer nods to the strange creature sitting on Demo's back.

"Likewise." Spike smiles, and must sadly admit. "Anyway, I have NO idea what you are, but I think you're like a griffin. The one I met was pretty strong—."

"That does explain why his hit hurt a lot more than usual..." Demo muses, caressing the bump on his head.

Alright, that explains partly their new forms, but not the strange tattoo's on Medic's and Demo's flanks. "What are those?" Engineer asks, nodding towards the sword and medical mark on those two's flanks, highly doubting that is something they have from their human forms.

"That is their cutiemark." Spike replies, Medic turns to look at the mark on his flank as Spike explains. "They represent your special talent. Like Twilight special talent is magic and—"

"Hurry up you all!" Applejack calls further up the road. "Better hurry before the mud dries up into your coats and um... feathers."

"I would prefer that didn't happen." Medic muses and tries set into a trot but that ends with him stumbling and end face first onto the ground.

Spike covers his mouth in an attempt not to laugh out loud, Demo is glad Spike does for otherwise, the dragon might end up as Medic next experiment. He helps the light grey unicorn back up, explaining the trick walking on all four. "It's like crawling, except you're not doing it on your knees." Adding in a quieter tone to the BLU's. "Don't try and run before you are sure on your legs; it will be less embarrassing."

"Duly noted." Medic says and starts walking again, Demo's advice did help a bit or at least enough he and Engineer can walk a bit faster than a grandmother pace.

Reaching the farm of Sweet Apple Acers, Applejack takes the two muddy filled stallions to a large tub which Demo magic heats up the water while she fetches the soap. Medic is the first getting his bath, and while he is getting the mud out from his coat. Engineer takes the chance speaking with this fellow Southern mare.

"You own this whole place?"

"Yup, Sweet Apple Acers has been in my family's possession ever since Ponyville's foundation." Applejack nods with a proud smile.

That smile reminds Engineer about himself when he is talking about his machines. "I know the feeling priding over a possession, I do own a small farm of my own." He explains the mare, however, it is not as big as her farm.

Applejack can't help but laugh, she is already liking this guy. "Heh, if ya like, I can show you a few tricks if you ever want an apple acre."

"Mighty nice of you miss, but I'm more into buildings' myself." Engineer declines the offer politely and nods toward the bit run down storage house. "I've noticed your storage house needs a bit of repair, if you wouldn't mind I could help you with the repairs."

"Oh, there's no need for—"

"Hold up Applejack." Demo trots over to them, letting Spike help Medic dry himself off. The two Southern ponies give him a confused look. "Engie here might stay here for a while and could need a place to sleep. So, let him stay at your farm and in return, he repairs the place as payment."

If her fellow Honesty bearer says so. "Alright, if you don't mind sleeping in the barn, it's all we got really." Applejack says in an apoplectic tone to the fellow southern.

But Engineer didn't mind at all, he has been sleeping worse places than this. "I greatly appreciate your offer, miss." Tipping his hat. Applejack smiles and promises to show him around, after he has washed off the mud of course.

Medic leaves the tub, letting Engineer getting his bath. "You need a place sleep too mister?" The orange mare asks him, nodding towards the barn house. "I offered your friend a place to sleep in the barn, the offer stands for you if you don't mind." But Medic do mind, in fact, sleeping outside reminds him too much of a certain camp he has at in his youth. Not that he ever will say that out loud. "I'm not much of an outdoor person." He declines, using his newfound magic to clean his glasses in the towel around his neck. This magic sure is handy he admits that.

"Say what now?" Applejack frowns, wondering what person meant, she bet it's fancy talk.

"He meant he's not a pony fancying sleeping outside." Demo explains.

Ah, so that's what he meant, Applejack nods. "Well, the offer will stand if you change your mind uh... I never got your name." She realizes.

"You may call me Medic and he is Engineer." Medic nods towards the Southern getting up from the tub and takes the offered towel from Spike. He is a bit surprised that Applejack accepts their names like they are normal, perhaps it is in this world. After all, that purple pony that got mud over her like them was named Twilight Sparkle. Speaking of that incident, he would very much like to know how that pink pony knew about them getting splashed by mud simply with her ears flopping.

"Nice meeting ya all." Applejack greets this light grey unicorn named Medic and shakes his hoof before heading back out to aid Big Macintosh with harvesting apple to the town's apple seller. "Well, I gotta be heading out, my brother needs my help. I hope you'll stick around town for a while."

"She seems nice." Engineer remarks as he put his hard-hat, goggles and blue shirt back on with some trouble with his bird looking hands. Fortunately, that lizard kid named Spike is more than happy to help him out.

Demo nods in agreement. "That she is, reminds me a bit of you Engie."

Engineer frowns at this statement. "Don't you mean your team's Engineer?"

"You're so similar it hurts." Demo points out, pretty sure these two will not be able to see the difference between him and their Demoman. Having a clone is no fun, he looks forward to the day Mann Co will reveal which one is the real one so they can get rid of the clone once and for all. Wouldn't mind if he was the clone; at least then he would know that the real Tavish would not have to share his family or memories with a fake.

The man got a point, Engineer thinks but instead saying it out loud, he instead turns to the very helpful Spike. "Mighty thanks, Spike."

"No problem." Spike beams, he's just glad he can help, his smile does widen when Demo suggests: "You can get a ride on me, lad. I don't mind." Spike runs over and jumps onto the cedar colored stallion, he really enjoys getting a ride instead of having to walk himself and Demo here has been very kind letting him get a ride pretty much every time.

Staring a moment at the purple dragon in wonder, Medic shakes his curious thoughts about that creature off as he is way more curious about a certain pink pony. "I would like to speak with this pink pony again."

"It's the Pinkie-sense isn't it, doc?" Demo grins.

Both Engineer and Medic nod, with Engineer saying. "I would very much like know how in tarnation that works. See if it's earth pony magic you spoke about earlier." It sounds interesting and it is not often they get the chance investigating new things like this. The war games have always kept them very limited under that department.

***
At Golden Oak Library.

The three out-worlder and Spike walk over to Twilight and his home, here the young dragon jumps off Demo and heads inside, calling for the unicorn.
"Down here!" Twilight voice replies and the dragon enter the room where she's inside and explains her: "Medic and Engineer is curious about Pinkie's sense and—"

"Oh, good timing then." Twilight interrupted him with a smile and lets the group into her own little laboratory, much to the mercenaries surprise that she is a pony of science. "I was just about to do some testing myself." and the last wires into the helmet around Pinkie's head, Twilight connects Pinkie to the machine. Turning back to the two new ponies. "You can join me in this discovery if you like."

Medic and Engineer would very much like so, both quite taken aback that this world of magic also has the decent technology. Engineer walks over to the machine Pinkie is attached to, but he cannot find any wires leading to a power socket. "Magic?" He asks the purple unicorn, genapping the machine with his front talons.

Twilight nods and turns to Pinkie, asking. "Any twitching yet?" Pinkie giggles shake her head.

Medic turns his magic onto a pot and levitates it behind Pinkie where he, without warning drops it, no reaction from her. He levitates it again, this time above her. Much to everyone's surprise, the second he drops it, Pinkie's tail twitch and she jumps away. The three of scientist stare dumbfounded of this. Twilight turns to the machine but the readings make little sense. "I don't get it... The readings say it's magic, but how can simple pony magic predict falling objects!" She shoots the pink mare an annoyed stare.
"This requires further testing," Medic concludes and levitates the pot above Pinkie's head again.

"You three have fun!" Demo calls and leaves the room, he is, of course, curious about this but he also knows that some stuff is best not knowing; like how his favorite sword got possessed by a head chopping fanatic or how Soldier's roommate supposedly is centuries old wizard there is using his missing eye as a weapon. Well, now he can put the question about how Pinkie Pie's sense onto that list as well.
Besides, he has better things to do than figuring out how a certain pink pony works, like getting himself a bottle of scrumpy.

***
(Canterlot)

When the fire disappears, Sniper is surprised he doesn't find himself inside the Respawn room of white walls, instead, he is lying outside on some very clean and somewhat shiny tiles. Groaning, he gets on his feet and right away realizes that his body is not his own anymore. For starters his hands look like eagle talons, his spine doesn't agree with him when he is trying to get up on two legs and... he has wings and a tail. "What the bloody hell just happened?!" He screams, jumps in fright over this sudden change of his body. It doesn't help that he can jump just as high into the air like a cat and end up hitting something up there. It proves to be a cream colored winged horse— wait what?

"Hey watch it!" This flying pony scowls at him before flying off with a huff.

Sniper stares dumbfounded after it, then realizes this whole place is filled with bright colored horses, most of them have a horn and fancily dressed.
This gotta be a dream, it has to.
He pinches himself hard but does not wake and no matter how many times he takes off the aviators, this new Pyroland does not disappear. "Oh no no nononono NO! This is not bloody happening to me!" He can't be stuck in this pony populated place, for if he's stuck here; then what about his parents? They need the money he sends them, granted they never wanted it, but it does not matter. They need his support!
He has to get out from here. Sniper slow pace quickly gets set into a wild run, it might have been for the better if he kept stumbling but like out in the bush he adapted to this body so quickly it only further freaked him out. He keeps on running, desperately searching for any clue of escaping this colorful hell. He runs past two and not quite as colorful as the other horses, he barely notices them though, too caught up in getting out from this place.
His headless run comes to a sudden halt when someone tackles into him from behind and Sniper finds himself in a headlock of an olive green pegasus. Another pegasus, this one darker blue steps in front of his line of sight. That one stares at him for about three seconds before he lets out an exaggerated groan. "Of all the people... it just had to be you."
That voice, that color. "Spy?!" Sniper gasps, not one bit happy seeing his biggest rival in form of the BLU Spy and looking at the one holding him, it's easy to guess this is the BLU Soldier with that helmet over his face. This day is getting better at the moment... Now he's caught by the BLU's without a weapon AND he highly doubts the respawn can pick him up at this place.

Wow, Sniper is really freaking out there, Spy doesn't have to touch him to sense the fear in the man- or griffin as he now has been turned into. Looks quite different from that Gilda though, she was part bald eagle and lion. Sniper here looks like he's part falcon and leopard, he is in the red color tone but darker and closer to brown, really, and sure this could've been BLU's Sniper but Spy highly doubts it with that red shirt and how the now griffin is reacting. "Relax Bushman, we're not going to torture you. Soldier, let him go." He commands Soldier.

"Aww..." Soldier says disappointed, but does let go of the griffin there scrambles away from both of them.

Sniper is taken aback that Spy; the spiteful man who loves watching him bleed to dead— now is showing him mercy. "What's the catch?" He asks this now blue pegasus suspiciously. Spy smirks. "Be a gentleman for once— come along Soldier." And starts walking towards the castle. Soldier follows, leaving a quite startled Sniper behind. Since these two are the only familiar faces he knows, Sniper much rather wants to risk getting hurt by them than be left alone in this horse infested place. He trots up beside Spy, demanding. "What the bloody hell is going on Spook?"

"How long have you been here?" Spy decides to ask first. The griffin sends him a glare but does comply with an answer; "About ten minutes..." Ah, that explains his state of panic they found him in. Spy too got into a fit of panic when he first ended up here; almost got him eaten by a wolf made out of wood. Sniper is lucky he ended up in Canterlot, here he only risk getting stared at the high classed unicorns living here. "Then I welcome you to Equestria, the literally land of rainbow and sunshine— oh, it gets better." He adds smirking at the look of disbelief Sniper sends him. "The dominating species are equines, hence why everyone are ponies."

"Then what the hell am I?" Sniper asks for he does not look like a horse, in fact, he looks more bird.

"A griffin" Spy replies, explaining the very confused Aussie. "We met one a few weeks past. You would've had liked her: just as rude and insensitive as you."

"You're the one talking." Sniper retorts but forgets his anger towards his rival when he spots a unicorn do magic by levitating several bags around it.

"Oh, the ponies with horns- the unicorns can do magic."

"I can see that." Sniper snorts to that smug son of a bitch to Spy. For a moment he walks in silence while digesting what Spy has told him. It's a bit much to take in, but he can adapt- like he always has. Still, it would be nice getting home soon. "Any idea how we get back?" He asks the two BLU's, right now he doesn't care about them being the enemy, if they know a way home he will be their best friend if it means him getting back to the human world.

"No, but perhaps the princess has some clues." Spy nods up towards the castle. "Before you rudely interrupted us, I and Soldier were on our way paying the ruler a visit."

Sniper blinks hearing that. "He really lets common people speak with him?"

"She, and yes, Princess Celestia personally requested this royal visit." Spy briefly explains the griffin.

Sniper hums on this new information, quietly following the two BLUs through the streets and all the time being observant as ever.
At the castle, three guard ponies stop them but do let them pass when Spy shows them a letter with a sun mark on.
A unicorn guard walks over to them."The princess is waiting for you." He says and leads the three inside the castle. Sniper must say that he feels kinda privileged walking inside a royal castle without being on an assassin mission. True he was hired to shoot someone that time and that not the reason being here in the first place, but it is sort of a strange feeling walking through the hallway of this colorful, yet simple in its beautiful design castle hall without having to worry about the guards.
The guard pony opens a huge door with his horn, letting them walk into a large hallway with beautiful stained windows on each side. Sniper takes notices right away that these windows have pictures of what looks like past victories for this horse kind. Maybe past enemies, as well as one of them, shows a weird dragon-looking creature playing puppet master with three ponies, one with wings, and another with a horn.

"Glad you could come to my foreign ponies."

Sniper snaps his eyes away from the stained window and jaw drops of what is standing before the throne, it's a horse like everyone else in this place. But unlike the others, this snow white horse is taller, has wings and a horn, her tail and mane in a rainbow color and flowing as if there is a constant wind in them. Her eyes are sort of ancient, yet like the rest of this beautiful horse; has an almost unnatural grace in them. Sniper is awestruck at this sight and fully understands why Spy and even Soldier bows to this ancient beauty, he does the same out of respect.

Celestia smiles weakly at the three bowing to her- hold up, three? She only requested for Spy and Soldier. Her eyes land on the griffin, she does not recognize him as any of the griffins dignitaries there at rare times visits Canterlot. "Who is this?" She asks Spy and Soldier. The griffin tense up realizing her attention is on him, it seems like he's not used to getting such attention.

Straighten himself up before the ruler of this land and keeping himself from laughing at how much Sniper at the moment reminds him of a deer caught in the headlights. "Sniper is from our world, according to him; he arrived here not long ago."

That truly catches Celestia's attention, if he has just arrived then that means the magic signature might not have faded away just yet. Hastily and yet careful so she won't spook this griffin further, Celestia lets her tracer spell touch him. What she discovers is startling. She has thought this magic would be new to her, something that required months of study of a world nopony has heard about. But this magic remnant on Sniper; she recognizes. All because she too has that sort of magic. Ending the spell Celestia steps back. "An alicorn teleported you here."

Spy and Soldier stare at Sniper dumbfounded, but the now griffin did not really understand how important that new info is. "What's an alicorn?" He asks, that part is what confuses him the most.

"I am a alicorn." Celestia tells this foreigner, but she is just a child compared to the alicorn who brought them here. That alicorn's magic was powerful, gotten millennia of practice compared to her a few hundred years from a thousand. "The one who brought you here is a very old alicorn. Compared to them, I am just a filly." It's a bittersweet feeling knowing she and Luna are not alone as they thought but why is that old alicorn in another world and she has no idea how to get to the other world with her magic.

That half-git was an alicorn? Does explains his sudden form change when Pyro sat him on fire, and now that he looks closer to this one before him, he notices her hair is very much like that man's, except his looked more like fire than a the Northen Light. It also explains why he got turned into an animal when he got send to this world- probably that one's homeworld, but what it does not explains: "But why the bloody hell would he bring us here?" Sniper asks, thinking back to what that human formed alicorn told him. "All he said that he sensed some pillar inside of me before I ended up here."

That's it! That is the reason why they are brought here! Celestia gasps for her startling revelation, the connection to why this ancient alicorn brought these humans here in the first place. Because of the lost Elements, because of the connection these humans somehow have to Twilight and her friends. She eyes the three confused foreigner. "I may have found the reason." And explains to them what her and Luna's old teacher wrote in one of his books. "This alicorn there brought you here must've realized the lost elements were connected to you and knew the only way returning them back and awaken the Elements once again was bringing you here."

"And these Elements of Harmony are those necklaces?" Spy asks her and has mixed feelings about this. In one hand he can see why that alicorn brought them here if the elements resided inside of them, but in the other; Spy is dumbstruck. Why of all people in their world— a bunch of mercenaries and assassins have been chosen to carry the elements in them. Why? They are the worst possible choice ever.
Celestia nods as an answer to his question, so that necklace he got was his Element of Harmony?
According to Twilight; the silver necklace he got is the twin of Zecora's Element of Guidance, but why would it choose him? Is it because he is a man of information and can guide people to victory with said information? He can buy that, but he still doesn't think he is worth carrying an object there brings Harmony. For he sure hell hasn't made himself worthy of such a role as a carrier of Harmony with all the death and destruction his information has brought to a lot of people during the world war.

"Alright, now we know why that wanker brought us here." Sniper interrupts Spy's train of thought, the griffin turns back to the alicorn. "Is there a way for you to bring us back?"

"Sadly I do not know any world jumping magic and study have been slow." Mainly because the text on how to do such magic was mostly theories and even with her many years, most of Star Swirls study went over her head. That and she didn't have much time to engulf herself in reading up on it because of her royal duties. Celestia feels bad she cannot help them, more so when this Sniper shows clear signs of frustrations with his neck feathers raising. She knows that other alicorn got their reasons for doing this, but still, these foreigners have been forced away from their home and loved ones. "I know it is hard, but I ask for your patience."

It's frustrating being trapped in some other world, away from his parents and everything he knows, but at least this ruler of the land is trying. Sniper sighs, calming himself. "Alright..." Adding in a softer tone. "Sorry, today has not been my best days."
The ruler of this place gives him a small nod in understanding. "Getting torn away from everything you know can be hard." She says, turning her old yet youthful eyes towards one of the stained windows showing a dark alicorn getting blasted with some kind of magic in form of six ponies.

"I do have some experience with that myself and I will do anything in my power finding you a way home." Celestia promises them, but until then; Celestia turns back to the shapeshifter of these turned humans. "Spy, my student Twilight wrote that this is not your true form, could you kindly show it to me?" From how he is frowning Celestia know it is a sudden question, but she needs to be sure.

Not sure what this about but not wanting to be disrespectful to the ruler of this land, Spy drops his pegasus disguise, letting Celestia see the form this world gave him. Sniper jumps in great surprise, letting out a small curse while Soldier just looks confused.

He looks very much like those attacking Canterlot in the vision, is he one of them? No, Spy hasn't shown any sign of being against her or her sister. And according to Twilight, Spy here has become an Element bearer. It must mean he is that light of hope from the vision, or at least he will be able to find the invaders with his shapeshifting ability. "Thank you for showing me" Spy puts on his disguise again, and now Celestia has an idea what might be coming and from how things stand now, it seems she has to take him up on his offer to her. "I know this is very sudden, but certain circumstances is urging me to ask for your service."

This is the first time Celestia has taken up the offer he gave her, it seems she is in need of someone of his profession. "What do you need?" He asks her, feeling quite relieved he can do his job for once.

Good to see that he was serious about his offer working for her. "It has come to my attention a threat is approaching Canterlot. Unfortunately, I do not know who or how many will be coming. It will be your job figure out if the threat is real. With your shapeshifting ability, you should be able to hear what others cannot." Her other spies won't be able to get in close as it is clear it is not ponies there threatens them.

That's very little to go on, it sounds more like paranoia than anything. But Spy has learned that some paranoia has their source from something real, so; he will check up on this threat Celestia speaks about. "Very well, I will start right away."

That's is a relief, Celestia did fear this human wouldn't take her words seriously, but she thinks he is the one best for this job with his shapeshifting ability. With that done, she turns to the one naming himself Soldier. What she has gotten from Spy and Twilight's letters, this pegasus is a warrior through and through and has protected Ponyville more than once. So she has decided to trust this one with the task of keep on doing what he has been doing since his arrival. This time, though; with the right gear. "Soldier, correct?"
The olive green Pegasus salutes, almost knocking off his helmet "Yes ma'am!" He says loudly.
Celestia can't help but smile amused by this one's zeal."I have heard good things about you from my student and subjects in Ponyville, so I have decided to give you a spot among the royal guard." She explains him, about to add that he won't fully be part of the royal guard since that requires training the Canterlot's military facility but she never gets the chance when this pegasus got an overjoyed look over his face and is certain she can see signs of tears underneath that helmet of his.

Spy and Sniper both give Soldier one look and Spy tells the bit confused alicorn. "You certainly made his day." For he can literally feel the pegasus's joy filling the room, Spy doubts he will need to mingle with any ponies to feed after today.

"So I see." Celestia smiles, seeing ponies beam like this when their dreams come true never gets old. But back to Soldier's new job. "As long you are here and if like Spy wishes to work for me, you are granted a spot as the royal guard in Ponyville. It will be your duty keeping my subjects safe from any harm."

Soldier salutes his new boss, no words can describe how happy he is that he finally has earned a title he has dreamed about for years. "You can count on me, Mrs. President!" Not noticing the amused expression on the princess' face

Celestia has no idea what President means, but she presumes this is just these foreigners way addressing a royal. "My head of the royal guard; Shining Armor will give you a uniform and further description of your job." Celestia explains but must warn this very excited pegasus. "But please do not take too much of his time. I need him keep the security tight with the threat looming over us."

"Affinitive!"

So far so good, Celestia then turns her gaze down to the newly arrived griffin. She figures he would like to settle down before getting thrown into a mission by her and if he too is an element bearer, then she knows the perfect place for him to stay. "I know this is hard for you, but try and make the best out of it." She tells the griffin softly, he eyes her, sign she has his attention. "Your comrades have sought resident in Ponyville, I suggest you do the same."

Sniper sighs, he's too mentally tired to really argue. "Alright."
Celestia ends their small meeting and after have gotten the armor for Soldier, the three head back to this Ponyville.

Author's Note

Engie, Medic, you two have NO idea what you are getting yourself into! well, your major headache.

I do feel sorry for Sniper, though. He merely thought he would get killed by those flames, not thrown into another world filled with ponies.

by the way, do you guys like the form I gave Sniper? I did at first consider making him a pegasus like from the fanfiction this was inspired by but I quickly went to the griffin form as I think it just suits him so well. you can find a drawn vision of them all on my DeviantART page. my username is the same as here

Making sense of the World

Note: part 3 and made from the "Feeling Pinkie Keen" episode. This happens an hour later after the last chapter.

several of the scenes in this chapter made me laugh, and hopefully, you will find it just as funny as me.

The train stops at Ponyville and several ponies walk out, Soldier is one of them and now proudly wears a golden colored armor of the royal guards uniform. "Today is a good day." He voices out loud, to who is anyone's guess.
Spy and Sniper walk past him with the griffin grumbling. "This has been the bloodiest weirdest day in my entire life I tell you..."

"Get used to it Sniper, you have seen nothing yet." Spy remarks, rather amused seeing the usually so stoic RED Sniper has more than once lost his cool today; now he's just too mentally exhausted from doing anything, that includes them trying to tear each other to pieces like they would in the War Games.

Sniper groans, this is NOT how he thought his day would be. "Someone wake me up already...!" The griffin cries, covering his head with his talons, only to get yanked up in Soldier's hooves.

"Straighten up maggot! The president didn't hire us to slack off!"

"Put me down bullets for brains!" Sniper snaps and somehow gets free from the green pegasus neck-lock, he trots away from the maniac BLU. Right now he just wants some peace and quiet after today's snowball of weirdness, or better yet, this just being a dream, that would be nice. "Please tell me is a bloody dream..." He just can't take all of this being real...

Perhaps it is his ability sensing emotions, perhaps it's because he's being affected by Sniper's but... he is starting to feel a bit sorry for the guy. It's kinda hard watching Sniper losing it, being a guy easy to get excited and vocal but really hard to rattle as Sniper is rather quick to adapt to the situation kind of guy. He doesn't blame Sniper for losing it like this, Spy must say that his rival is taking this way better than he did when he arrived here-- he is very relieved no one saw his epic freak-out. "Come." He tells the griffin, gently pushing him away from the crowds of ponies. Sniper is so mentally exhausted that he doesn't even object that his biggest rival is guiding him away.

Soldier heads toward the town hall, thinking that place will be best to guard as his new duty protecting this town.

A bit outside of town, Spy has gotten Sniper up in the sky and land onto one of the clouds. It takes Sniper a moment to realize he is standing on a cloud. "What the..." He stares at the puffy object under his paws and talons, then down to the ground and back at the cloud again.

Spy rolls his eyes at the griffin's dumbfounded face with his mind trying to comprehend what is going on. "Yes, you are standing on a cloud." He forces Sniper to lie down. "Now get some rest, seeing you this miserable makes me feel bad."

Sniper shoots the blue and winged horse a glare but does forget about his angry remark when he realizes how soft this cloud is. "Huh, this is really soft." Turning back to the winged horse, he remarks. "Never felt anything this soft before."

"It's not like your standards are that high to begin with." Spy retorts back with a smirk.

"Shut your trap." Sniper growls but quickly forgets his anger from the softness under his feet, he rolls onto his back on this cloud. "Aw, I'm sorry mate, you did find this cloud for me."

Spy notes himself to put Sniper onto a cloud if the griffin gets too pissed at him in the future. It's like his catnip or something.

"Have you tried it?"

"No." Spy replies the now more cat acting than a turned human Sniper in the way he is lying about. The griffin blinks confused, Spy drops onto the cloud but goes right through it, flying up before the cloud and griffin. "My magic does not allow weather control."

"You don't you what you're missing." Spy rolls his eyes at him, he seems to do that a lot lately, Sniper observes. Bit weird as most of their former 'talks' have been an insulting contest at best and a bloodbath at worst. "You know, you have changed from last time I saw you." Again Spy rolls his eyes at him. "I'm serious Spook, for once I don't feel like shooting you." Sniper argues, blinking when Spy suddenly puts a hoof on his shoulder.

....He's serious. Spy removes his hoof away from Sniper, startled his changeling emotion detector picked up the genuine feelings from Sniper. Has he really changed that much? Thinking about it, he has been, well happier. It's hard not to get affected by these ponies, not get affected by the love he gets from Zecora.

"Spook?"

"Get some rest." Spy brushes the griffin off. "You going to need it with this world." And flies off while pondering of this change in him Sniper pointed out.

Sniper watches Spy fly towards the forest, taken by surprise how, well normal Spy now has become. It's weird not dealing with a spiteful Spook anymore, but he's not really complaining. Pretty sure he will have enough to deal with being in this pony dominating world and being a griffin instead of a human. At least he still has fingers compared to Soldier and Spy, that does count as a plus, right?

On his way back to Everfree forest, Spy notices a light grey male unicorn with a doctor coat and a white dove on his back. Besides, that one is something there looks to be a very strange bird looking horse. Those two, now leaving Twilight's home he has not seen before, yet something about them looks quite familiar. He decides to investigate and lands not far from them.
"This place-- that pony is not making any gosh darn sense!" The pale yellow and bird looking horse exclaims with a far too familiar Southern accent to Twilight, there retorts in response. "There will be an explanation and I am going to find it!" And storms off, leaving the two stallions behind.
Seems like Sniper isn't the only one brought here, Spy thinks and walks over to who he presumes is his team's Engineer and Medic if the colors of their clothing are any indication. "Gentlemen, I see you are already trying to make sense of this world."
Medic and Engineer snap their head over to him, both recognizing him by voice.

"Spy?"

The changeling nods and asks them curiously-- he notices he has been sticking his nose into others businesses way more often than usual. "What were you doing with miss Sparkle?"

Engineer groans, caressing his aching head from desperately trying to make sense of that pink pony. "We were trying to figure out how this 'Pinkie-sense function, but there is no sense to it!"

"Ah." Putting Pinkie's name into the conversation has made Spy throw all logic out from the window. After having been here for months he has come to realize why many of the town's ponies often use a phrase he now will teach these two. "One advice you might not like but it will save you from a lot of future headaches: "it's Pinkie Pie; don't question it."" It sure has saved him from a lot of headaches when it comes to that pink pony.

Medic rolls his eyes. "Bah, we just need further tests." He brushes Spy off.

"Suit yourself." Spy shrugs and leaves the two to their soon to be bigger headaches.

(later)

The two men- currently ponies of science team up with Twilight Sparkle once again to figure out the mystery there is Pinkie Pie. They started watching this obnoxious mystery to Pinkie Pie near this town's school, the observance did come to a small halt when Medic and Twilight couldn't agree on a scientific name for Pinkie.
They did settle on the scientific name: cerritulus equus puniceo. And while watching Pinkie literally smells the flowers, Medic asks Twilight while writing down a few notes of difference between this world's ponies to those they have back at the human world. "Is it possible to take a magic sample like we do with blood?"
Which Twilight replies awfully casual about the subject. "No, but you can do a simple spell for it. Hm... perhaps we should do another magic test sample." She muses her thoughts out loud before returning back to observe Pinkie through her binoculars.

Engineer doesn't say anything about that, but do wonder if he should make sure Twilight doesn't spend too much time with Medic as it is clear he is starting to be a bad influence on the purple pony.

"Ah-ha, that makes no sense." Twilight says delighted after Pinkie has sought cover under a small climbing tower and explains the two as she writes her observant down her notebook. "She is hiding as if something is going to fall from the sky, but a twitchy tail means something is falling from the sky; not an itchy nose." The two stallion check on the pink mare currently hiding with a fearful look in her eyes, frowning Medic turns back to Twilight there voices her conclusion that this Pinkie-sense must be— Engineer suddenly shoves both her and Medic away from the bush.
"Go-go-go!" He calls and takes the run for it, much to Twilight irritation. "Engineer, where are you going? We are trying to teach the value of— auv!" She cries when a swarm of bees suddenly attacks her and Medic, after a few stings they manage to get away.

"You two alright?" Engineer asks, leaving his own cover from that pissed off swarm of bees.

Medic aims his healing magic onto Twilight. "It's just a few bees stings." He brushes off as it's not really that big of a deal. A sting from a bee cannot beat the pain getting set on fire by Pyro. He glances towards where Pinkie hid and realizes that she has come out from hiding now the swarm of bees has calmed down. "Sie müssen scherzen... an itchy nose means bee attack?!" He exclaims greatly irritated that Pinkie makes less sense by the minute. How can she predict such absurd things?!

After having thanked the grey unicorn for the healing, Twilight can drop her head onto the ground in the same frustrations about this whole Pinkie-sense business. "Ugh, this is getting ridicules; but I am not giving up!" She declares.

Medic nods in agreement and follows Twilight after where Pinkie left.

Engineer, on the other hand, is starting to realize what Spy meant with his words about Pinkie, yet he still follows the two scientific driven ponies.
The next hours watching Pinkie, they write down a lot of signs for many weird things as well as combo's but none of them brings them any step closer to figure out how it works. Past noon Engineer has decided that some things just cannot be explained: "And Pinkie is one of them." He declares to Medic and bites down his lunch in form of an apple pie he got from Applejack's nice grandmother.

"You're not the type giving up this easily." Medic points out, trying but cannot heal his own major headache from observing Pinkie all day. Twilight is still stubbornly observing said pink pony.

Engineer shrugs. "As much I hate to say it; Spy had a point and besides, this isn't our world. So I figure the laws of physics are a lot different compared to ours, for last I checked:" He points at himself. "How many horses looking like me have you seen back home? I sure haven't and don't get me started on how you can do magic and those winged ponies can walk on clouds." He has no idea how that is scientifically possible but for the sake of his own sanity; he has decided just roll with it.

But Medic refuses to leave it like that, this is just too curious and fascinating, although he could do without the headache. "Well, I will continue trying to understand this, it can't be much harder than replacing a human lung with a crocodile."

"I take that lung went into Sniper."

"Nein, Demo got it. Did make him amphibian and saved him from Pyro's flames before a trip through respawn removed it." Medic explains with that wicked grin of his.

Engineer rolls his eyes with a small chuckle, no longer bothered that their doctor uses them as his experiments. Most of those implants do after all go away after a trip through respawn since the Administrator has to agree on the implants before the respawn won't remove it. So far only the Ubercharge implant has been agreed upon. Speaking of implants. "I would like you don't do your small experiments on us as long we're here doc. Respawn can't reach us here after all." He knows that is a fact since he has been looking at the machine for hours when Spy disappeared.

Now it's Medic's turn to roll his eyes but he can see the reason in Engineer's words. "Fine." Even he knows it's a bad idea causing accidental deaths on the team without the respawn. "But I am still cutting you dummkopf open if you get your guts blown out."

"That's fair." Engineer replies and eats the last piece of this delicious pie, these ponies sure knows how to make good food. "Well, I think I will spend rest of the day getting used to walking on four feet. Have fun with your Pinkie conundrum." He starts leaving but does stop halfway and tells the light grey unicorn. "And try not removing any parts from her." Medic waves his hoof in a sign he got it. Engineer smirks and leaves the doctor with this mystery of this new world.

The two unicorns join up in their task solving the Pinkie mystery, they find her in the park doing her own thing. As they observe the pink pony Twilight and Medic swap theories of what might be causing these strange twitches. Medic theorizes it might be peripheral neuropathy which can cause twitching or itching because of damaged nerves. Twilight finds that a possibility but cannot say much about that as she is quite limited in the medical field. She is more into magic and thinks these twitching can be the cause of some sort of disruptive in Pinkie's magic, something Medic does find very fascinating and would like to hear more about it later.
They notice the pink pony's tail twitching, but doesn't pay it any mind, too busy discussing what might be causing—

"Hello again!"

Both unicorns jump when Soldier lands right beside them. Twilight shoots the green pegasus a glare for startling them like that, but her angry words never leave her mouth when she notices he is wearing the royal guard golden armor. Which is strange since she is very aware Soldier is like Spy, Demo, Medic, and Engineer: from another world. So that must mean he has become a royal guard very recently. "When did you become a royal guard?" She asks him.

"Today! The president gave me the job protecting this town from any maggots trying to invade!" Soldier bellows proudly.

Well, that has been what he has been doing ever since he came here, so no real changes there. Twilight thinks and do wonder why Celestia even bothered making Soldier into a royal guard? Maybe she's just nice like that, sounds like the princess. "Um, congratulation?" She smiles weakly at this very loud pony.

"Thanks!"

Medic knows exactly who this loudmouth is just by listing to him speaking. "Good to see you haven't killed yourself yet." He greets his team's Soldier, not sure how to feel that this idiot hasn't gotten himself killed while being stuck here or that the leader of this world has been stupid enough to hire him as a guard.

It takes him a moment to recognize this light grey unicorn when he does, Soldier grins "Hello Medic! No! The enemy here is nothing but spineless scums, no match against me!"

"Good to hear, now would you keep it down or better yet; go to your 'duty.'" Medic requests, not really feeling up to listing to Soldier's patriotic rambling. He turns his gaze back to Pinkie, but before he can get a good look what she is doing, Soldier draws his attention by asking loudly. "Are you spying on Cotton candy?" Ignoring that stupid nickname, Medic turns around to reply, but never got the chance confusing the man with some fancy medical words when Twilight suddenly gets a pot plant right over her head. He reacts more as an instinct; being on the battlefield with bombs flying around does that and creates a blue force field around him and around Twilight, saving them from getting an anvil, a wagon filled with hay, and a piano over their heads. Didn't save Soldier though, and he got everything right on top of him.
Dismissing his small shield, Medic stares at the pile there both hit and now has Soldier buried. "Well, he's dead." He proclaims simply and looks up when a grey pegasus mare flies down to them.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry." She apologizes and tries to remove the broken piano away from Soldier. Twilight helps her and to Medic's surprise, the green pegasus is alive and besides from several cuts and bruises- the biggest one over his head. Soldier is a bit cross-eyed but fine. Seems like the ponies here can take a lot more punishment than he thought, Medic thinks, for a human getting this over his head would've surely died.

Derpy brushes away the remnants of hay from Soldier, asking worriedly. "Are you alright?" Blinking when a grey unicorn steps over to Soldier, musing with a creepy glean in his eyes. "Fascinating, this pony species must be made out of sturdier stuff than I thought—now Soldier." He holds his right hoof over the very cross-eyed Soldier "How many hooves do I have—"
"I am the prettiest unicorn!" Soldier shouts at the unicorn and before any of the three can comprehend what he has just said, the pegasus declares in his loud but clearly not clear in the head. "Let's get one thing straight: you are all pretty unicorns, but I am the prettiest unicorn!"

"...What?" Twilight asks in disbelief of what she is hearing from this stallion, stepping backward when the cross-eyed Soldier suddenly is right in her face, asking loudly. "Did I stutter?!" Before she can reply, the pegasus runs off, continually yelling he is a pretty unicorn. Twilight stares dumbfounded after him.

Medic has seen a lot of weird things during the War Games, but a single day here has brought that all to shame! That and: "I'm certain he lost the last of his remaining brain cells." He concludes to the two mares. Twilight gives him a deadpan look while the grey mare just looks worried.

"Maybe we should put the Pinkie case to rest; at least until Soldier stops calling himself a unicorn." Twilight suggests, for hearing him say such things is a tad too weird and it's clear something in him broke after have gotten all that stuff over his head.

Does gives him the excuse doing a few experiments. "Alright, another time with this research, frauline." He agrees with Twilight and along with the grey mare, heads out to find the very confused Soldier.
They find Soldier wobbling around in town, spewing out his unicorn nonsense, no surprise that every pony in hearing range stares at the royal armor dressed pegasus for acting this weird.
They also find Pinkie Pie there and she is giggling madly at the scene Soldier is making while Applejack besides her has the same confused face as everyone else. Twilight runs over and topples the pegasus over with her magic before he ending up doing something stupid in his confused state.

"What's wrong with him?" Applejack asks, even she admits that Soldier here is being weirder than usual.

"I am a unicorn, maggots!"

"He got an anvil, wagon and a piano over his head." Twilight replies awfully calmly about this situation. Applejack raises a brow, more so when Soldier shouts more of his unicorn nonsense. About there Twilight decides to shut Soldier's mouth with her magic. Glancing at her fellow pony of scientist there tells her two friends. "Besides from increased delusions; he's fine."

"That's good," Applejack says in relief and asks Twilight. "What have you been doing all day?" Before either, he or Twilight can answer, Pinkie Pie gets before them."Oh, they have been secretly following me all day without me knowing." Much of their great irritations.

"You mean you knew all along?!" Twilight asks furious and forgot to hold Soldier down with her magic. The delusion pegasus takes to the sky before Medic can stop him.

"Unicorn away to the rainbow!"

Twilight ignores him, too ticked off on Pinkie to think about the crazier than usual Soldier. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Pinkie giggles. "Don't be silly, that would've spoiled the secret." She backs away from the growling Twilight and the light grey stallion when her knee starts to ache, which she now knows that doctor stallion is having scary thoughts at the moment. Her knee does stop aching, replaced with a heavy shudder. And even that one takes her by surprise.

"And that happens to mean?" Medic asks this pink pony dryly, he has gotten about enough with her and the thought of cutting her open is very tempting right about now.

"I don't know." Pinkie answers him, "I have never gotten anything like it before, but whatever that shudders about; it's a doozy! Something you never expect to happen will happen!" She explains the three ponies, with the two unicorns both looking at her in deadpan. Barely reacting when she starts to shudder heavily again, at least that shudder gives her the place where it will happen. "And it's going to happen: at Froggy Bottom Bogg!"

Applejack gasps. "That's where Fluttershy headed." And decides they better check on her. "We better make sure she is alright." and runs off with Pinkie close behind.

"Calm down everypony, all we know that Pinkie got the case of the shivers; that's all." Twilight tells them, to then realize that the two others have already left, she groans and tells Medic annoyed. "Might as well follow..."

Medic nods and gives chase, although he does trip more than once over his hooves since he is still not used to moving on four limbs.
Twilight is kind enough to wait for him.
At the swamp area, they do indeed find Fluttershy alright. Which does prove that whole shudder thing with Pinkie has been wrong.

Twilight steps over to the pink pony and pale yellow pegasus, saying calmly but very satisfied. "Sorry, I know it's not nice to gloat, but— aha!" Her cry startles her friends but she does not care, finally, she can prove she has been right about Pinkie stupid predictions. "Pinkie Pie said that whatever she was shuddering about-" she and Applejack start coughing from a heavy cloud steamed up, Applejack leaves the cloud, while Twilight stays put, too busy gloating over this seemly victory. "- a doozy and the only doozy here is how right I am." Twilight continues through her coughing.

"Um, Twilight..." Applejack calls afraid, but Twilight is too busy gloating to notice the danger appearing behind her.

Being a person who kills people daily, Medic knows that look of fear in the three ponies eyes, except it's not aimed at him. He looks behind and sees what has freaked them out, in fact, he too is quite freaked out as well for where he is from that beast is only part of legends.

"—and you can't believe anything you can't see for your—"Twilights monologing gets cut off when she notices the terrified look on her friends' faces and turn around seeing four long pillars of scales, she looks up to the heads of those necks, its a four-headed monster and it looks hungry.

"T-This can't be," Medic gasps, backing away from the hydra. Sure it is quite the sight and he would've loved cutting it up- if he had a team to kill it for him! But as things are now, he is in a body he has trouble moving in, doesn't have a team around nor a weapon, so yeah! He is understandable scared!

"Run!" Applejack cries and she does not have to say that twice, everypony takes the run for it. Well almost everypony, Pinkie Pie has frozen up and would've been eaten if Twilight hasn't pulled her away in last second.
The hydra gives chase, lunging its four heads down at them in attempt getting itself a pony snack.
Fortunately, Applejack and her friends are agile enough to dodge the attacks. The stallion Medic isn't.

At the worst timing Medic stumbles over his hooves and falls flat onto his face and deep into the mud, he does get up but can do little than watch the hydra head come at him with mouth wide open.
This isn't exactly how he imaged he would die; getting eaten by an animal. God this is embarrassing.

Author's Note

cliffhanger I know, but don't worry, you will know the outcome next week.
the scene about Soldier thinking he's a unicorn is inspired both by the animation Meet the Amazing Soldier made by Piemation.
and the don't question Pinkie Pie line, I have heard that one used a few times by MLP fans. I can see why XD

Twin Element Bearers

Note: I would like to hear your thoughts on this story. otherwise, I do not know if I should continue putting it out or I simply should keep this story to myself.

this is the last chapter of the episode Feeling Pinkie Keen.

This happens right after Twilight, Medic, Applejack and Pinkie Pie has run off to Froggy Bottom Bogg

enjoy the story

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Really worried for Soldier, Derpy follows the delusional green pegasus throughout town, only stops for a moment to notices Twilight, two of her friends and a light grey unicorn stallion are heading toward the swamp area named Froggy Bottom Bogg. "Oh dear." She muses, for she has seen what reside in that swamp and it is very scary and very hungry. But what can a cross-eyed pegasus like her do? She needs help. "Soldier!" She calls and flies over to the royal armor dressed pegasus, currently standing in a flower bed somewhat seriously. "You have to help them, there is a four-headed monster at the swamp they are—"

"Friendship is magic, yaay~!" Soldier shouts and drops to the ground. "These flowers are lovely, maggots!" Few nearby ponies can't hold back a giggle from that whole scene.

He won't be any help in this state, Derpy realizes but he is the only one brave enough to face such a monster at Froggy Bottom Bogg! "This is all my fault...!" She cries if she hasn't been so clumsy; she wouldn't have dropped all those things onto him. "I am nothing but a stupid pony there does nothing that causes dismay for others..." She drops to the ground beside Soldier, he is still trashing the flowers and spewing out his unicorn nonsense.

"I don't know, but I have been told: I am a pretty unicorn~!" Soldier sings very badly, then shoots up when he sees a cart filled with flowers. And with a loud: "These pretty flowers belong to this unicorn!" and crashes into them, much to three flower ponies dismay.

"No!"

"Our flowers have been trampled!"

"The horror, the horror!"

Soldier grabs a bundle of the trashed flowers. "These are mine now!" Making the three flower ponies collapse onto the ground.

That gives Derpy an idea, a crazy idea, but one there might work. She flies over to the cart. "I'll pay you later." She promises the three ponies and grabs the half-destroyed cart, calling for the delusion Soldier. "Look what I got!"

He turns to her with his cross-eyes, she waves some of the flowers before him. "You want the pretty flowers?"

"Yes! This pretty unicorn needs pretty flowers for his lustrous mane!" Soldier declares, making the three flower ponies give him a 'what the hay is wrong with him?' look, then they notice the state of their cart and passes out again.

Ignoring the flower ponies; "Come along Soldier!" Derpy calls and flies away, as hoped, Soldier follows. She leads the delusional pegasus over to the swamp, hoping she has merely been paranoid and there really is no need for this, but that thought crashes when she spots the three-headed monster is chasing the other ponies. "Oh no!" She gasps and with eyes to Soldier, she sure hopes he can handle it in his current state. "I'm sorry." And throws the flowers down, landing on one of the heads. Soldier flies down to get them, but even in his normal state, Soldier has never been one for soft landings. And in his delusional state, he crashes into the head like a small meteor, hard enough to knock that head out and startle the beast to forgot about the stumbled grey unicorn before its feet.

Using the beast being stunned as her changes, Derpy swiftly flies down and helps the unicorn stallion up from the mud. "Please hurry!" Knowing Soldier won't be able to distract this swamp beast for long in his current state.

Not wanting to fall again Medic trots away from the hydra there is now trying to get the still very disorientated Soldier off its back.

The hydra throws Soldier off, making him crash into the mud, he does quickly recover though and still very cross-eyed tells the approaching hydra. "I am a pretty unicorn! I'm going to trot into the forest made of rainbows—" His disorientated walking makes him dodge the hydra's head, completely unaware of the danger he is in. "and pick each and every one of you maggots an arrangement of flowers!" Pointing at the second head there had tried to eat him. "Am I making myself clear?!" The hydra responses with the third head lunging down to eat him.

"No!" Derpy tackles into Soldier, getting him away from the hydra. When sure he is relatively safe, the grey mare turns to the fast-approaching hydra. She is scared out of her mind, but she refuses to leave Soldier! Time to be brave as him! She takes to the sky and tries but completely misses the head she aimed at. Instead, she crashes into another, startling it so much that it makes its body to tumble over. She falls off, landing on its back and her bad sight made her lose her footing but that is a stroke of luck she slides down the body which saves her from one of the heads trying to eat her. All four of the monster's heads roars in pain from biting itself on the belly. In a rage of this, they roar at Derpy, all four aiming for the pegasus. She freezes up in fear.

Somehow, through his disorientation, Soldier realizes that Derpy is in danger and headbutt the hydra's chest, stunning it which gives him the chance to kick the head trying to eat her again. The head roars in pain and he cries back. "Friendship is magic, creampuff!" Making the three other heads give him a 'what the hell?' look. Which did give Derpy the time to recover.

Using the hydra's dumbfoundedness, the grey mare grabs Soldier and get them both the heck away, before they both end up as its lunch. She brings him to the other side of the cliff Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy have already crossed. "Hurry!" She calls for the two unicorns.

"Go, I will distract him!" Twilight tells Medic, he hesitates but they don't have time to argue about this. "Go!"

Medic doesn't like it, but Twilight is right, he can't run fast enough to dodge it. Barely jump for that matter. He leaps over to the stepping-stone pillars, almost missing one of them because he is not used to this body but he does somehow get across. Just as he jumps to the last stone pillar, to his and the four ponies horror, the Hydra, in its attempt catching Twilight hits the stone pillars and destroys her only way of escape.

The hydra is stunned for a moment in its pain from hitting the stone pillars.

"Twilight!" Pinkie calls to the trapped unicorn, shuddering like crazy "You have to jump!"

"I'll never make it!" Twilight calls back.

"You will be fine" Pinkie calls back, Derpy leaves Soldier's side and flies over to Twilight. "I will carry you." She ensures the unicorn, sounding way more sure that she feels.

But Twilight knows that Derpy won't be strong enough to carry her "You're not strong enough!" She objects, looking back in fright as the hydra has recovered and charging at her with bloodlust in its eyes.

"It's your only hope!" Pinkie calls. "You have to take a leap of faith!"

Twilight gulps, knowing that she will be dead either way. So she jumps and Derpy catches her but as feared, the grey pegasus is not strong enough to carry them both. They drop towards the rocks down below, yet just before they hit them. A blue magic aura surrounds Twilight, making her light enough for Derpy to carry her. Twilight looks up and realizes that it is Medic who is using his levitation magic on her. Derpy gently drops her besides her cheering friends, and Twilight gives her two saviors a thankful smile. "Thank you." Derpy beams while Medic remarks dryly. "You weren't the only one taking a leap of faith, frauline: I wasn't aware I could do that."

Twilight winches hearing this, but is still happy he tried.

"Today has been quite eventful I must admit." Medic muses and watches the irritated hydra leaves them alone. He doesn't know how or why, but he is glad they got away from all of this with simply a scare. Been long he last got this scared, quite the accomplishment on that hydra's part, he must say.

Twilight nods in agreement, telling Pinkie Pie. "I don't know if it was a coincidence or just dumb luck, but you said there would be a doozy and I say we got one heck of a doozy- I mean that hydra—" Pinkie starts shuddering again, much to Twilights confusions. "Pinkie?"

"That wasn't it." Pinkie declares.

"What?" Medic asks now once again irritated with that pink pony not making any sense. "How can that monster not be the doozy?"

"Whatever the doozy is; my Pinkie-sense tells me it hasn't happened yet." Pinkie tells him in her constant shudders

"WHAT?!" Twilight exclaims infuriating hearing that. "The hydra wasn't the doozy? How could it not be the doozy?! What could be doozier than that?!"

"I don't know but it wasn't it."

Medic opens his mouth to let out a wave of German swear words but never does when Twilight suddenly burst into flames in her rage. About there he throws out all logic about this world, this place makes no sense! And he has a headache big enough just to accept it right about now.

The magic flames from Twilight's rage dies out, leaving a just as mentally exhausted Twilight behind, she sighs loudly. "I give up..." Dropping to the ground in defeat trying to understand Pinkie's ability. "I can't fight it anymore... I don't understand how, why or what"

A certain light grey unicorn understands this feeling of defeat and yet peace of their shared feelings about this mystery. "But this strange ability- this Pinkie-sense well, makes sense." Medic somberly agrees, it cannot be explained with logic as there is no logic to it and still it somehow makes sense if having a really open mind. He shakes his head in a small laugh. "I never thought a cotton candy pony would open my eyes like this..." It seems even someone like him, who clings himself to science as the only answer still has a lot to learn about faith about the unknown.

Twilight nods to the light grey pony. "Medic's right... just because somepony cannot make any sense of something; it doesn't mean it's true."

"s-s-so y-yo- you m-mean you b-b-be-le-le-ive?" Pinkie asks through her heavy shuddering.

The two unicorns eye one another and Twilight nods slowly. "Yup, I guess we do." With Medic nodding in agreement. Both blinks in surprise when Pinkie suddenly goes through some incredible strange twitches which shouldn't be anatomic possible, to then stop completely fine.

After have checked her now still body, Pinkie gasps happily. "That was it! That's the doozy!" Both Twilight and Medic stare at her dumbfounded, no idea what she meant by that. "What is?" Twilight asks.

Pinkie giggles "You believing! I never expected that to happen! That was the doozy!" She jumps happily around the two dumbstruck unicorns. "I never expected that to happen and what a doozy that was!" and with that, she trots off in a happy humming.

Staring after the leaving pink pony, Medic and Twilight look at one another before both bursts into hysterical giggling which comes to a sudden halt when Soldier suddenly crashes onto them from the sky.

"I am a unicorn, maggots!"

Derpy pushes him gently away from the two.

"Oh, right, forgot about him." Medic grumbles, he searches the area and finds a good tool. "Don't you worry, I have the right cure for this." He levitates Soldier's helmet off, hits him hard over the head with a piece of wood- which breaks on impact. "There, that should do it." Medic declares and throws away the broken wood.

"That isn't really a cure..." Fluttershy mumbles weakly, too low for the unicorn to hear.

Soldier stand frozen for a few seconds, then he lets out a roar and to the mare's horrors; beat down Medic and with his helmet on again, he shouts to the floored unicorn "Welcome to the United States of YOU JUST GOT DOMINATED!"

"Good see you back again herr Soldier." Medic wheezes with a wide grin on his face. Correcting his crooked glasses from the small beatdown. "Your unicorn talk was starting to get on my nerves."

Soldier opens his mouth but before he can insult the unicorn which probably would've sent him over the edge. He gets tackled down by an overjoyed Derpy.

"You back! I am so sorry for dropping all those things on you."

"What things?" Soldier asks, not remembering that part one bit. Looking around, he notices he isn't standing behind that bush along with Twilight and Medic anymore. "Where are we?"

"Long story." Twilight smiles weakly and helps Medic back on his hooves and turns her eyes to the grey pegasus. "Thank you, if it hasn't been for you, some of us might not have been here." A certain grey unicorn nods in agreement.

"Yeah, that was very brave of you." Applejack praises her, raising a brow when Derpy shakes her head.

"I wasn't brave at all, I was scared out of my mind!"

Twilight smiles, which fades ever so slightly when she feels a certain spark in her and right in that second she realizes what is about to happen.

Soldier and Derpy both jumps when the former starts to light up, this light leaves the green pegasus, forming shards of another Element. These shards surround the overly confused Derpy. Twilight on the other hoof is quite excited knowing that this brave pony has earned an element that is the sign of it. "Even though afraid, you still went through danger to protect us. And that is why you are the Element of Courage." And just there, the shards gathers around Derpy's neck, forming into a yellow gem in form of a bobble held by a gold necklace. The light from Soldier gathers around his neck and a silver colored necklace having a gem in shape of something Twilight did not recognize, only that it looks awful like his cutiemark. It's clear that he is the twin of the Element of Courage. The light fades, leaving the two new element bearers very confused.

They aren't the only ones. "Um.. what happened?" Fluttershy asks quietly.

Twilight thinks perhaps it's best letting everypony know about this, for it is starting to get clear that these guys from the other world are connected to the Elements of Harmony. "I'll explain back at the library." She promises them. Some of them (mainly Medic) would like to know about this now but does agree on Twilight terms and they head back to Ponyville.

(at Zecora's hut)

Zecora packs four bottles with the potion that can keep her special changeling sated for a month or so. "This should let you not worry of your hunger in your time of departure." She tells Spy there nods and lets her put the bag onto his back. "Any idea when you will return from the princess request find that unknown enemy of her?"

Spy shakes his head, he has very little to go on and this enemy Celestia spoke about could just be a red herring, but he has missed doing his former job, and he does owe her for the great hospitality he has gotten at his stay. So he will do this for the ruler of this land. "No, it might take me a while, but don't you worry mon cher." He gently pushes his head up against hers. "All thanks to you, I have learned a peaceful way staying fed."

"That is good to know my own mon cher." Zecora replies and must admit. "I am going to miss you the time you are out on your pursue."

"Me too." Spy admits and kisses his new sweetheart, this does remind him a bit when he and Sariffir were together. Except Zecora here do have a lot more zest for life than his former sweetheart. Sure Sariffir was a good woman, but she wasn't a woman for adventures, she liked being a simple housewife. He was attached to her because he was in desperate need for someone to love him after what he has seen and done, and he wouldn't have minded being at her side if circumstances wanted it, but he is now sort of happy they ended it. It did allow him to be with this lovely zebra. Yes, their time together may be limited, but both have agreed to make the best out of their time and figure out their future when a way back to Spy's world will arrive.

The sound of voices, snaps them both out of their small moment, making Zebra and changeling step away from one another and turn their gaze to the door there opens not long after. Twilight appears at the door, she opens her mouth but stops herself when she sees the traveling bag on Spy's back.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Mission for the princess." Spy simply replies.

Oh, okay, but hopefully he can wait with it just an hour or so. "Before you go, I would like to speak with every Element bearer and, well the future ones as well." Twilight says.

So she has realized the connection as well. Perhaps a bit more. Spy think it might give him some good knowledge about this, he is, after all, a quite curious person and would hate not knowing such an important fact about that necklace there had appeared around his neck. Maybe it will answers why he was chosen to carry the twin element of Guidance.

"Alright, I can delay my mission an hour or so." He replies the purple unicorn and turns his gaze to Zecora there also seems curious about what Twilight has to say about that matter. They follow Twilight outside.

Not far away from the hut, they find a group consisting of Applejack, Fluttershy, Medic and now two new Element bearer of Derpy and Soldier. Spy wonders what their element is. His train of thoughts does get thrown off its rails when Medic suddenly pokes one of the holes in his legs, making Spy receives the doctor's great curiosity into him.

"What an interesting form you have herr Spy." Medic says, and wonders if this is Spy's true form in this world and- "Can you feel the wind passing through the holes in your legs?"

"Yes, and it is a very uncomfortable feeling." Spy replies and takes his pegasus disguise once again. He has made it a habit of dropping his disguise when around Zecora, sort of his way showing he has no wish in deceiving her which she highly appreciates.

"What about now?" Medic asks.

"No, my magic transforms my body into what you see."

"Really?" Twilight blinks, something she did not know about. "You mean this isn't illusion magic?"

Spy shakes his head, he must admit that changeling magic does have its advantages. "This is no illusion, I am a pegasus this very moment- but I do not have a pegasi's magic over the weather. The same with a unicorn's magic and an earth pony strength and gift over plants."

"Fascinating." Medic muses and if they have still been inside the respawn's field, then he would've strapped Spy to his medical table and cut him open. But alas, he must do the testings without his tools. "I can see why this world transformed you into this form. A master of disguise after all." Spy smirks in response.

(Ten minutes later, at the Golden Oak Library)

After have gathered everypony inside the library, Twilight thinks that perhaps it's best letting the other world know what the Elements of Harmony are first. "The Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magic known to ponydom. They can however only be activated if there is a bearer to each of the Elements. At first, legends told there were only six elements: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and lastly Magic."

"Question." Soldier says.

"Yes?"

"Magic doesn't sound like the others."

Twilight opens her mouth to point out that wasn't a question but a statement, before she can though.

"He got a point." Engineer says, already so used to Soldier not know the difference between a question and a statement, he turns to the purple unicorn. "Those Elements you mentioned are virtues. Magic is not a virtue."

"True, but without the Element of Magic- the spark. The magic cannot be activated." Twilight explains, pointing at herself "I am the conduit of the magic, and like when my friends got their Elements of Harmony, I felt this spark when Zecora and Derpy got theirs awaken."

"A question if I may." Rarity says from her spot, Twilight nods and the snowy white unicorn asks her question from seeing a silver necklace looking very much like theirs are now placed around Soldier's neck. "How come Soldier has an Element of Harmony in silver and the gem same color as Derpy?"

"Well, I am not entirely sure about this." Twilight admits, turning to the griffin there says from his spot in the furthest corner of the room,

"That alicorn up in the castle mentioned something about us being connected to these Elements." Sniper shift to a sitting position, turning his hawk sharp gaze to one he thinks knows a lot more than he lets on right now. "And Spook seems to know a lot about this subject." Quote to everyone turn to the blue winged horse.

Glad to see that Sniper is back to his old sharp-mouthed self. Spy thinks and perhaps now it might be best placing all these cards onto the table. "Correct, Celestia has come to the conclusion that the men from RED and BLU- we all carry the Elements of Harmony in us. Some of these elements were long lost as they had been thrown into our world in the hope they would be lost forever."

"Did she know who did that?" Rainbow Dash asks.

Spy shakes his head. "No, all that happened long before her time. Perhaps the one who brought us here knows."

Engineer snorts at this, still remembering his interview with that dimwitted fool. "Yeah, good luck with that. The Director was the one who brought me and Medic here."

"The Director?" Spy blinks, that moron was the one? No that doesn't make any sense. "Impossible, Celestia said an alicorn brought us here."

"WHAT?!" All the mares, including Spike shouts in disbelief. Several giving Engineer an offended stare for chuckling and asks Spy in his ignorant. "What in tarnation is an alicorn?"

"A really powerful horse." Spy replies and wants to be sure he heard it right that fool was the one who brought them here. "Are you certain it was the Director?" Medic, Sniper and Engineer nods. Now that he thinks about it, he got transported here only a few days after that interview, could it have been accidental magic or have the Director been undercover all this time? Spy vote on the first option.

"He must've gotten his hands on that crazy wizard's magic." Engineer voices his thoughts out loud, explaining those there got transported here before the Director's rampage. "He didn't flinch when both Pyros sat him on fire and threw it around like Scout does with his baseballs."

"He must've gotten you before he turned then." Sniper says and explains to the other trapped humans how the Director had completely changed appearance when he stood face to face with him. "It was like looking at someone completely different, that guy was proud yet seemed humble with it and he was bloody strong. It wouldn't surprise me he's currently kicking the others back home up and down the battlefield."

It does make Medic wonder, Twilight mentioned illusion magic. "Is it possible to hide your whole identity with unicorn illusion magic?"

Twilight nods. "Yes, but it is a tricky spell as it requires a lot of concentration and magic to keep it up so a simple hit can make the spell break."

"Well don't that sounds like something we all know." Demo laughs and takes a swig of his bottle. The mares look confused at him, to then at the others there all send Spy a stare which the changeling throws back saying. "That trick won't work on me anymore. My disguises aren't powered by a machine but my mind; I have to fully lose my concentration or get knocked out before it breaks as I use very little energy and concentration keeping my disguises up."

"So Jarathe still works." Sniper grins, wider when the now blue winged horse shoots him a death-glare. "I will tear you to pieces if you even consider throwing that stuff at me you filthy good for nothing bird-brain!" Spy snaps and does looks rather intimidating even in this pony form. There is the Spy he remembers and of course; now recovered, Sniper is more than happy to throw back. "And how are you planning on that without hands? The worst you can do is kick me." Spy looks like he highly considers doing just that but stops when the pony there looks very much like a zebra puts a hoof on his shoulder. And with that single move, the infiltrator calms down. Wow, just wow, that pony must really have some dirt on him to keep him in check like that.

"If you two are done throwing insults at one another." Engineer says, giving the two bitter rivals a stern stare which both of course completely ignores. "I would like to know if all of us are corrected to these Elements of Harmony or just a few of us."

"Celestia likes to think we all have an Element of Harmony in us." Spy replies the yellow horse-bird hybrid and nods towards the necklace there had appeared around his neck when Zecora got her own Element of Harmony. "Some of us has a lost Element."

"Like the Element of Guidance and Courage." Twilight says, but it is clear that these lost elements won't be the only ones appearing around these humans necks. "But, like Demo demonstrated." Nodding to pony in question. "It's not only the lost Elements there will appear."

Applejack nods to then make a small jump when Pinkie suddenly appears out from the bookshelf with an overjoyed: "That. Is. So. AWESOME!" She cheers, jumps over to where Demo stands and before he can comprehend what is going on, she has pushed him over to Applejack. "We will get a partner of our Elements!"

Applejack and Demo look at one another for a moment, Demo smirks and Applejack chuckles lightly to the others. "Yeah, it seems like it."

"So um... which one will get what element?" Fluttershy asks quietly.

"Yeah, which one is going to become my partner?" Rainbow asks, she gets no answer, in fact, all of the new arrived seem unsure, much to Rainbow's annoyance. "Come one, which one of you are the loyal one?"

Spy rolls his eyes of that pony's ignorant. "If it has been that simple; I would never have become an Element bearer."

"What element do you have?" Engineer asks.

"Guidance" Sniper snorts amused and Spy for once does not gets offended for he too finds bit the irony in this.

"To find your virtue of the element from this realm, the creatures from the other world has to be true to their self." Zecora says and smiles to Spy there returns it with his weaker ones and explains everyone in the room. "As Zecora said, the Elements are a virtue, it does not mean someone has to follow this virtue all the time. "

"It is knowing when the time right brings the element out to light." Zecora finishes for him.

Spy nods to then raise of brow when Medic suddenly starts to giggle in his high pitched tone.

Alright, now he sees why Spy earned that element. "Proving your point by doing your element herr spy." In what Spy replies with a smirk. And now having a better understanding of these strange necklaces and why that apparent not what he seemed Director brought them here. Medic thinks he has learned his share for today. "Perhaps I am not speaking for all, but I would like to sleep on what we have learned today." That and he is still high on the adrenaline of almost getting eaten by a pony eating hydra.

"This new information was quite the mouthful." Rarity admits, looking over to where the griffin lies from his remark. "Then try finding yourself in another world and body, THAT's a mouthful." And she must agree with him on that. "Oh my, I'm surprised you took all of this well."

"He didn't." Spy points out smirking of the memory watching Sniper in his panic mode back at Canterlot. Said griffin shoots him a glare.

Oh yeah, Twilight completely forgot that several of them arrived today. Which means they don't have any place to sleep, she voices this to her friends, asking. "Can some of you house our guests?"

"I already got Engineer covered." Applejack says with said stallion nodding agreement.

"Hm, I do have a spare room, needs a bit cleaning though. I have been using it to store my fabric." Rarity says but is certain she can fix that room right up for one of these stallions so they can get their rest from today's hardship.

Better than a barn he guesses. "I would like staying there, frauline." Medic says and thinks that if the room is big enough and if they will stay here for a while, then he will ask Twilight for some books about this world.

Rarity nods and turns to the way more polite griffin compared to the one Rainbow Dash was friends with. Speaking of the rainbow mane pegasus. "Oh Rainbow, don't you have an extra room as well?"

Rainbow opens her mouth-- "I predicate the offer." Sniper stops her words before the rainbow mane pony can speak. "But I am going to find my own place to sleep." For he has honestly gotten enough having others around him and would really like some peace and quiet- which this Rainbow Dash is not going to give him from how much she reminds him of Scout.

With that set, they all leave the library. Twilight closes the door after Zecora and decides to write Celestia two letters, one about what Pinkie taught her today and the second about this discussion she had with her friends and the other world ponies.

Author's Note

I think Pinkie broke Medic's logic... well, I'm sure he will be fine, it's not like he has any sanity left XD
the last part is bit of an exposition dump, but I need to be sure you guys know where I am going with all of this twin element thing. why else do you think I named this chapter that title?

anyway, before I leave you guys, I would like to know if you want the Luna Eclipse episode into this story.
Halloween will happen in this story, but I would like to know if I should make a whole chapter about it or just keep the festivities in the background and get on with the main story. your choice really.

next chapter we are going to see how the guys in the human world are doing.

Ignis

Note: This happens the next day after the last chapter.
this chapter is not based on any mlp episodes.

More of the mercenaries are gone, great... just great. Miss Pauling thinks gloomy, things for her is just getting better...
Keeping the war going now will be almost impossible and worse, the cameras watching the remaining mercenaries have revealed that some of them are showing signs of awareness of the connection. Something she really hopes she never is going to tell them. Miss Pauling stops her scooter right beside RED base, and about to head inside but stops when she realizes that the mostly remaining team hadn't been joking that half of their base had been blown to pieces. Miss Pauling stare a few seconds of the great sign of destruction- or rather the lack of burn marks. The damage is very, well clean. No bombs could've done that. Perhaps the prisoner can explain what the hell he used against the base and why he decides to wipe half a team out.
She heads inside, hoping that the second part of the report has been wrong. Engineer meets up with her at the door.

"Glad you could come this soon, miss."

Miss Pauling nods, this hasn't been her first time traveling half a country over a single night. Doing it for the mercenaries is her first, though. Last time she did this was because Scout was being stupid and tried setting up some sort of date or something. She's not sure but must admit the fight with that bread monster was sort of worth it. "Medic hasn't killed him?" She asks Engineer
Engineer shifts on his spot. "Well, not yet; been a few close calls, but-" He takes off his goggles, a sign she recognizes that he is going to be serious about something. "-that's the least of our problems. Soldier is starting to act weirder than usual."

"Weirder how?" Miss Pauling asks wary, Soldier has always been a very loose cannon when it comes to being crazy, the only one who could beat him was Pyro but the Firebug isn't here at the moment, so Soldier has taken the spot as the crazy mercenary.
Engineer gestures her to follow, they find Soldier marching around with a very blissful look on his face. Miss Pauling cannot see anything wrong with that. "I don't see anything wrong." For her it means that Soldier won't try kill everyone with his patriotic paranoia.

"He said the president hired him and he has been chosen to guard some town." Engineer says and after have made sure Soldier is out of hearing range, he adds seriously. "And that's without the pony nonsense, said that town he is protecting is filled with hippie poines. Before that, he thought he was a unicorn."

Okay, that is rather weird, Pyro was the one suppose to be talking about that kind of stuff. "Has he been wearing Pyro's goggles lately?"

"Nope, but Spy says he got affected when the other Soldier got— what was it again?" Engineer asks out loud in wonder.

"He got an anvil, a cart filled with hay and a piano dropped onto his head." Spy replies, appearing beside them. Startling both Engineer and Miss Pauling. With former saying highly annoyed. "Stop doing that!"
Spy smirks, it does drop when Miss Pauling asks frowning. "How do you know that?"

"I see and hear what my counterpart has been doing through my dreams." Spy replies, tapping lightly between his eyes. "He didn't see it happen but the Doc's counterpart made sure to tell everyone about it." And of course about that hydra that almost ate him. Must say his counterpart ended up in a weird place, but he also understands why BLU Spy has gotten lazy finding a way back. "While in my waking hours I occasionally deal with his more extreme emotions. Quite curious I must admit, never experienced such things at the War Games." And it is starting to make him think they are more than just clones to one another. Throughout these months, seeing and feeling what BLU Spy has been through, RED Spy here begins theorize they are strongly connected. How he is still unsure about.

Oh no, Spy is getting a bit too close to the truth for comfort. "When did it start?" Miss Pauling asks, doing a very good job hiding her worry about what she is hearing.

"About a week after his disappearance, these episodes sensing his emotions and see what he has been doing through my dreams has gotten stronger over time." Spy replies and is certain that everyone except Scout and Heavy is having the same episodes from their counterparts as him. Demo did mention he got a very sudden and powerful urge to visit his mother for no apparent reason, and Soldier... well, it sure was hilarious watching him suffer the after effects from his counterpart's knockout. Speaking of these emotion episodes. "Tell me, Miss Pauling, do you happen to know why I can feel the BLU Spy's emotions?" Not that he complains, but he does wish these moments of bliss belongs to him and not the BLU Spy.

"Must be a glitch in the respawn machine." Miss Pauling lies and knows she has to report this to the Administrator as soon as possible. Especially when Spy is the one having it, he is smart and it's only in a matter of time before he starts nosing around. "I will get some of our engineers to look at it."

Engineer frowns and feels quite offended by Miss Pauling for not asking him to look at this. "I could look at it, would save you a lot—"

"No, this is out of your field Engie." Miss Pauling stops the Texan, ignoring his offended stare, but the last thing she needs is Engineer figuring out the secret the respawn holds. Turning to Spy. "Until then, I will have to take you off the matches." The connection between the two will be strongest right after a respawn. Spy nods but from the look in his eyes, Miss Pauling knows she has to keep an extra good eye on him. He will try and follow her that's for sure. "Now, your prisoner?" She asks in desperate attempt getting out from this very thin on ice topic.
Engineer leads her to the room most often used for clarification on missions, on the door is a piece of paper with the word 'interrogation' slapped on, from the handwriting, Miss Pauling knows Soldier wrote this. Going inside Miss Pauling is relived and yet shocked finding REDs prisoner alive. There is no doubt about it who this is: the Director, but how can he be alive? She shot him twice in the chest and buried him. Maybe it is someone disguised as him? No, the disguise would've faded the moment Medic started poking at him. Could it then be someone just looking awfully like him? It has to be, for she is certain the Director is rotting in that mine she buried him in.

"Doc, Miss Pauling is here." Engineer declares. Medic turns away from the barely conscious and very bloody prisoner, giving the shocked Miss Pauling a smile. "Ah, so good you could come. This man is quite an interesting specimen."

"How?" She asks, still shocked finding the Director here. By Medic's request, she steps over to the chest open man, then to the bullets Medic shows her. "I pulled these out from his chest, one of them are from our Sniper- he's gone now. And these," Pointing at two bullets she recognizes as she had been the one who put them into him. That proves it who this is, even though she cannot believe her own eyes. "I found one of them luged into his heart, extreme healing saved his life, but," The doctor turns his gaze to the man. "Either he has run out of that healing power or he can only activate it under certain circumstances. He almost died on us when I poked a bit at him."

"You mean when you took out his heart." Engineer remarks from his spot.

"I put it back, and I am glad I did." Medic objects as if they are merely talking about a vase misplacement and returns the bullets back onto the medical table. He takes out a scalpel from the same table and cuts into the Director's arm, letting some sort of black ooze flow out. He steps back, allowing Miss Pauling to see this strange wonder. "Most of his blood has this oily substance in it and it is not oil, its something I have never seen before." He explains, excited to figure out this mystery.

Before he is going to mess around with the Director's organs again and possibly kills him. "I would need to speak with him first, so be kind to put him back together, Medic." Miss Pauling tells him calmly. Medic rolls his eyes but does as asked. After about ten minutes from the healing medigun, the Director is fully patched up and conscious again.

"Get this mental sicko away from me!" He screams, struggling against the strapping and when that fails he cries out loud. "The police- no the entire world is going to hear about this!"

Yup, that's him alright... "Mister Director, I am sorry about your current state, but could you tell me what the last you remember?" He shoots her a glare, declaring. "That this man— who should be in a prison from what he did during the war was you cutting my chest open like he did to those people in Aus—"

"Mention that place and I will truly show you what I did." Medic sneers, holding his bonesaw up to the man's face.

Before the Director can say something there will get him killed, Miss Pauling steps in between. "Medic, what about you take a walk? Engie, go with him." Engineer is smart enough to listen and guides Medic out from the room, leaving her alone with the man. Miss Pauling sighs, that was a close call. Turning to the strapped in man. "Now, tell me what you remember after the interview with me in the mine."
Turns out he didn't even remember that part, in fact: "Your Nazi must've knocked me out and done experiments on me all this time." He proposes which Miss Pauling knows is not true, after the BLU Spy head incident, the Administrator has put up extra cameras around the infirmary and all the two Medics have been doing was putting all kind of weird organs into the other team members. But since this is the Director, Miss Pauling knows that trying to correct him and telling him the truth will just end up with a big headache, so she asks him instead. "What about—" But before she can finish her question, Soldier suddenly barges into the room.

"Prisoner not talking?! Don't worry I'll make him talk!" And before Miss Pauling can stop him, Soldier punches the Directer hard over the head, knocking him out.

"Soldier!" She cries furies at the interruption "I didn't tell you—oh never mind." It wasn't like she was getting anywhere anyway. With a sigh she turns to the slowly returning to conscious man, he looks at her. "He doesn't remember... anything." Miss Pauling stops herself, taken by surprise that the Director's eye color has changed. Instead of black, they are now purple. And he isn't screaming at Soldier either, in fact: he seems more annoyed. Wait what? It might be a stupid idea but it's not like the Director is going to leave here alive. "Soldier, hit him again."

"Yes, sir!" Soldier salutes and hits the Director but as he goes for the second hit the Director sends Soldier a death glare. "Hit me again and you will dearly regret it." He threatens with a slow but very superior tone. Soldier hesitates, sensing he is somehow talking to a superior officer so he does the smart choice of backing down.

With that nuisance over, the man then turns his now bright purple eyes over to the woman, as if for the first time seeing her. "And who you might be little lady?"

Miss Pauling doesn't answer, too taken aback by the sudden personality change in this man. Only when she realizes she was asked a question, she replies him. "Miss Pauling, and you are?"

"Ignis, Soldier of the Solar clan."

Ignis? That's the Latin name for fire. And he is a soldier? No, the Director has never been in the army, less alone a clan with the Latin name of the sun. Is this really the Director? "Um, Mister Ignis, do you know where you are?"
The man looks around for a moment before he turns back to her with a calm: "Looks like a base of some sort— which reminds me. What side are you on: North or South?"
Miss Pauling blinks of that question. "I am not sure what you mean."

Ignis sighs and explains while trying to get his strapping loose "I would like to know if you are confederates or not. Would prefer not beating down people I chose to side with."

Confederates? As in the American civil war? But... that was over one hundred years ago! "Are you talking about the civil war of America? The one to free the slaves?" Ignis nods to then ask her confused. "What? Am I missing something?"

"...That was a hundred years ago."

"Wow, what have I been doing all that time?" Ignis ponders out loud, not at all bothered that he should be a hundred years old. He checks his bindings again and finds what he is looking for. "So, which side won?"

But Miss Pauling did not answer him, instead, she leaves the room and asks the sulking Medic. "Did he have any trace of Australium in him?" Medic blinks, but she really does not have time for this. "Yes or no, Medic."

"No, besides from the black ooze in his blood, there is nothing special about him." Medic replies.

She begs to differ. "Wrong, he just told me he is a hundred years old." She tells him and Engineer, both men get their own form of surprise. Engineer's jaw drops while Medic looks like he really wants to cut the Director- or Ignis up again.

"Actually, I am four thousand years old, give or take a few hundred." Ignis explains while leaving the room, caressing his bit sour hands. Soldier doesn't try and stop him, still thinking Ignis as a higher officer.
Ignis eyes the men and notices the startled look they give him, he shrugs. "What? You learn how to get free from such strappings after have been tortured a couple of times." Everyone in RED base except Miss Pauling and Soldier aims a weapon at him. Ignis is not impressed, though. He rolls his eyes. "Come now, if I was out to harm you I would've done it by now."

"Fuck you man!" Scout snaps at this man, like the rest, he still remembers what happened yesterday. "You burned some of our team members to a crisp!"

"I did not." Ignis objects offended by such a statement, crossing his arms. "I used a teleportation spell on them. They are fine, startled perhaps, but fine."

Hold up, this man is the cause of half the mercenaries getting taken away? Now that she thinks about it, BLU Spy did disappear only a few days after the interview. And with the perpetrator revealed Miss Pauling do sure hope this will be her stroke of luck. "Good, so could you now bring them back?" She asks the very different in attitude Director, but it seems this is not her lucky day.

"Sorry little miss, but they will have to ask one over there." Ignis replies and thinks he may owe these humans an explanation. "I can only transport people with my fire magic when I can see them. I cannot bring those I transported back, but something must've gotten wrong." His purple eyes land on Engineer, clearly remembering throwing a transportation spell at that one. "You should've been transported by my spell."

"Yeah, you transported my clone" Engineer tells him dryly, not lowering his gun in case this fire user decides to try the same with him.

Clone? "What is a clone?" Ignis asks this is the first time he has heard that word.

"A clone is an organism or in our case a person who is completely identical to one another." Medic explains the man, said man turns to him, still looking quite confused. "You mean like a twin?" The man asks and Medic replies with a nod.

Hm, well that does explain a bit, he guesses. Still way over his head though. "Alright, still bit weird and that's saying a lot since I have seen a lot in my time here." Ignis points out, stroking his hand through his hair. There he realizes that his hair, heck his body is covered in dark magic; making it look very weird. "Ah shoot... whatever happened I must've gotten into one heck of a fight with a shadow creature. Ugh, I'm soiled in dark magic." He winches at this knowledge, does explains his large lack of memories. Looking around, he spots something he can use. "Mind I use this?" and with a flick of his hand, the small spark in Spy's cigarette burst into a bigger flame, startling the masked man into a fit of French curses. Ignoring that one, Ignis makes the flames surround him with some much-needed healing fire. Perhaps he should've warned them, for the whole team starts shooting at him. "At ease!" He calls and uses a quick levitation spell to force their weapons down, giving him enough time to dismiss the healing flames and is glad he now looks a bit more like his old self. "I'm not going to kill you! Sheesh, you humans are so jumpy." He snorts and puts a small spell over his flaming hair, making it look like normal human red hair.

Getting over the shock of the sudden fire and loss of weapons by some magic from this one, the team slowly calms down, sensing attacking this one won't work anyway.
Miss Pauling is more shocked seeing this man control fire with his mind and now looking like someone on her age with flaming red hair and somewhat strongly yet still thinly build. "What are you?" She asks.

"An alicorn." Spy replies, much to everyone shock, except Ignis, he is more pleasured surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"My clone mentioned it." Spy says slowly, and has to asks for this new and very strong connection to BLU Spy is starting to unnerve him. "Mister alicorn, do you teleportation spells create weird links to others clone?"

"Didn't happen when I teleported a pair of twins." Ignis replies and titles his head for the only time such a connection happen. "It only happens to split souls, but that is some nasty business." Noticing the sudden tension in the room, Ignis looks around to figure out why. "What? Are you going to try to kill me again?" He asks annoyed of these humans constantly trying to kill him.

"No, not you." Medic turns to Miss Pauling there shift uncomfortably on her spot. "But perhaps someone else."

"Is our soul split?" Heavy asks from his spot, giving the Administrator's assistance a firm look which does make her the more nervous.

For the first time in her life, Miss Pauling is afraid around these people. She knew she should've shot this Ignis the moment he said he was thousand years old. "Of course not." She lies as she had been forbidden to tell them this truth about their current situation, and she might've gotten away with the explanation that they are simply clones if not for Ignis meddling.

"One moment." The alicorn says and puts a hand on Spy's shoulder, showing the man how it feels to get startled. Ignis uses a quick spell and can tell this world's bearer of the Pillars: "Your souls are split. Not as messy as the last one I witness, but still, this is bad news."

"Holy crap!" Scout gasps and probably voices what everyone is thinking. "Our clones are the missing half of our souls!"

"What harm does a split soul cause?" Medic asks this Ignis, for so far it hasn't bothered them at all having only half of a soul. It's only after the disappearance of their counterparts there has steamed up this strange occurrence. Like him suddenly just accepting that RED Demo's sword has a head thirsty spirit inside, it was very weird since he has tried figure that mystery out ever since Demo got that sword.

"And how come I am sensing and having dreams of what the other half of my soul is going through?" Spy asks, knowing that BLU Spy is part of him makes him really reconsider of not wanting him back. He wants his soul back, he wants to be whole again.

"I do not know about the second question." Ignis admits as there could be so many factors about that part and none he is smart on. But he does know what happens if a soul is split for too long. "Getting your soul split causes a lot of trouble. For starters, your lives get greatly decreased—" everyone in the room gasps hearing this and ponders how long they would have before their cut lives have reached their end. "— then there is the longing to be whole again, the longer the soul is split, the worse the longing will become. The last case of a split soul I witness, that poor sod was only a shell of his former self; I presume it was because he had been driving insane at the longing for his second half."

Is this what he is going through now? The longing? How long until these small emotion episodes will get so intense that he will lose his mind? He fears the answers. "How does a split soul mend itself?" Spy asks, everyone in the room turn to the ancient man but to their horror: "I don't know." Ignis says with a helpless shrug.

"Well, I'm not going to sit around while half of my soul is on the other side of the battlefield." Scout declares and would've run off but is stopped by Miss Pauling's words. "Don't bother Scout, you will kill one another."

"Miss Pauling knows about this." Heavy rumbles, he steps over to her and demands what is everyone's mind. "Tell us why."

Feeling there is no way around this, Miss Pauling sighs. "Haven't you taken notice you're feeling extreme hated towards your counterparts?" She eyes every single of the remaining REDs several of them are exchanging glances with one another. "I do not know the cause, perhaps it's an after-effect of the soul split. All I know is that this loath you feel towards your counterpart makes you fight and your need to—as Ignis said it; become whole. It has made you stay close to one another without knowing why. That is why you always return after leave, and that is why we have to bring those Ignis transported back: before you start losing it." She eyes said man there caused all of this, but he is no help by saying:

"Or I could just teleport you over to my world."

Miss Pauling opens her mouth and tells him he should not as this war is halting enough as it is, before she can though, Scout opens his mouth."Uh, why did you transport half of the teams anyway?" Everyone turns to the alicorn in a quiet agreement of their confusions.

Ignis has to take a moment to remember why. "You all for some reason carry the Pillars of Virtue. Don't ask me which, I can only sense them because I was once a bearer of one of them: Bravery or Courage, take your pick. But I lost the right to that when the Beings of Darkness corrupted me, hence to my former appearance." Gesturing at himself for them to get the picture. "I was commanded to go here and retrieve the lost Pillars. It took me longer than wanted but I found them: in you." Gesturing at all the mercenaries.

"So that's why you snatched Sniper?" Scout asks and Engineer adds with his own question. "And the BLU Engineer and Medic?"

Ignis crosses his arms, he is starting to get a bit annoyed by this interrogation vibe he is getting, but he guesses it can't be helped. "As I said; you all have a Pillar of Virtue inside of you. There is something to it I am sure."

"Wait, you kidnapped them on a hunch?" Miss Pauling asks in disbelief, more so when this ancient human shrugs like a child not realizing he is in deep trouble. "When you say it like that..."
Quote to her face-palming. "Oh my god, how can a millennia old being like you do such a thoughtless act?"

Ignis can't help but laugh at this. "What can I say? Immortals like me do— as you say it, human mistakes as well."

"You're immortal?!" Miss Pauling gasps utterly shocked getting this new fact.

"All celestial alicorns are immortal." Said immortal says as if it's no big deal, it isn't for him anyway. But even though he won't die of old age, he can still die of hunger. "And this immortal is starving, do you have anything to eat? No meat, if you please." And leaves the dumbfounded humans in search for something to eat.

Heavy is the first to recover from this shocking newsflash about their new... guest. "Say to Administrator we need talk." He tells Miss Pauling hard before leaving to aid their new immortal guest finding food in their kitchen.

"I agree with Heavy." Spy says as he fears he is the one who most has to worry since BLU Spy— the other half of his soul has been gone the longest and thus he has the bigger chance of losing his mind first.

Okay, this before annoying situation is getting serious. So unless she wants these men on her bad side and shoots her the next time she visits them. "I'll get a hold on her right away." Miss Pauling says and hurries over to call the Administrator, worried how much trouble she will be in from how Ignis told the RED team about the truth to why BLU team looks like them.
To be honest, the Administrator wasn't happy about this new development and at evening, the remaining of RED team along with Ignis can get a chat with the woman. Ignis did ruin the serious moment by showing an almost childish wonder when seeing the transportable television the Administrator uses to communicate with the mercenaries.

"So, is this human magic or what?" Ignis asks in a wonder of the object strapped to the messager and has a grouchy woman inside. "For even with my magic, I can't make myself THAT small."

Helen is not amused by this one bit,"Of someone who is a thousand years old, you aren't very smart are you?"

Ignis shoots the woman inside this object a glare. "Listen lady, last time I was in control of my own mind, you humans gun couldn't fire more than once and you sure hell didn't have machines like the microwave. So my apologies if I a bit out of date as of late."

"And out of touch."Helen remarks, and after a long inhale of her cigarette."You have been causing me a lot of trouble with your reckless behavior." She points out and while on that topic."So I would ask you return my mercenaries back so we can return back to the war."

"Can't do that, I have to be there in person to teleport someone else and since I am still on a mission and kinda stuck here myself. I can't go back to fetch them for you, so..." Ignis on purpose trails off, letting this very unlikable woman figure out herself that her mercenaries will have to spend a bit more time in his world.

Speaking about coming here. "How did you end up here?" Engineer asks this very old but very young looking man.

"Dragon magic mixed with my own." Ignis replies simply, noticing the odd look everyone except that woman gives him. "... I forgot to check if this world had any dragons. Turns out: you only have them in legends."

Scout just can't help but laugh how stupid this seemly immortal man is. "Man, you're dumb." To then shooting Spy a glare when that snake remarks back. "Says the idiot who tried jumping over an active sentry gun." And said immortal laughs much to Scout's annoyance.

But in all seriousness. "I'm a soldier, I never thought I would be the one going here, but one of my people's scholars. But it was desperate times, my people were in a war with disharmony in itself— I sure hope everyone is alright..." He muses, for sure a lot can change in two thousand years.

"If rest is strong as Ignis, then your people will be fine." Heavy ensures the man, Ignis sends him a thankful glance but he did not really look convinced.

Helen honestly doesn't give a darn about that man's people, all she cares about is getting her hired guns back so she can return back to this staged war."You owe me soldiers Ignis. And if you cannot bring those you took back, then you will have to fight in their place."

Ignis can't help but chuckle at this woman thinking she has the hand over him. "And what will you do if I refuse? You have nothing over me and your remaining soldiers already have seen what I can do." He has fought armies bigger than this bunch and although their weapons have become better, they can still not hold on a burning piece of metal.

But Helen has other plans with this one, according to the video she got from his first attack: Ignis is a one-man army with a ridiculous soft heart. Something she will use against him."I doubt you will refuse my offer mister alicorn. If you do not fight, then half of their souls will perish—"

"What?! You going to kill us?!" Scout exclaims horrified which quickly turns into anger. "Fuck you lady!"

"We're not going down without a fight!" Soldier declares loudly.

"I certainly hope so."Helen replies somewhat gleeful she managed to rattle these morons."A new and bigger army of robots are attacking and—" She flicks a button outside the screen, the REDs flinches feeling a small pain going through their bodies, unaware that the BLU team felt the same."Your respawn is down."

"WHAT?!" The whole team shouts horrified more so when the alarm goes off followed by the Administrator calling out for both teams. "The robots are attacking, protect Mann co!" With her adding to the RED team new visitor. "Don't bother sending them all to wherever you have been sending them. Their integrated hatred will make them kill each other before they get the chance to figure out how to become whole again."

"As much I hate to agree with her... she's right." Spy says, he has more than once tried to converse with his BLU counterpart, but it always ended up with them fighting and one of them going through respawn.

Speaking of them wanting to kill their counterparts. "Scout and Heavy, your counterpart is still around; so you better stay clear of them." Engineer says and pulls Medic over to his workshop. "And we better find a way keeping everyone alive." Medic agrees and follows Engineer so the two can brainstorm ideas to their now lack of respawn.

The rest reluctantly moves out to defend this place and mainly themselves against the army of robots. Ignis follows but does stop to tell the smirking woman on the screen. "You are one evil woman."

"Don't flatter me."Helen replies of what she considers a compliment. Trashing her cigarette, she tells her assistance."Return back to headquarters Miss Pauling, I have a few missions for you."

"Yes, ma'am." Miss Pauling nods and leaves along with the messenger, she does feel a bit bad for the mercenaries but has long learned to push such emotions aside; her loyalty does fully belong to Helen. She drives away from the battlefield, listing to the sound of bombs going off and bullets getting fired against the robots send by some unknown enemy.

Author's Note

comments and episode suggestions are always welcomed.

Ignis is my alicorn OC, I have him made long before I started on this story but back then I only had a few facts in my head about him such as being a soldier, specialized in fire and offensive magic and is a quite calm guy compared to the element he controls.
I am hoping having him in this story will give me the chance to give him a better background story and proper personality. he won't be the main focus unless you readers want to know more about him.

see you guys next week.

Hospitalized Friendship

Note: Made after the episode "Read it and Weep" and me just wanting to have bit of fun of what would happen if Sniper was stuck in a hospital with Rainbow.
I am glad you guys took my Alicorn OC fine enough. I mean, I haven't so far gotten rage comments about Ignis so far.

This happens four days after the last chapter.

At first, everything is muffled and unclear, but slowly, Rainbow Dash gets her sight and head straight enough to realize that her right wing hurt- not to mention bandaged and she is inside a hospital room. Realizing that, Rainbow knows this means her stunt in the air has failed and now she is trapped in the probably worst place ever! She groans loudly.

Worried for her friend's well-being, Twilight asks the unicorn doctor checking Rainbow Dash's radiograph of her wing. "How is she doctor?" The cream-colored stallion puts down the radiograph of Rainbow's broken wing, ensuring her and the other mares inside the room. "She is going to be fine. Luckily she has friends like you who got her over in a jiffy." He adds smiling. Twilight lets out a sigh of relief, happy that Rainbow isn't as hurt as feared. Twilight do wonder if she can ask the doctor if she could get that radiograph to Rarity's new housemate, thinking he perhaps would find it interesting since he does have a medical sign for a cutie mark. Before she can though.

Rainbow Dash is already feeling impatient of being stuck in a medical bed and would like to get out from this place before she dies of boredom! "How long do I need to lie here?" She asks the doctor pony annoyed. "I've got things I need to do!" Like finishing that new stunt of hers.

"Well, that all depends on your recovery, but I'd say a few days minimum." The doctor replies and not one bit amused by this pegasus's whining of the short wait: "You guys have gotta get me out of here! I'm gonna climb the walls!" Less so when one of her friends; a pink earth pony thinks that sentence meant the pegasus has been turned into a spider and asks him excitedly. "Did the crash somehow give her super-duper spider powers?" He steps away from the pink pony there did not know the term 'personal space' with a drawn out no, adding. "Nor did it give her amazing healing powers. She needs to stay in bed for a few days." He tells Miss Dash hard as he will not be argued with this and with that said. He walks over to the other bed to see how that other patient is doing.

Hearing that from the doctor is the worst news ever. "Few days? Might as well be a few months, or a few years!" She complains loudly and covers her head with her slightly bruised hooves, thinking she will bore herself to death long before the first day has passed! She drops back into the bed and although she appreciates her friends trying to cheer her up that it won't be so bad. For her, it will, more so when Pinkie Pie reveals who her roommate will be for the next three days: that griffin...
Rainbow narrow her eyes and crosses her hooves seeing Sniper here, but does wonder why he ended up at the hospital with bandages all over his chest and back. "What is he doing here?" She asks rather rudely, the griffin can't answer her at the moment, he's unconscious.

Twilight can though. "You accidentally crashed into him when you lost control over your flight." Eyeing the griffin and does feel a bit sorry for Sniper, he had been minding his own business on the cloud when Rainbow crashed into him and unbeknown used him as a pillow for her own fall.
She sure hopes he looks worse than he is. "How is his condition doctor?" She asks the doctor stallion.

Picking up this patients radiograph, he replies the unicorn mare. "He's dealing with a few broken ribs and head trauma, but like your friend, he should be fine in a few days." And leaves the room to attend other patients.

Twilight turns back to Rainbow Dash, noticing the huge scowl on her face and can figure why, Rainbow Dash hasn't still fully gotten over her former griffin friend turning her back on her in a very rudely manner and it seems she is very biased against him for it. "Give him a chance Rainbow, Sniper's not so bad when you get to know him."

Rainbow snorts. "Like you know him..." After all, compared to the others, Sniper has kept for himself and never wanted any part of anything they do. All he really did was sitting on the roofs for hours like some kind of living statue.

Twilight shift on her hooves, feeling both embarrassed and bad that Rainbow Dash did speak the truth. Of all the turned humans there has come here, Sniper is the one she knows the least about. Her thoughts about that griffin do go off the rails when her ears pick on a very familiar sound, looking to the door she smiles seeing a nurse pushing a book cart. She gets an idea how Rainbow can kill the time, storms out to the book cart and find a book she is certain Rainbow would like. She pokes the sulking under the duvet pegasus with it and puts the book beside her. "What's this?" Rainbow asks frowning and reads the book's title out loud. "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone."
Twilight taps the book, unable keep her excitement down for this awesome book series. "This is the first story in the series. I own all of them."

Not one bit impressed over this suggestion of the lamest thing second to be stuck here, Rainbow throws away the book. "No thanks. I so don't read. I'm a world-class athlete." And somepony like her does not sit down and read, after all. "Reading's for Eggheads like you, Twilight." Said Egghead frowns for that remarks. "Heh, no offense." Rainbow smiles weakly, but her point still stands. "I am not reading. It's undeniably, unquestionably, uncool." And much to her surprise, everypony of her friends starts to laugh.

"Is she serious?" Applejack asks, still chuckling of how Rainbow sees reading. "Who doesn't like to read a bang-up tale from time to time?"

"Why, a good book is almost as magnificent as silk pajamas on a Sunday morning." Rarity agrees, although most of her reading happens through a magazine she does like to pick up a crime fiction now and then.

Levitating the book back to her bed stuck friend, Twilight tells Rainbow. "Reading is for everypony, Rainbow Dash!" She along with rest of the group turn their heads to Pinkie blabbering about her head not being in form of an egg but closer to different fruits. Her river of words does get mildly interrupted when one of the nurses arrive, informing them all. "All right, my little ponies. The patients need their rest now. You'll have to come back tomorrow."
Twilight nudged Rainbow lightly. "I think you'd like Daring. She's a lot like you: Adventurous, fierce, and undeniably, unquestionably, unstoppable." She says and with that, leaves along with the others.

Barely an hour after her friends have left, Rainbow is already bored out of her mind. She gets hold on a ball and starts throwing it against the wall, but does miss a hit when her roommate growls from his spot. "Cut out that bloody racket already!"
The ball ends up on the floor where she cannot reach it, annoyed Rainbow Dash turns to the curtain blocking her view to Sniper. "About time you woke up." She remarks, but all she gets back is a grumbling sound. After what feels like twenty minutes of silence but in reality only five minutes, Rainbow gets enough to this eerie silence and decides she might as well use this grumpy griffin as her small entertainment. Pulling away the curtain, she asks him. "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
no answer.
"To get over the other side."
Again no answer. Rainbow groans loudly of the treatment he gives her. "Come on, I'm bored out of my mind here!" She waves frustrated at the painstaking silence griffin, Gilda would've been better than this one. Speaking of that former friend and what all griffins seem to have in common. "you griffins really are some rude—"

"I'm not a griffin." Sniper grumbles, turning to this really annoying pegasus there reminds him a bit too much about Scout. "I'm a human. Your bloody world turned me into this form."

Well, at least she got him talking. Rainbow smirks weakly. "I say it suits you. You remind me a bit about another griffin I knew." The smirk fades into a sad frown, but Rainbow quickly hides her sadness losing a childhood friend behind an angry frown. "She pretended she was my friend, but in reality, she was just rude and mean to my real friends." She eyes this other griffin, blinking when she notices he is staring sharply at her. "What?" She demands angrly. "Got something to say bird-boy?"

Ignoring the tamest insult he has ever gotten, Sniper turns his back again to Rainbow Dash. He saw her true emotions to that griffin friend she spoke about, how much it hurt losing that friend. But he will not encourage her to talk about it, he doesn't really know how. He has never been good at talking about feelings, less so his own. Besides, it seems she has already decided what he is, like what people back home do when his accent reveals he is from Australia. He hates being labeled like this but it seems no matter where he goes he cannot get away from being seen as a stereotype of his country. Or whatever form he gets turned into.

Rainbow Dash groans loudly when Sniper once again gives her the silent treatment, but does get the hint and irritated pulls the curtain between them again. A bit of her boredom does get slightly removed during lunch, but after that, she is bored again and in her great need to get rid of it. She starts to play with the table light, more so when it starts to annoy Sniper. Her light on and off game gets to a sudden stop when a tissue paper box hits her square on the face. "Av!" Only thing saving her from getting knocked out or hurt is because it was a paper box thrown at her. Rainbow shoots the just as much glaring Sniper an angry look. "What was that for?!"

"Stop playing around like you're some brain-dead mongrel." Sniper growls and turns his gaze down to the book on her nightstand. "Read your bloody book or something instead. Anything to give me some peace and quiet." And he goes back to his nap again.

"I don't read." Rainbow objects, shooting the book a glare as if it has just offended her before declaring to the trying to nap griffin. "It's undeniably, unquestionably, uncool."

Sniper rolls his eyes of this mare. "Add unbelievable stubborn to that list. Give me the book." Rainbow blinks, he resists the urge to roll his eyes again. "You heard me, give me the book before you start to make me think about jumping out from the window." Yes, he has considered doing it from how annoying she has been this short half hour. Rainbow throws the book over to him, which he catches without a problem. He reads the title of this book. "Hm, sounds like an adventure book." And does looks to be the kind he read as a child, he opens the book and starts to read it out loud. "As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step—"

"I didn't ask you to read it out loud!" Rainbow snaps annoyed.

Finally, he can give her some of her own medicine, Sniper smirks and continue reading out loud. "If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing in the jungle had injured her wing and she was grounded for a few days. Few days... it might as well be a few months or a few years—" He glances to Rainbow from a sight escaping her and she muses as she can relate to that. "I'm right there with you, sister." Then she notices he is watching her. "I still think this is waste of my time." She defends herself, crossing her hooves with a big frown on her face. Sniper rolls his eyes, thinking this pegasus really needs to get over her own ego. "Maybe, but I'll you know I have tried been stuck out in the wilderness with—" Why is he telling her this? Why should she care he nearly died out in the bush when a misstep threw him over a cliff, broke his arm and he had been so far from any help that he had been forced to find back on his own. Must say that episode really put his survival skills to the test. "Never mind." He shakes his head and returns back to the book, ignoring the look the blue pegasus gives him, he starts reading again. "The mosquitoes buzzed loudly. The macaws cried from the high trees. Yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of the predators following her every step.
She hid behind a fallen tree, watched the trees for the predators she could hear approaching, but she had been miscalculating. The predators weren't in front of her, the biggest of them all, a huge pony-eating tiger was right behind her! She stared right into the beast's maw filled with teeth sharp and long enough to piece her hide easily. It would've bitten her head clean off if not from Daring's quick reflexes. She got away from the tiger's jaws, and could've easily gotten away from the beast even with her broken wing but turning around, her escape path was blocked by a black partner, maybe not as big but still a big threat for the grounded Daring. Desperately Daring Do looked around for other routes but everywhere she looked, more predators arrived in form of the sharply clawed lynx and a cheetah there was more than fast enough to catch Daring. All hope seemed lost as the big cats of the jungle surrounded Daring, but then, a pathway showed when the smallest of the cats- a small white housecat appeared. Daring Do ran to the hissing cat, easily got over it. She was far from being out of danger, though as the bigger and deadly predators took the pursuit, Daring ran between the trees of the jungle in attempt get the predators off her tail, the leaves hitting her head meant nothing, only the sounds of the roars of the predators catching up to her, they got closer and closer by the second. Daring thought she might be able to outpace them, after all; cats were only fast in short distance but her plan of outpacing them was cut short of a huge gorge blocked her path. She was trapped. With the sound of the predators approaching, Daring Do, now more than anything wanted her wings, with them this gorge would be child's play but with one of them broken, she couldn't fly and unless she found a way across; she would become cat food.
Daring searched for any path of getting across, she found one and without a second of hesitating that she might not make it, she jumped and by an inch got hold on the vine hanging over the gorge. The vine held her weight and with a wave to the predators, there has been hunting her for days.
Safely landing on the other side. Daring finally allowed herself a moment to breathe. She turned around to find herself face to face with the long-lost temple that she had sought tirelessly for over sixty days and nights."
And Sniper stops on purpose, turning his gaze over to the exciting looking Rainbow, yup, she is hooked. "Still find this book boring?" He asks smirking, must admit that he too find this story quite interesting. Does reminds him a bit of his own trips out in the bush— minus the treasure hunting.

Rainbow really hates to admit it but.... "I... I love this story!" And she really wants to know what is going to happen next— even if he doesn't, she will read it to figure— She stops herself and realizes what she has just been thinking, she... "I'm an egghead!" She gasps of what has happened thanks to that griffin. Doesn't make it better he is grinning widely. "What have you done?!" She exclaims as if this realization is the world's apocalypse.

"If the egghead doesn't like the label, then perhaps I should read this myself." Sniper says and flips the page to read this rather good book on his own.

"No!" Rainbow cries, winching of Sniper giving her a smug look for being pretty much in control of this situation. The pegasus crosses her hooves and says in her attempt to win this argument. "I'm not an egghead... you're the one reading."

Well if she says it like that, Sniper throws the book over to her. "You read it then." She shoots him a glare but he is enjoying this a tad too much to care. "Go on Egghead, read the story."

"I'm not an Egghead!"

"Sure and I am no griffin."

Rainbow Dash is not sure if he said that as a joke or a statement since he is clearly a griffin... and yet he is not if looking at what he was before coming here. She groans loudly but is too consumed of want to know what's going to happen next in the story that she drops this argument. "Ugh, fine..." And starts to read out loud. "With the treasure finally in her sight Daring Do went towards the entrance to her goal. The smell of decay and danger hit Daring Do as she peered into the dimly-lit entrance of the ancient temple. Still she dared go into the hallway, refusing letting this stop her from reclaiming one of the biggest treasures in history. Deeper inside the temple Daring was sensing something was amiss, this was getting too easy. And it was, one misstep and a plate underneath her hooves gave under. The sound of metal behind the walls was the only warning for Daring Doo, she ducked, feeling a gust of air above her head of the three axes there had been flung at her from the trap. Daring had only a moment of time to recover from having almost lost her head, as by the sound of it, the traps of this ancient temple were far from done. The floor underneath her tore itself open and feeling a gust of hot air from the place, Daring swiftly threw herself across and thus only her tail got torched by the pillar of fire blasting up from the trap, she took one step away from the flames before she had to throw herself to the floor, pushing herself past the crocodiles biting down in hope getting her as their next meal. Axes slized past the floor and poison arrows got fired on Daring, somehow she got past them but ended up yet another trap this temple was throwing at her, spikes jolted up from the floor, Daring Do had to jump for every time she landed before the spikes could piece her. The sound on the other side of the room Daring realized that unless she hurried up, she would be trapped inside this room of everlasting traps, she had to hurry! Running as fast her hooves could carry her, Daring Do ran against time of the closing door, slowed down by the spikes still trying to reclaim her like many others before her. She got underneath the door just by a hair, taking a moment to regain her breath, Daring moved towards her whole reason putting her life on the line. The temple was not done on keeping her away from its treasure, all the way through it threw one death trap after the another after her, but she refused to give up and finally—" Rainbow reads eagerly but before she and Sniper can get further, a knocking on the door snaps Rainbow out from the story and not wanting to reveal that she is an egghead. Rainbow hides the book under the duvet just in time when Twilight and Fluttershy step into the room, greeting her.
"Uh, hey, guys..." Rainbow smiles weakly as she is not happy about this interruption and so much would like how the story of Daring Do will end.

Seeing that Sniper too is awake, Fluttershy greets him as well, the griffin simply nods in return and the yellow pegasus says to Rainbow, figuring she has been bored out of her mind. "We thought we'd come and cheer you up."
Twilight levitates Rainbow's favorite board game. "We know how much you like to win."

Sniper smirks as he is the only one seeing how unenthusiastically Rainbow is at this and how much she would like going back to the book. She has no patient that's for sure and it amuses him to no end seeing her try so desperately get them to leave that she on purpose lost the board game.
Twilight and Fluttershy are of course confused over this behavior with Twilight pointing out. "But hours back you were desperate for things to do!" He has to cover his own face with a pillow so he wouldn't laugh at how Rainbow almost broke this ridiculous cover of her not being an egghead.
"I told you I'm not interested in reading." She fakes a yawn "It's nap time for me!" and pretends to be asleep. Fluttershy didn't really suspect anything but Twilight sure did. She gives Rainbow a long stare, then glances to him and Sniper does a way better job pretending that he is tired.
The two leave and with their shadow's gone from underneath the door, Rainbow Dash picks up the book, but before she can continue, Sniper does feel like remarking. "Try to keep it more natural the next time you want them to bugger off."

She shoots the griffin a glare before Rainbow returns to the book. "Daring Do stood at the entrance to the central temple chamber. At last, she was face-to-face with the legendary sapphire statue! But from all the past traps she had to endure, Daring Do knew that getting to the statue wouldn't be that easy. Before her was a stone carpet, filled with pictures of animals. Daring Do spotted small holes on the walls on each side of the chamber and her past experience told her those holes were hiding countless of deadly arrows, but in case, Daring picked up a stone and threw it out to the stone carpet. The stone landed on a picture of a hawk and as expected, the many holes from the walls fired countless arrows, all with her name on if she did not figure out this riddle before her. "Hmm, there must be a pattern here." Daring Do mused to herself while scanning the many animals onto this stone carpet and trap before her hooves. "What do all these animals have in common?" There were pictures of a cat, a lion, a wolf, rat and a hawk, that was the clue! "These animals are all predators... except... rats!" and she stepped onto the picture of the rat, for a brief moment she feared she had been wrong, but when no arrows fired from the walls, Daring Do could breathe out in relief her hypothesis has been correct. She leaped from one rat picture to another, more than she would like to admit almost missed a step and activated the trap of arrows. But Daring Do did make it and she jumped safely over to the Sapphire statue—"
Rainbow read through all the night, not noticing that she is reading only for herself as Sniper sleeps quietly from his spot, and because she did not see him sleeping, she continuely reading out loud how Daring Do almost got killed by the lava trap there activated when Daring reclaimed the Sapphire stature, but got away by a hair and ended up before a nemesis of hers— "Hello, Rainbow Dash!" and Rainbow snaps out from her story, and once again quickly hides the book, turning to her roommate she only there realizes he has been sleeping for real and just now awake, all thanks to Pinkie.

Pinkie walks inside with Applejack and Rarity right behind her, the latter asking. "How's our patient doing today?" Turning to Sniper there replies with a yawn. "Doing fine."
"That's good." Rarity smiles.

Noticing how sweaty Rainbow is, Applejack suggests. "We need to get some fresh air in here. You're looking sweatier than a pig wrangler on a summer's day."

Why do they have to come on a visit at the worst time? "Uh, well, guys, thanks for visiting, but—"
"Okay, now, dinner time for Rainbow Dash and Sniper." The nurse interrupts her and rolls in both her and the griffin's dinner. Perfect timing! "Oh, just in time. I am sooo hungry." Rainbow exaggerated exclaims, she did not see Sniper roll his eyes at her.

"Oh, well, don't mind us, Rainbow Dash." Rarity says with Applejack adding. "Yeah, just go ahead and eat up."

Oh, come on! Why can't they get the hint! Rainbow internally groans, well guess she will have to be a little creative. Rainbow takes some of her food and on purpose eat with her mouth open, making sure they can see the food getting chewed. About to grab more, a pillow gets thrown at her, she shoots Sniper a glare and the griffin returns it as if saying without words that she should eat properly, looking ready to throw some of his own food at her if she continues with this gross eating. Grumbling, Rainbow eats normally again, all the time glaring daggers at the griffin. Not that it works for he is firmly ignoring her and eating his own dinner quietly.
She is about to start eating grossly again when Applejack asks. "Is the food good?"

"It's hospital food." Sniper replies, playing a bit with the gelly tasting like cheery. "It's boring but healthy."

Applejack smiles weakly, not entirely sure how to respond on this. "Oh um, well then it's a good thing you only have to stay here for a few more days."

Sniper really struggles not to show his surprise hearing that, He knows from the pain he was in yesterday that his ribs were broken, but now the pain has faded throughout the night. The only explanation for him about this rapidly healing is either unicorn magic or some kind of healing stuff like the medigun in the food. He eats the last of his food, eyeing Rainbow who almost twitches in her need to read that book. He wonders why he does this for that annoying mare, she could use some patience but... "Sorry girls, but I'm not in the mood for visits." He tells the three, nodding towards his bandaged chest. "It still hurts."

"Oh, well of course." Rarity says and fully understands Sniper's need to be alone and heal. She turns to Rainbow Dash and has to apologize since this means their visit has to be cut short. "I'm sorry darling, perhaps we can visit you later?"

Okay, that was rather clever of him, Rainbow isn't even sure if he lied or not. "Um, there's no need." She tells them, making the three blink and she nods to her own wing. "It aches from healing, so I will be sleeping most of the time, anyway."
Her three friends nod they understand and with Pinkie saying: "See you two when you feel better!" And leaves along with Applejack and Rarity.
With them gone, Rainbow turns to Sniper who has a smug grin on his beak. "I told you it would work better if you play it naturally." He says, it sure did and Rainbow is impressed he knew it would work this well. "Done it before?" To her surprise, Sniper's smile drop and drop slightly his gaze. "Yeah, I have."
She wonders what's up with him now, but before she can asks. "Don't you have a book to read?" Reminding her of the whole reason why she wanted her friends to leave. Forgetting about Sniper's bit strange behavior, Rainbow Dash pulls out the book and begins to read out loud. "'You thought you could evade me and capture the relic for yourself, but you are sadly mistaken, Miss Do. And now, you shall meet your doom!" The menace cried to the sky and with the whistle, Daring Doo's great rival had stolen from an animal tamer, the predator big cats surrounded the battered Daring, each holding a rope or a weapon they would use if she tried anything. But both she and her rival knew that would not happen, Daring was still too weak from escaping the temple's last trap. Her rival laughed manically of her defeat—' Whoa! Who is this dude?" Rainbow interrupts the story briefly before she starts reading out aloud again for both her and Sniper. "The big cats tired Daring Do and by their master's command, brought her back to the temple, where her rival tired her up against a stone altar for the past civilization sacrifices. "You won't get away with this, Ahuizotl!" Daring Do told her greatest rival and enemy.
"But I already have." Ahuizotl mocked her and activated the lever for this room's death trap. He waved her farewell and left the room along with his feline lackeys.
"Not again..." Daring exasperated sighted of again being stuck in a death trap showing to be spiked walls moving towards her from both sides but no matter how much she tried, she could not get free from the restraint. the room wasn't done with throwing stuff there could kill her though, looking down Daring realized that the room was getting filled with: "Quicksand!" She gasped, struggling harder against the restrains—"
"Rainbow Dash~!" the voice of the doctor snaps Rainbow out from the story and realizes she and Sniper are no longer alone. "Oh, good evening." she greets the doctor with a weak smile, again hiding the book.

"Morning." The doctor corrects her.

"—morning. Doc"

The doctor eyes the turned up lamp beside Rainbow's bed, frowning lightly. "Have you been up all night?"

"Uh, of course not." She quickly turns off the light, giving the doctor pony a weak smile.

"Well, I'll be quick. Congratulations, Rainbow Dash, we're checking you out of the hospital." The doctor pony explains with a smile, sure this pegasus will be happy with the news.

Unbeknown to him, she is far from happy. "What? Later today?" Rainbow asks nervously, afraid she might not have enough time to finish the book, She notices she is biting her hoof and quickly puts it down. The doctor shakes his head, saying. "No, right now." Much to her horror. "Right now?! 'Right now' right now?" She asks in a state of panic.

"'Right now' right now." The doctor pony replies amused and let two of the nurse inside, and while they get Rainbow Dash out from her hospital clothing and into the wheelchair. The doctor turns to the griffin, explaining him. "I'm sorry Mr. Sniper, but I would like you to stay a few more days as I do not know how fast your kind heal." Sniper nods he understands, unbeknown to the doctor; hiding his great surprise that he had been healing naturally these three days.
With that done, the doctor explains Rainbow Dash as they leave the room with the nurses. "Now take it easy, Rainbow Dash. Remember to stay off that wing for a week."

Before Rainbow truly realizes what has just happened, the nurse pushing her wheelchair has taken her outside and closes the hospital door after her. Rainbow Dash turns around to the closed door and more importantly, where the Daring Doo book is. "How will I ever find out what happens to Daring Do?!" She exclaims completely out of it that she had been interrupted and forced away at the best part of the story!

Inside the hospital and with the nurse done with preparing Rainbow's bed for a new patient, Sniper leaves his bed, does winch once from the small but sudden jolt of pain going through his chest. But considering they were broken only three days past. It's not bad. Not compared to how he has been killed in the War Games, this pain is nothing. It simply took him by surprise. Stepping over to the now empty bed, Sniper grabs the Daring Do book about to return back to his bed but stops when he hears Rainbow's voice outside. He throws the book gently over to his bed before he walks over to the window where he can see the rainbow-haired pegasus trots back and forward the hospital, wondering out loud about how the book of Daring Do would end in a very distressed manner. He snorts seeing this to the self-proclaimed too-cool-to-read pony practically panics because she can't read the book right now. "Wanker." He muses but knows not all have his patience and if Rainbow is anything like Scout. Well, she will get in a butt-load of trouble just to get hold on that book. Sniper groans, he hates to do it but Rainbow is part of the team, and it's his job support the team the best way possible. Even if it means getting in trouble for it.

***
(nightfall)

Dressed up completely in black, Rainbow Dash sneaks over to the hospital, she cannot take the front door thanks to the night-guard but that did not matter for a window on the second floor is open, she swiftly flies up there and when inside, she uses every object in the hallway as her cover. Hiding behind a big potted plant as her hiding spot when the doctor walks down the hallway. When he is out of sight, Rainbow leaves her cover and sneaks towards the room she had been stuck inside. Like how she imaged it in the book, the moonlight hits the door, showing the way to the treasure. Rainbow smiles and sneaks over to her Sapphire Statue. Inside the room she is extra careful not to wake Sniper sleeping behind the curtain, she would hate he would see her go through all this trouble just for a book- he mocks her enough being an Egghead as it is.
She gets to her bed and realizes that not only is there a new pony there, but the book is nowhere in sight. She checks under the bed, but all there is down there is a pair of slippers. Could the new pony be sleeping on it? Before she can move up and check, this trap activates and the pony cries out in alarm. "Somepony's trying to steal my slippers!" She swiftly leaves the spot, the frighten pony throws his night lamp at her, but that one's got nothing on Sniper's sick aim and she easily dodges the lamp. Speaking of the griffin, she spins to that bed and sights out in relief he hasn't awoken and quickly leaves, disappointed she didn't get her treasure. Out in the hallway, she realizes why she couldn't find it. A pony further down the hallway has it in their mouth, trying to take her treasure away! Rainbow is about to follow but is stopped when the nurses and doctor appear, reminding Rainbow of the predators from the book as they surround her, giving the real thief the chance to get away. Not on her watch! She leaps over the smallest of the ponies and does catch up to the thief, that until her wing cramps up and she crashes. The real thief stops, revealing to be Sniper. Both pegasus and griffin give each other a confused and surprised look before either can ask what the other is doing. The sound of the alarm sends them both into a small panic.

Sniper recovers quickly though, he has been dealing with this before, he pulls Rainbow by the tail and both flee the hospital, still with him holding the stolen book in his mouth. He runs towards the nearby forest with Rainbow close behind. Putting his many trips out into the wild to good use, he pushes Rainbow into a bush and jumps up onto a tree. The doctors and single guard pass by them, but from the looks of it, they will be coming back soon. Jumping down, Sniper signs to Rainbow she should follow, she nods awfully seriously for once and they run the other way. Their chasers catch up to them near the river, Rainbow relive Daring Do by using a vine to get across while Sniper simply leaps over and lands rather hard which send a jolt of pain through his still healing ribs, but again nothing compared to what he has before endured.

Watching this seemly boring griffin do a stunt like that in such an awesome manner, recovering like it was nothing, Rainbow cannot help but see Sniper as a griffin vision of Daring Do and her respect for him greatly increases, more so when this badass griffin only has to nod to get the message across. Grinning of being part of a real adventure, she follows Sniper who knows exactly how to avoid their pursuers in form of the ponies from the hospital but also her friends who woke up because one of the hospital ponies kept barking like a dog.
When the hospital ponies finally gave up and her friends gone back to sleep. She and Sniper leave the cover under the bridge. She turns to Sniper. "That. Was. AWESOME!" She cries excitedly and would've said that he is a real-life vision of Daring Do and he is way more awesome than she first thought, but before she could do that, Sniper hushes her down. She puts her hooves up to her mouth, but still wants to say this. "You are way more awesome than I thought."

First time anyone has called him awesome and coming from this pony, Sniper know it is the best compliment he can get. But he doesn't really see the big deal of this, those ponies weren't hard to get rid off. "I've tried worse." He shrugs, frowning when the almost squalling Rainbow jumps up beside him. "Have you been fighting big predatory cats?" She asks with eyes glowing with excitement. He takes a step back from the sudden intrusion of his personal space and question of his trips out in the bush. "Yeah, but mostly crocodile." He replies a bit unsure about how to handle this excited Rainbow. He waves up to his slouch hat which has the teeth from one of those beasts around the crown. "These come from the biggest I've fought, He took a bite out from me— oh, you can't see it because of the fur but I have a bite mark on my left leg." He explains, eyeing his left leg he almost lost when that monster crocodile bit him and almost took it off under a death-roll. Turning back to Rainbow he is not sure why she has a look as if she stands before her biggest hero or something. It's making him a bit uncomfortable. "Here." He hands her the book there caused all this trouble. "Be sure to return it when you're done." And leaves the pegasus to return back to the hospital before the nurse realizes he has left.

***

(a few days later)

Rainbow puts the stolen book down before the hospital window and flies off, she hates to do this but Rainbow has realized that if she wants to read the other books, she has to admit to Twilight that she too is an Egghead.
Fortunately her fear that Twilight wouldn't let her borrow the books because Rainbow called her an Egghead has all been in her head. In fact, Twilight is happy Rainbow admitted she likes to read as well

"See, everypony likes to read something." Twilight smiles after Rainbow Dash confession of being- what she calls it, an Egghead. She walks over to the shelf where all the book of Daring Do are located in her library. "And like I said; I have every book in the series, and you can borrow them all, any time you like!"
Rainbow Dash beams hearing that more so when Twilight levitates the next book of the series over to her.

Rainbow is very close just to take the book and read it, but then she remembers all the things she had said when Twilight gave her the first book, thinking back on it now makes her realize she has been really unfair to her friends. "I'm sorry I made such a big deal about all of this." She apologizes to the unicorn, scraping embarrassed her hoof over the floor. "I thought reading was just for smart ponies like you..."

"Rainbow Dash, just because you're athletic doesn't mean you aren't smart!" Twilight smiles but winch when Spike proclaim himself both smart and strong and starts kissing his arms. Fortunately, the dragon quickly stops embarrassing himself and Twilight can tell Rainbow. "Reading is something everypony can enjoy if they just give it a try."

That Rainbow Dash can agree on and now sort of happy she gave the book thing a try. "Yeah, I get it. I shouldn't knock something until I've tried it." Twilight nods and suggesting to write that down as a letter to the princess, Rainbow will–- when she is done with this new book. She flies home and about to start but stops when she read the title of this book: Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet. That reminds her.
Putting down the book, Rainbow flies out to find Ponyville's own griffin, she lands on the roof where Sniper is sitting. He dosesn't even look at her when he speaks.

"Did you finish the book?"

"Yeah, and..." She hesitates for a moment, but like with reading, it seems she greatly underestimated Sniper. "Thanks, if you hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have known how much I love reading. I... I was wrong about you."

"No worries." Sniper simply says, hiding his surprise of getting praised by this over-blown ego pegasus of all ponies. Guess even Rainbow can be humble. He returns back to keeping an eye on everything going on in this town. He waits for Rainbow to fly off, but to his small surprise, she doesn't. Wondering why he asks her. "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Yes, and that is the question. "What are you doing?"

"Observing."

"Can you teach me?" She asks hopefully. Sniper finally turns around to look at her, she can't see his eyes thanks to those sunglasses but from how he continually keep staring at her, she is pretty sure he is surprised. Yeah, she is a bit too herself, but after having seen how awesome he can be. Rainbow would like to get to know this pretty much real life vision of Daring Do better.

Well, isn't this a surprise, Sniper thinks and not sure how to react to this sudden request other than. "Alright." No one has asked him to teach them anything before, it's humbling really but that will not stop him from insulting her. "But I doubt you can last more than ten minutes before you start whining."
Rainbow steps over to him. "Is that a challenge?" She demands angrily but that smile of hers betray her true feelings.
He returns it with a smirk. "A challenge you won't win Dasher."

Oh, that is so much challenge accepted!
Rainbow takes a seat beside Sniper and both start telling one another what they spot around town. It proved Sniper was the better one, but Rainbow wouldn't mind do this observing thing again, it is quite fun when doing it with Mr. Eagle-eye here.

Author's Note

good grief this was a long chapter. I only realized that when I checked for grammar mistakes. took me so long I almost made an all-nighter.
was all worth it though. I had a lot of fun writing Sniper and Rainbow see the other isn't as bad as thought.

this was fun, but I think it is time to get serious so, let's get to the invasion shall we?

Trouble Brewing

(Equestria)

Deep out in the badlands, a kingdom of its own is preparing for conquest and expansion. The ruler of this kingdom turns her eyes away from the huge army outside her castle at the sound of magic. Behind her stand three shadowy creatures, the one in middle has taken form as her kind.

This being of dark magic and shadows bows to her."You serve the darkness and the darkness hears your call."

The one to the left continues with the same voiceless speech."One of Harmony's servants has summoned beings of humankind to aid the bearers, one chosen is of your kind. The darkness you serve has one command: drain this supporter of the Element bearers and let the darkness fill his heart."

The last of the three points east."Obey and the Human turned Changeling will be yours to command."With those words, the two shadow ponies disappear, leaving behind a small cluster of black gems. The one bowing straightens up, waiting for the queen to do her next choice.

The queen hesitates for a moment. She has heard stories about the beings of shadows from her mother, she thought they were only stories of warning to be a good changeling. But she has never been good, if she had, then she wouldn't have killed her own mother and made her people into conquers instead of weaklings as her mother made them into. She smiles down at the shadow creature, feeling proud she has been allowed to stand witness and now control a being of legends. So what if she has to obey this darkness a little? It did promise her what seems to be a very important Changeling.

She calls for some of her grunts and moves out where the shadow pony pointed her to.

The shadow pony in form of her kind leads her to her target. The pony the shadow being led her to at first looked to be a normal pegasus pony, but then, by looking him in the eyes, she realized this pony is one of her kind. This is the Changeling the beings of shadows spoke about.

After have led him away from unwanted eyes, she commands her grunts to attack him. He does put up a good fight, but he is weak from not have fed for a while. Yet, he is not starving.

She checks his saddlebag and finds the reason to why and can't help but laugh at this one trying to be a good changeling. "Your foolish decision of not following your nature to feed on love will cost you dearly." She starts draining what little love he had in him to begin with. When done, she steps back, letting the being of shadows do its job.

The changeling made out of shadows forces its way into the drained changeling, chocking him and from someone who has torn her mother's throat open, this queen must admit that watching a changeling grunt twist and turn in his fight against this living darkness there is both choking him but also changing his mind to its and thus her need, that is a bit unnerving but she isn't complaining. Knowing he will soon be under her full control.

(Human world)

"Spy!" Red Heavy cries when his team Spy suddenly drops to the ground, gagging as if he is getting drowned even though they are far from water. Heavy shoots the robots there had been trying to kill the down spy, with the imminent threat over, Heavy grabs the choking spy and carries him over to Medic. "Doctor! Something wrong with Spy."

Medic turns his medigun on the man, but whatever is blocking Spy's windpipe is not going away, that must mean it's not an injury. "Take him to the infirmary." Medic tells Heavy, the big man nods and both hurry back to base. Inside Heavy carefully puts the now unconscious Spy onto the table, letting Medic do his job.

Medic turns on the medigun stationed here, setting it on low healing and cuts up Spy's throat, but there is nothing there. "So why are you choking?" He wonders out loud while letting the medigun close up the cut.

When this horrible feeling of getting chocked finally stops, Spy can finally breathe properly again, but for once that is a really bad thing. Like the one in Equestria, RED Spy has been affected by the darkness; not as much but enough that he becomes a danger to those near him. He tears out Medic's scalpel and plunges it deep into the doctor's shoulder, only his disorientation saves Medic's live "Meurs toi sale nazi! Je vais te faire crier! Je vais te faire souffrir autant que j'ai!" and he would've stuck true to his words, it not for Heavy.

"Spy!" Heavy forces the suddenly very aggressive man down, never seen him lose it like this before. "What is wrong with you?!" Spy didn't seem to hear him though, and even though he cannot France, the message is still pretty clear "Mort les nazis! vive la France!" and Spy jags the scalpel into Heavy's arm but the big man refuses to let go, even when this thrown back to the war spy is cutting up his muscle tissue.

Okay, this is starting to get bad. "He's exactly like Soldier before he got used to me." He muses and is happy Heavy got him, otherwise he and Spy might've killed one another. They have to stop it before that dead person turns into Heavy.

Said man meets his gaze, his own grey eyes worried but strangely calm for the situation. "Call Ignis." Heavy says simply. Medic nods and hurries out to find their immortal soldier.

"Ignis!" He calls the man currently blowing up a small army of robots with his fire magic. Ignis turns to him with a questioning look.

"Something very wrong with Spy" Medic swiftly explains him and asks the man to hurry. Ignis follows him back to the infirmary of the scene Spy struggling on the floor against Heavy who has steadfastly held him down even with his hands and arms filled with deep cuts and his own blood is everywhere.

It at times like this that Ignis is impressed with humans, their stubbornness can be quite admirable. "I got him." He tells the badly wounded man, Heavy nods and lets go of Spy. The Frenchman jumps to his feet, screaming his country's battle-cry with his weapon in form of a bloody scalpel raised. Ignis uses his levitation magic on him, stopping the clearly lost it Spy and forced the man back down onto the floor. "Okay, I can see what you mean." He remarks to Medic.

Medic doesn't answer right away, he is busy healing Heavy up before the man dies permanently from blood-loss. With the last cut closed. Heavy thanks him. "Thank you doctor." Medic simply nods in return and puts the medigun back onto its spot.

"Tell me what happened." Ignis says.

Medic helps Ignis restraining the still insult yelling Spy. "Well, Heavy came in with him when Spy looked like he was getting chocked, but I found nothing in his windpipe. The moment the choking stopped, he got like this."

Even though Heavy does not consider Spy a friend, he still does not want to see him distressed like this. "Anything we can do?" He asks.

For someone who can be so scary looking and brutal in a fight can so kind-hearted, that's what Medic really likes about Heavy. Turning back to Ignis in wonder what had caused Spy to snap like this. "Do you know what is happening to him?" For he has no clue and that is frustrating.

Ignis steps over to Spy, ignoring the insults about not being a proper soldier he gets from the man. He uses a tracer spell on Spy and is quite surprised what he found.

"He's been tainted by dark magic— not this man, but the other part of his soul." Ignis explains, and this is not some minor pony dark magic he senses from the man's other half. No, this is really the bad kind. "And the worst kind of it. This purer form of dark magic can twist your personality; make someone into their worst self. And with what you people see daily, the dark forces have a lot to work with. I was tainted by dark magic as well when you first met me."

"But you brushed it off like it was nothing." Medic objects.

Oh, he wishes it was that simple, Ignis thinks gloomy. "Yeah, but that's because it was a minor form of dark magic. But even with the weaker form and me being pretty powerful; I was tainted and turned into someone so unlike myself for a hundred years. Dark magic- like any other magic wears off over time. But the purer the magic: the longer the time. If I got tainted like Spy here, it would only weaken after... about a thousand years, give or take. And even though you humans do not live that long, someone tainted can do a lot of damage even in a small timescale." It was a good thing he was tainted by a weaker kind of dark magic, Ignis does still remember the horrors of what would happen if an alicorn gets tainted by pure dark magic and gets turned into the Bringer of Disharmony. This world would suffer if he ever got tainted by pure dark magic or gave into the Dark Forces.

If that is true, then Spy cannot wait it out like mister immortal here. "How do we fix it?" Medic asks him, nodding to Spy who has finally stopped throwing insults but Medic thinks he prefers that over this dark sinister stare the man is sending them.

"Some light magic should do it." Ignis replies and explains before the man asks him to throw some light magic at Spy. "Hold up, it's not that simple. Light and dark magic is not that simple. They are in tune with emotions, but I am not the alicorn you would like to play with such delicate magic."

"Why may I ask?"

"I am specialized in offensive magic, never been good at passive magic. The only passive spells I am good at is a tracker spell. If I try casting the spell needed to heal your comrade; I'll probably blow him up." Ignis explains, being a soldier he was never trained in passive magic and even an immortal like him cannot learn such kind of magic without a proper teacher.

Note to self: never let Ignis try out cooking or anything not involving fighting. "Dully noted, but can you at least tell us how Spy got tainted?" For Medic would like the others does not see his truly twisted side, they will never trust him with anything ever again- if they don't kill him on the spot that is.

Ignis sighs, this is a bit too close to home in his case. "If a bearer gets corrupted and stays for too long: the Pillar of Virtue- the strongest magic my kind has ever known- it won't work on that bearer anymore. That's why I cannot bear the Pillar of Bravery anymore. If the dark magic doesn't get purged soon, then we will have to search for a new bearer— which this ancient magic only chooses every five hundred years."

This Pillars of Virtue Ignis speaks about, could it be the same as the Elements of Harmony his dreams of that colorful place filled with just as colorful ponies spoke about? Is that place real? Medic is not sure, all he can say that this is getting serious and like the World War, Medic does not like where this is going.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

(Equestria, Sweet Apple Acres)

Okay, he must admit that the two weeks being here has flown by very fast, and yet he hasn't been doing much other than helping the local ponies with a few repairs here and there. For Engineer, this feels like a very weird vacation and, well he really likes it. It's been ages since he last could relax like this. Today, however, there is no need for him to build anything. Nope, instead, he is standing in line with everyone else, waiting to buy a mug of the Apple family's apple cider.

Sniper passes by him with his own mug in claws, noticing the Texan, the griffin stops with; "You can look forward to this, mate." Lifting the mug. "It's bloody good, and I'm not much for apples to begin with."

"Must be one helluva drink, then." Engineer remarks and is once again surprised how relaxed he has become around a RED like Sniper here. The griffin nods and says after having taken a sip of his mug. "Hopefully there will be enough, Pinkie and Demo are both pigs and hogging several mugs to themselves." and Engineer just can't do other than roll his eyes of those two. Pinkie is weirdness incarnation and Demo is a drunkard with an insatiable taste for a good drink. "I'm sure the Apples has enough." He ensures Sniper although it feels like he's more likely ensuring himself.

Sniper just shrugs.

Speaking about ensuring, Engineer knows he might be overstepping it but besides from Demo, Sniper is one of the few trapped here there have loved ones back home. "How are you faring? Worried about your parents?" Sniper tail flicks once in the sign that he did not like being asked such a question, Engineer has been spending enough time around normal cats to recognize signs of irritating. "Sorry, I shouldn't have gone there."

Sniper grumbles, if the BLU Engineer has a son who is practically held prisoner by his ex like the RED's, then he can see why Engineer wants to get home as soon as possible. "Yeah, but I can see why you are asking. You have a son too, right?" Engineer nods slowly, the feathers working as his mane drops slightly. Yeah, Sniper thought so. "Don't worry about me, my parents never wanted my money to begin with and they have been doing fine without me before." And with those words, he takes flight, something he's sure going to miss when they leave this world.

Engineer watches Sniper fly away before returning back to the line, about a half hour later, he gets to the stand and can throw in the two of the many gold coins he has earned from the many repairs he has done while being here. Young Apple Bloom pours him a mug and Engineer can now see what Sniper meant. "This is good, better what I get back home." He tells the family and does wonder if the better taste has something to do with earth pony magic. The Apples beams of his compliment but does not have time for a chat as the line is still long. Not wanting to stall those behind him, Engineer moves out of the way, taking small sips of this very delicious apple cider. He finds Medic a bit away from the line of ponies, he too has a mug of cider and is enjoying it while reading a book he borrowed from Twilight. "What are you reading doc?" Engineer asks, taking a seat beside the light grey unicorn. Still weird he has to look down at the usual taller man, but he is not complaining.

Medic chuckles lightly. "Oh you know, just a bit of research on this world's magic." Using a levitation spell to show the book pages to Engineer. "It's quite fascinating what they can do. Weather control, faster plant growth- the list goes on!" He laughs and reclaims the book. "Twilight taught me how to do a proper shield spell— it reminded me of the upercharge except this spell can protect more than just one person- or pony in our case now."

"Sounds like you're having fun." Engineer remarks, thinking that last time he saw Medic like this was when he operated the upercharge hearts into them.

Oh, Engineer has no idea! "I am starting to understand why Spy got a bit lazy finding a way home." Medic points out, yes he did take notice how much their master of espionage is very calm about being stuck here and seemed more at home among the ponies than the BLU team. "This world is awful, well welcoming," He admits and is not sure how to react to it really. He has done some terrible things, mentioned some of them by joking it to Twilight. And like any other sane person, it did freak her out and yet she accepted him faster than most people would. He's not used to someone lecturing him not to do such things. And do a small joke of their own past mistakes with an awkward smile, he's used to people calling him a nut-job with the ponder if they should shoot or run the hell away. "I'm not used to such behavior." He muses, glancing up when Archemides lands onto his head with a seed in its mouth, he doesn't need to ask where that seed comes from. He turns his eyes to a certain yellow pegasus with pink hair, she gives him a weak but sweet smile as she passes by them.

Engineer follows the doctor's gaze and is rather surprised that the shyest pony in this town has managed to befriend Medic of all people. "How in tarnation did you two become friends?" He thought Medic would scare her away the moment he opened his mouth.

"We both have an interest in birds." Medic replies, admittedly too a bit surprised that Fluttershy turned into a completely another pony the second she spotted Archemides and before he knew, they were chatting about birds.

Well, don't that beat all? Engineer thinks amused and is about to make the joke that Fluttershy might be Medic's Element of Harmony partner but before he can, Applejack's voice makes both turned humans turn to the apple cider stand.

"Sorry, everypony! That's it for today!" and the whole crowd of ponies 'aww' in disappointment. Rainbow Dash, who was the next in line flies up in front of Applejack, saying highly irritated she didn't get any cider. "Surprise, surprise. You ran out again!"

The crowd agrees with a caramel colored stallion crying out. "Yeah, you always run out!"

"Seems like this is a yearly problem." Medic remarks up to the now taller than him Engineer before he returns back to his book. Engineer, on the other hand, decides to walk over and see if he perhaps can aid the Apples with this cider shortage.

Applejack jumps onto the stand, telling the angry crowd of ponies "Hold on, everypony. We've done our best to improve supply this year-

"You always say that!" The same caramel colored stallion cries.

"And it's always true." Applejack retorts softly, explaining the other ponies. "But Apple family cider is made with love and integrity, and only the highest quality apples in Equestria. Sorry, but that recipe takes time. If you all just be patient, we'll have plenty more tomorrow." She tells the slowly leaving but still greatly irritated crowd of ponies.

Engineer walks over to them after the crowd is more or less gone "Sounds like it's a yearly issue." He remarks and asks his fellow country pony. "Anything I can do to help?"

Applejack jumps down from the stand, grateful for Engineer's offer but, "Thanks but there is nothing you can do—" A sound she did not recognizes but one Enginner did cuts their discussion short, along with everypony else turn to the approaching vehicle. "What in Equestria is that?" She asks, blinking at her fellow Southern pony when he replies. "Looks like a truck with some machine on- I wonder what it does." The horse/bird hybrid ponders out loud.

This vehicle stops right beside the Apples stand, rudely breaking part of the fence to the farm, much to Granny Smith annoyance. Two lean and tall unicorn stallions leave the vehicle.

"Well, lookie what we got here, brother of mine, it's the same in every town."

The one without a mustache says, leaping over to Berry Punch and Demo, saying in his sing-song speech. "Ponies with thirsty throats, dry tongues, and not a drop of cider to be found." Looking around as if searching for this cider, he leaps back to his brother.

"Maybe they're not aware that there's really no need for this teary despair" and the brother of that pony replies in a similar sing-song tone. "That the key that they need to solve this sad cider shortage you and I will share."

The crowd starts chattering excitedly, Berry Punch as well and looks to Demo to see if he agrees, her smile falter from the small frown the cedar brown stallion has on his face. She does turn back when the two brothers start singing:

"Well you've got the opportunity

In this very community

He's Flim

He's Flam

We're the world famous Flim Flam Brothers

Traveling salesponies nonpareil!"

"Nonpa-what?" Pinkie asks and the brother named Flim explains her but not really helping with her confusions. "Nonpareil, and that's exactly the reason why, you see. No pony else in this whole place will give you such a chance to be where you need to be" He sing-songs, passing Engineer is busier admiring the machine than listening to them. The business pony trots up to the vehicle, still in his singing voice:

"And that's a new world, with tons of cider. Fresh squeezed and ready for drinking!"

His horn lights up in green, levitating what looks like a huge vacuum pipe, on it sits his brother there sings.

"More cider than you could drink in all your days of thinking"

Rainbow Dash crosses her hoves, not convinced by that statement "I doubt that."

The two stallions start singing their little tune again, everypony but a few are moving along the tune.

Turning away from their locomotion vehicle and to the two brothers, Engineer asks curiously. "And what does this beauty do?" Taking a step back when Flam steps before him, cheerfully replies. "So glad you asked my good sir, allow us to demonstrate what Flim Flam Brothers' Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 can do."

The other brother has zipped over to Applejack, bowing down as if he has been taking lessons from Spy or something. "Young filly, I would be ever so honored if you might see fit to let my brother and I borrow some of your delicious, and might I add spell-bindingly fragrant apples for our little demonstration here?" He asks a question there honestly could've been said with fewer words.

Poor Applejack has been completely taken off guard by not only these two ponies sudden arrival but their very long speeches to draw in a crowd. "Uh, sure, I guess."

And with the permission in order, the two brothers use their unicorn magic to activate the machine there starts vacuuming up apples from one of the trees while the crowd charts for ciders. Flim puts a hoof over Engineer's shoulder, messing up the piece of armor working as his toolbox this turned human built to himself. "Now watch closely my friend."

Correcting the armor around his neck and shoulder, Engineer does, listing very closely what the other brother is saying.

"Now, here's where the magic happens. Right here in this heaving, roiling, cider-press-boiling guts of the very machine, those apples plucked fresh are right now as we speak being turned into grade-A, top-notch, five-star, blow-your-horseshoes-off, one-of-a-kind cider!" Adding to the nearby ponies. "Feel free to take a sneak peek!" Which several of them do. Engineer does as well, and getting way more out from this than the brothers might've thought.

Granny Smith steps in here, gotten enough by these two show-ponies. "Now wait, you fellers, hold it!" She stomps her hooves, lecturing the two sales ponies and the surrounding crowd.

"I guarantee that what you have there won't compare.

For the very most important ingredient.

Can't be added or done expediently.

And it's quality, friends, Apple Acres' quality and care!"

It did turn the crowd to her favor, but these two brothers are cunning and Flim is right beside her with a bottle of their cider.

"Well, Granny, I'm glad you brought that up, my dear, I say I'm glad you brought that up. You see that we are very picky when it comes to cider if you'll kindly try a cup."

Granny Smith takes a sib and must admit it is good- she realizes she agreed with them and winches in dread she did.

Seeing this Flam steps forward to the rest of the Apples in his sing-song voice.

"So whaddaya say then, Apples?

Care to step into the modern world

And put the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 to the test?"

With his brother continuing to the once again cider charting crowd.

"What do you think, folks? Do you see what the Apples can't? I see it clear as day! I know she does! So does he! C'mon, Ponyville, you know what I'm talking about!

We're saying you've got the opportunity.

In this very community.

He's Flim, he's Flam

We're the world famous Flim Flam Brothers

Traveling salesponies nonpareil!"

Apple Bloom, like the rest, so caught up in the excitement that she speeds over. "You got a deal!" She agrees without really knowing what she is agreeing fully to. Granny Smith steps in. "Not so fast!" and calls for a family meeting. Which those two unicorns rudely join without permission, the crowd did not hear what the agreement was, but a certain griffin from above did.

Sniper lands beside Demo and tells him with a quiet voice. "They are trying to con the Apples, bloody shows-ponies." Demo thought there was something fishy about them, they reminded him a bit too much about certain people there had screwed him when he was trying to sell his family's Scrumpy. "Better tell the Apples this if they agree." He whispers back. Fortunately, from the looks of it, the Apple family did not agree. But the Flim, Flam brothers clearly seems to have hoped that.

"Very well. If you refuse our generous offer to be partners, then we'll just have to be competitors." Flim declares loudly in a smug tone.

Applejack shoots him a glare. "You wouldn't dare." but they dare alright and a sign from his brother, Flam declares out to the crowd "Don't you worry, everypony! There'll be plenty of cider for all of you!" and Flim adds only to the Apples ears. "Once we drive Sweet Apple Acres out of business." Horrifying them all.

"I smell trouble." Sniper muses from how the Apple family is reacting.

Demo agrees and he would hate if something happens this sweet family of country ponies. "Perhaps I should figure out how to blow up their machine- doubt Engie would appreciate it, though." He grins wryly from how their own countryman just can't get his eyes away from that machine.

Sniper laughs at the sight as well, but like Demo, worried what those two show-ponies will do.

(Two days later.)

Trouble did indeed come to Ponyville, however not in form of a monster or a major world threat, still, the mercenaries and their new pony friends did consider it as big trouble.

The Apple family has agreed on an apple cider making contest with the Flim and Flam brothers, and if they lose then they would lose the Apple farm.

Engineer follows Applejack towards this battlefield of apple cider makers, worried for the mare and her family, but they have agreed and Engineer knows that someone cannot step down from such a challenge, only cowards do. "Good luck." He wishes the mare and heads over to join the others. On his way to his comrades, Twilight passes by him. He stops for a moment to watch the purple unicorn speak with Applejack there is currently practicing her apple bucking before he leaves the battlefield.

There he notices that Demo is holding a very pissed Soldier down with his magic, no need explaining of why. "I am inclined to let him smash those scoundrels heads in." He remarks to the RED.

Demoman nods in agreement, but that would just put the Apples in a bad light. "Aye, I might let him go at them if they start cheating." Eyeing the green pegasus when a growl escapes his clamped mouth. He gives his best pal an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but you can't kill them Solly." A disappointed mumble from the pegasus. "I will let you go if you promise not to attack them."

Soldier hesitates but does agree with a begrudgingly nod. Demo releases him and the still royal armor dressed Soldier grumbles. "The President did command me not attack her subjects..." And the last thing he wants is going against the President of America.

Demo and Engineer exchange looks, both silently happy that Celestia hired him as a royal guard, that did make it easier finding reasons for him not to go all Rambo on someone. The one-eyed pony turns back to his friend. "That's right, as much those two deserves it, we can't go against the prinses- I mean presidents orders." Engineer simply nods in agreement.

"Attention, everypony!" The mayor calls through a megaphone, the chattering crowd quiets down, letting Mayor Mare explains everyone the rules while a brown earth pony with an hourglass for cutie mark puts up a timer in form of a huge hourglass. "The teams have one hour to produce as much cider as they can, after which the barrels will be counted and the winner will be named the sole cider provider for all of Ponyville!" The crowd talk a bit back and forward about this revelation but quickly quiets down when Mayor Mare asks the two teams. "Are both teams ready." They are, each in their own way. The Apples are tense and pumped, while the Flim, Flam brothers are chilling on their couch.

Mayor Mare signs to Time-turner and he starts the timer.

The Apples hurries over to their homemade machine and the brothers yawning start their machine with their magic.

The Apples work hard, but their tactic just cannot keep up with the brothers' machine. They made one barrel while the Flim, Flam made five.

The Apples pick up the pace but they cannot keep up.

"This is just dreadful!" Rarity exclaims seeing how unfair this match is. "Even at top speed the Apples are only making one barrel to the twins' three!" She turns when Soldier steps up beside her, declaring loudly. "I do not like doing nothing when we can fight!" After having recovered from almost getting her ear blown off by this loud pony, Rarity nods in agreement.

That does give Twilight an idea, she steps over to Mayor, not noticing her friends are following. "Are honorary family members allowed to help in the competition?" She asks Major Mare.

Mayor Mare scratches her chin in ponder. "Well, I'm not sure... " She admits and decides to ask the brothers if they are alright with this. "Flim, Flam, would you object to honorary family members helping?"

"And friends." Demo says, stepping over, he cannot bear the though not helping the pony there has become his friend through the element they both carry. The others of the mercenaries step over to join the mares as well.

Flim snorts, not at all impressed so many are coming to save the Apple family from the independent doom. "Are you kidding?" With his brother remarking calmly from their couch. "We don't care if the whole kingdom of Canterlot helps. It's a lost cause." They completely ignore the death glares the stallions send them. Blissfully unaware of how dangerous that group really is.

Mayor Mare turns to the group of ponies there has requested to help. "I guess it's okay." But just to be sure, she turns to the Apple family. "Applejack? What do you think?"

Applejack stops her tiresome apple bucking to say in her great thankfulness for this offered help. "I think I would love to have the rest of my family and friends helping out." She emphasis and has to return back to the task of getting those apples down.

The group beside a few of the mercenaries cheers, those who didn't have instead a wide grin on their faces.

"In lines soldiers!" Soldier commands and the group does for once obey him, letting Twilight do her little speech. "Okay, everypony, we're not gonna let those smooth talkers take our friend's farm. Fluttershy, Demo, you two help Applejack with the trees."

"Aye."

"Got it."

"Pinkie, Engineer, Medic; you're on apple catching detail."

Pinkie salutes on Engineer's back. "Yessir, ma'am, sir!" Engineer simply nods while Medic straightens up with a rather serious and yet gleeful look on his face.

Twilight turns to her Rarity and Sniper. "You two have a discerning eye. Help Granny Smith at the quality control station.

"Of course." Rairity says, nodding along with Sniper

And lastly. "Rainbow Dash and Soldier, can you two help Big Macintosh press?"

"Yes ma'am!" Soldier salutes and Rainbow Dash declares confident. "In my sleep!"

Twilight nods and with that set. "Alright, everypony, let's save Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Alright!"

And they all run to their new stations.

Applejack kicks, Demo tackles into them because his poor dept presentation and Fluttershy flies through the leaves, shaking off the apples.

The apple catchers run around to catch the falling apples, with Medic catching those they couldn't get in time, letting Engineer bring the filled buckets to the unicorn, griffin and elderly earth pony there with their keen sense of quality sorts the good apples from the best.

Leaving it to the Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh and Soldier- who makes a good use of his drill sergeant voice to keep up the tempo.

Twilight stands at the end of the Apple machine, using her magic to swiftly moving the fille barrels and replace them with a new to the others. Still with her magic going, Twilight does a quick calculation on how they are faring. "Based on these figures, we're making six barrels for every three of theirs!"

The crowd cheers.

Applejack stop her work for just a moment to tell her friends: "Keep it up, everypony! We're back in this!"

The Flim, Flam brothers snap out from their lazy demeanor in shock hearing this, Flim grabs his brother, urging him in a state of panic they are losing. "Come on, brother, we've gotta pick up the pace!" Flam agrees, also in a state of panic. They both shoot a beam of their magic of the machine, making it go faster.

However, with the increased power, the vacuum takes the whole tree instead of just the apples, making the control deny any apple. In their urge to win this race, they remove the quality control, making them be on top of the race again.

Rainbow Dash realizes this and leaves her post to give them a piece of her mind, before she can, Sniper tells her hard. "Keep grinding Dasher!" But her great competitive side has taken over and she snaps back to the griffin. "We don't have time for quality control if we wanna win this thing!" And flies out to snatch the barrels, Granny Smith blocks her; scowling the pegasus. "One bad apple spoils the bunch!"

Sniper leaps away from his spot and over to Rainbow, telling her hard. "She's right, do it right or don't do it all." Rainbow Dash growls but does hear reason in his voice. "Fine!" and returns to the running station, urging the two stallions. "Double time!"

And that is what they do. It goes so fast that young Apple Bloom cannot keep up, so Pinkie decides to take her place and work double time. "I got you Apple Bloom!" She says and with the barrel on her head, catches the apples Medic either haven't seen or unable to catch with his magic in time.

"Help Twilight." Demo suggests after have tackled into a tree and the exhausted filly trots over to help Twilight.

They speed up their production and did almost get up to the same pace as the brothers. So when the time runs out, the mares collapses from the workout while the mercenaries- used to work like this throughout the war games all let out a sigh of relief it is finally over, to then send the two piles of barrels a worried glance.

"I'm proud of you, Applejack." Twilight tells the orange mare, Applejack breathes out an exhausted thanks, smiling weakly of Twilight doing a small speech- " Integrity like that will always be rewarded." So to her horror:

"Flim and Flam win!" Mayor Mare declares, much to everyone except the brothers' shock.

Of course, only the brothers smears the victory into the Apples noses. "Guess you'll just have to find a new line of work that doesn't match your names quite so... perfectly." Flam taunts the Apples, again not seeing a green pony looks ready to kill them if not for that brown unicorn and horse/bird hybrid holding him back.

"Now should we tear down all these tacky old buildings and put up new ones, brother?" Flim asks pointing at the Apple's farm, completely ignoring the angry scowls and heartbroken stares they got from the Apple family. They just continue on smearing this into their faces. "I don't see why not, brother. After all, this isn't Sweet Apple Acres anymore. How about 'Flim Flam Fields'?" Flam asks and with of spark of his magic, makes a sign of them appear above the Apple family's stand.

Rainbow Dash has heard enough from these two. "I ought to press you into jerk cider!" She yells furious at them and would probably have kicked a few of their teeth out if not Applejack stops her.

"No, Rainbow Dash. A deal's a deal."

The brothers start laughing, making this harder for Applejack, but she does honor her words. "Congratulations to you all. The cider business in Ponyville... is yours." She declares with a broken heart, more so when this means they no longer can stay here. "Come on, Apples. Let's go pack up our things..."

The brothers turn to the quietly crying crowd, telling them cheerfully. "Fear not, everypony, there's more than enough cider to go around."

The crowd does not move, all quietly agreeing this feels wrong.

Noticing this Applejack tells the towns pony that it's alright, there is, after all, no need for them to stop buying cider because of them. "It's okay..." Reluctantly the towns ponies move over to the brothers stand.

Applejack turns to leave but stops when Sniper suddenly is before them with a grin on his face, before she can tell him she has gotten mocked enough for today, the griffin says. "There is no need for you leaving Sheila. They forgot one important rule."

Applejack blinks, turning to her friends as if they know what the griffin is talking about, they don't but do curious turn to watch the town's ponies drink the brothers' cider- to spit it out in disgust. There Applejack realizes what Sniper has meant and now she too cannot help but grin watching Flim and Flam's bad quality cider won't sell them anything or keep them afloat for that matter. And before they know, the Flim, Flam brothers leave town.

Sniper smirks to this orange Texan pony. "Do it right or don't do it at all." She returns it with a wide smile. "Darn right!"

Twilight gasps in delight. "That means Sweet Apple Acres is still in business!" Jumping in excitement along with her cheering friends and also joins Demo, Pinkie and Soldier's silly victory dance.

"Now don't that beat all?" Engineer laughs walking up beside Applejack and Sniper, those two both chuckle in agreement. Turning their heads of Apple Bloom declaring to the crowd.

"Because of this silly competition, we've made enough of our cider for the whole town!" Which the whole town is more than happy to hear about, and everypony can enjoy a good drink of true quality cider, yes, even Rainbow Dash.

The moon has just appeared in the sky when the last barrel has been emptied and everyone can go home very satisfied of this small apple cider party.

Applejack wishes her friends a good night and along with her family and house guest, returns back home to the farm.

"This whole contest got me thinking."

Applejack eyes the pale yellow stallion, curious what is on his very constructive mind. Engineer meets her eyes with his grey ones. "The Flim, Flam brothers might have been mongrels, but they did make quality cider before they decided to cheat."

Applejack frowns, not sure what he is getting at. "I'm not following."

He smiles weakly but is kind enough to get to the point. "I can build your own Super Speedy Cider Squeezy; one there will make quality apple cider. All you will have to do is bring it apples."

"You can do that?" Apple Bloom asks with excitement in her filly eyes, it does fade slightly when Granny Smith cuts it. "And how can you be sure it will be Apple family Cider quality, huh?"

Engineer meets her suspicious gaze. "Well, I was hoping you could help me on that, ma'am."

Granny Smith ponders on it for a moment, but the choice comes rather quickly. Engineer here has shown to be a pony to trust and she must admit she is getting a bit too old to keep up with the town's demand for apple cider. She smiles and asks. "And what would you like in return, hm?" After all, a deal has to benefit both sides.

"You give me the materials for the machine, a barrel of the cider and we're set." Engineer says, thinking that them housing and giving him delicious food is more than enough for this machine. The barrel cider will go to the team, they do all like do a drinking party once and a while.

Granny Smith offers him her hooves. "That's a deal." He gently hits his against hers and can't wait for tomorrow. It's been long since he last was this inspired to build a new contraption.

Author's Note

okay now that I look at this chapter, it goes from super serious trouble to... well not world-changing trouble. I swear my writing frenzy makes me write the weirdest chapters at times.

Preparations

Note: part 1 and made after "A Canterlot Wedding"
this happens a week after the last chapter.

On a cloud above Ponyville; Sniper is taking a nap, there hasn't been happening much after that episode with those hooligans to the Flim, Flam brothers which he does appreciate. He still hasn't gotten fully used to being here, sure the pony people are nice— maybe a bit too nice. He doesn't know why but it puts him on edge, it's clear the ponies don't mean anything malicious— Rainbow Dash sure proved that to him. Perhaps it's because he's so used to people being a dick to him the moment they realize he is a runt of an Australian. Here; well, the ponies were a bit wary of him; bad experience with another griffin if what Rainbow Dash said is true, but over time, most of them must've realized he's not like that other one, for now, they are way more interested in just getting to know him. He would've found this welcoming attitude of the ponies nice if he wasn't so darn socially awkward. He hates to admit it, but Spook might've been onto something he has been hiding in the bush for—

"Ten-hut Sniper!"

"Wah!" Sniper jumps in surprise, leaping fairly high thanks to the cat side of this body, landing back onto the cloud, the now pissed griffin shoots Soldier a glare and whole body twice as big, both from anger but also from getting startled. "You better have a good excuse or I'll gonna use your hide as my next shooting practice!" He growls angrily at Soldier but is mostly embarrassed this moron managed to sneak up on him.

"The president is requesting for you to escort Miss Twilight and her friends up to Canterlot!" Soldier declares and hands him the letter he got from Spike there said it was from the ruler of this land.

Wondering why the bloody hell that horse wants something like that from him. Sniper takes the letter in the hope it can clear up his question.
'Dear Sniper, I apologize for putting this on you without a fair warning but with what is going on here in Canterlot I am in need of your assistance. Spy had stated that not much would go unnoticed by you.'
.... Flattering, more so when Spy had been the one suggesting him to the princess.
'I would like if you would escort Twilight and her friends to Canterlot. When here, meet me at the highest tower of the castle: I will explain further as I do not think it is safe writing this in a letter.
Sincerely Princess Celestia'
Seems like he got himself a job. Sniper destroys the paper since the princess did seem worried about this reaching the wrong eyes. "When is Twilight and her friends leaving?"

"Now!"

"Aw piss." Sniper grumbles leap off the cloud, figuring they will take the train, he flies there. And as thought, he finds the group of females there.

Twilight lets out a sigh of relief seeing him. "oh good, I feared Soldier wouldn't find you in time." She says, trotting over to the barely landed griffin and asks. "Did you get the princess's letter?" He nods, and although she would like to ask what it was about but think otherwise as the train is about to depart. Twilight instead trots inside with Sniper right behind her. Inside and with the train moving, Twilight eyes her excited friends but does not feel up to speaking with them. She is still too upset about what she got told over a letter and not by her brother.
She takes a seat on a lone spot, watching Ponyville disappear as the train drive towards Canterlot.

Noticing this, Sniper do consider if he should just leave her alone, but changes his mind, thinking he at least could lend her an ear for the hospitality, that and she might know what is going on at Canterlot. "You look troubled." He remarks and jumps onto the seat before her.
Twilight sighs, eyeing him with sad eyes. "It's because I am..."
He sure hopes he's not going to regret this. "Why?" Sniper asks.

It does cross Twilight's mind in not telling him about her worries, but perhaps she needs to speak with someone who is unbiased. Sniper does not seem to care much about what is going to happen at Canterlot. Letting out another sigh. "My brother is getting married to somepony I do not know about, and I didn't hear about this before I got the invitation."

Wow, jerk move, Sniper can't help but think. He doubts even Spy would do such a stunt if that bloke ever got married. "Are you close?"

Twilight nods but must admit. "Ever since I moved to Ponyville, I and my brother Shining Armor have been seeing each other less and less... Sniper, do you have any siblings?" She asks, feeling a bit disappointed when the griffin shakes his head, saying. "Not many friends either, so I am not the guy you want friendship advice from." Well, at least he is honest about it.

So Shining Armor- that stallion there handed Soldier his armor is Twilights older brother. Well, it is a bit strange that he didn't tell her. that white unicorn seemed like a very caring bloke, doesn't seems to be that kind of guy who would forget about his family. "I've met your brother." He tells the purple unicorn, she blinks in surprise. "You have?" He nods he indeed have and thinks she will do good hear his first impression on that captain of the royal guard. "Yeah, he was quite the nice guy. Busy as hell, though. The princess has him tighten up the security. It might explain why he hadn't told you—he might've forgotten about his own wedding." He smirks for from what impression he got from Shining Armor, that guard pony does seem to be the bloke there forgets things when stressed and Sniper is certain Shining Armor is very stressed at the moment.

"Maybe..." Twilight muses, maybe the wedding planning and his duties as captain of the royal guard did make him forget. Make sense she guess but it still makes her feel like she means nothing to him.

Sniper corrects his position so he now lies down on the seat, it still startles him how quickly he got used to this bird/feline body, but pushing those feelings aside. "Doesn't excuse his behavior, and if you want my opinion on it; I think you should tell him exactly how you feel." For if he had any siblings and were close to them, he is sure he too would be rather upset not hearing something important as this from the person's or in this case horse's mouth.

Twilight gives him a weak smile. "I am planning on doing just that."

Laughing among the others of Spike oblivious what a bachelor party is Applejack notices that Twilight looks quite down, but decides to not go over and asks what is wrong as it seems this Sniper griffin already got that covered.

***

(Canterlot)

Sniper snaps out from his small nap when something very weird passes through him, he jerks awake and in last second spots what looks like a magenta barrier passing through the whole train. He blinks several times of what he just saw and felt. "What the bloody hell was that?" He asks, wondering if that was some sort of magic.

"It was a magic shield." Twilight explains the startled griffin, not surprised he did not know this. According to Medic and the other turned humans; magic is incredibly rare in their world and they have only been able to use it when fighting some crazy wizard— which she presumes is their world equivalent of a unicorn.
The train stops and they leave the train.

Rainbow Dash gasps seeing the whole train station filled with guards. "Whoa, what's with all the guards?"

Twilight eyes Sniper there simply returns it with a quiet look. She guesses he was right with her brother being busy. She then turns back to her friends as Rarity gives her reason for the many guards: "I'm sure they're just taking the necessary precautions. Royal weddings do bring out the strangest ponies."
With their weird pony being Pinkie as that pink pony somehow manages to sneeze out confetti. Twilight notices that Sniper has gotten a quite funny look on his face and Twilight has to bite her lip not laughing at his reaction to Pinkie being, well Pinkie.

"Now, let's get going! We've got work to do!" Rarity hurries on the group and is just as excited like the rest. Applejack does stop so she can tell Twilight smiling. "And you've got a big brother to go congratulate."

But Twilight is not at all excited about this event, in fact, she is greatly annoyed. "Yeah. Congratulate." She trots past the guards with Sniper close behind; there like the guards are smart enough not to poke this angry pony. "And then give him a piece of my mind." Finding her brother is easy enough, she does after all know where the royal guard headquarters is located and the moment she spots her brother. "I've got something to say to you, mister." Shining Armor stares at her for a moment, looking a bit confused, then trots down, asking her awfully calmly. "And what do seems to be the problem?" oh the nerves of him!
"How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married!" Twilight snaps at her brother, feeling some satisfaction he takes a step back from her anger. "I'm your sister, for pony's sake!" Turning her head away from her brother, too disappointed to look at him

Shining Armor lets out a sigh, he walks over so their eyes can meet again. "I'm sorry Twilight, but Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security." Asking as he looks around the many guards he has control over. "Haven't you noticed all the guards stationed around?"

"Yeah, there's a big wedding coming up. Maybe you heard about it?" Twilight retorts dryly and trots over to a small pool of water. Her brother follows her, telling her calmly. "It has nothing to do with the wedding. A threat has been made against Canterlot." She meets his eyes, remembering what Sniper told her that Shining Armor has been very busy keeping the capital safe. "We don't know who's responsible for it, but Princess Celestia asked that I help provide additional protection." Shining Armor continues and looks up to the sky. Twilight does as well, seeing a huge magical shield surrounding the city. Her attention returns back to her brother when he puts a hoof gently on her back, explaining her in his calm voice. "Not only I and the other captains are burden to keep every guard on high alert for this threat, but I have as well been tasked using my magic of shield spells in order to keep Canterlot safe." He sighs leaving her side. "I understand you are upset, but the task at hoof has been my top priority."
Okay, she gets it and can forgive her brother for forgetting telling her about the wedding."You've got a really important job protecting all of Canterlot with a force field only you can conjure up."
However: that does not save him from not telling her about this other pony he will be marrying. "But I'm still pretty ticked you're marrying somepony I don't even know! When did you even meet this "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?"" Twilight demands, for surely her brother must've known this other pony for a while now.

Shining Armor chuckles lightly. "You are going to like her Twilight, but you don't have to call her Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." He shakes his head still smiling and thinks it's fair Twilight will be told what his sweetheart much prefer being called. "Call her Cadence."

Cadance? Twilight blinks, is her brother talking about- "Cadence? As in the Cadence? As in the greatest foalsitter in all the history of foalsitters?!" She asks Shining Armor excitedly. He takes a step back by her excitement before he replies her with a smile. "You tell me."
She can't believe it! Her brother is going to marry Cadence! She cheers with joy. "Cadence is only the most amazing pony ever! She's beautiful, she's caring, she's kind— How many unicorns can just spread love wherever they go?" She asks her brother, answering that question herself. "I only know of one! And you're marrying her!" Singing that last phrase while jumping around her very amused brother.

"Twilight!"

Twilight stops her excitedly charting, turns around and spots her brother's soon to be wife in form of a light pink alicorn with mane and tail in dark purple, rose and light gold streaks. "Cadence!" She cheers, jumps over and starts the dance they did when she was a filly. "Sunshine, sunshine—"

Cadence smiles widely and immediately join the dance, both charting " -ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" With the greeting dance over, Cadence pulls Twilight into a hug, giggling of the fond memories she has of this purple unicorn. "It's so good to see you again, Twilight!" About to asks how she is doing but a sudden fatigue flushes over her, making her collapse. Shining Armor is quickly at her side. "Take it easy dear." He tells her softly.

Twilight's before joyful smile drops instantly the moment Cadance collapsed. "Cadence, what's wrong?"

"Because of my duties takes all my time, Cadence has been the one overseeing the preparations for the wedding." Shining Armor explains, gently helping his soon to be wife back on her hooves. When sure she won't collapse again, he turns to his sister, voicing his thoughts. "Could you aid her? It would mean a lot to the both of us."
Cadence nods in agreement, adding with a smile. "Not many ponies do lists as well as you."

Twilight blushes of the praise and they don't even have to ask. "Of course I will help you." From how fatigued Cadence looks, it sure seems like she needs all the help she can get.

Shining Armor smiles. "thanks, sis." but now he has to leave them "I've gotta get back to my station. Good luck with the preparations you two."

Twilight waves after her brother and with him gone, she turns to Cadence. "So where to first?" She asks.
The light pink alicorn chuckles lightly. "I was hoping to see how the food was doing."
Twilight nods, then movements from the corner of her eyes made her realize she has completely forgotten about Sniper. Turning around, her worries ease up seeing that he already knows the way as he is now flying towards where the princess is watching over the city from a tower. That means she and Cadence can turn to the task in hoof planning this wedding. "Let's go." She smiles at her soon to be sister-in-law. "You're going to love what my friend Applejack has for you."

***

Celestia turns away from the binoculars she has been using to watch over the city while her sister is scouting the outskirts of the city with their earth pony captain of the royal guard. "I'm glad you could come on such short notice." She tells this transformed human. Sniper simply nods, signing he is listing. Better tell him the bad news first. "I have lost contact with Spy."

"When?" Sniper asks, seeing why she could not get into further details through the letter.

Celestia sighs. "It has now been nine days. I fear the enemy trying to invade Canterlot got wind of his attempt finding them out and captured him. He told me in case this would happen; I should notify you."

Flattering, especially when it comes from that snake but— "He might've overestimated me, I can only see a threat when I know what I am looking at." and he has no idea what to look for now.

"He said something about your bush-man skills might help you out on this." Celestia points out and has no idea what this bush-man Spy spoke about, only that he said what Sniper would know. And from how Sniper rolls his eyes with a wryly smile, Spy stand corrected on that part.

Well, his survival instincts he refined out in the bush has saved his ass many times over the years, yes even saved him from a couple of back-stabs. "Alright, I will try to find this threat of yours." He replies and the ruler does look very grateful for that. Now the question: "Where should I start?"

Celestia turns her gaze back to the increasingly crowded city of Canterlot. "Start here, with the wedding of Shining Armor and Cadence, there are chances our hidden enemy might try and sneak in." and if they are shape-shifters like Spy, then she needs Sniper sharp eyes more than anything.

"I have a few ideas how." Sniper remarks. Before he started working at RED, his job as an assassin send him once on a mission on sniping someone during a wedding. Not the wedding pair, no it was one of the guests— he was polite enough not to make the kill out in the open, letting the pair have their night without a murder ruining it. Shaking that memory aside, Sniper eyes this tall and radiant alicorn. "I will keep an eye out."

"Good, and I permit you to take whatever resources you will need for your search." Celestia tells this griffin, for according to Spy: Sniper is a very good tracker.

Anything he can get, huh? Well, what about a weapon? "Do you have any guns?" The look she gives him is enough to say that this world has no such things. "What do you ponies have for weapons other than magic?"

"My royal guards use spears and swords." Celestia replies.

"Any long distance weapons? Like bow and arrow?"

"Some of my unicorn guards use such a weapon, but none big enough being useful for you." Celestia says, but do think she can fix that problem. "However, with my magic; I can transfigure a proper weapon for you— come." and takes flight.

Sniper follows this alicorn to the armory, he spots Shining Armor leaving one of the rooms but since he is a captain, Sniper does not pay him any mind. For now at least.
He follows Celestia into a room filled with weapons, she levitates two of these unicorn bows, destroys them and puts them back together with her magic.
When done she offers this bigger and looking awfully alike to a fancy silver huntsman to Sniper. "Try and see if you can use this."
Sniper takes it and really hopes it will be useful; for this bow is gorgeous. He tests the strings and is delighted to feel it works just fine. He does has to be sure and asks for an arrow. Celestia transfigures an arrow big enough for this bow and Sniper shoots that arrow through the room. He smirks that the arrow finds its target in that shield he aimed at. "That will do." and just has to ask;"Can I keep it after this mission?" For this is a really beautiful bow.

Celestia is a bit hesitant giving out weapons like this outside of missions and to ponies not part of the royal guard. "Only if you let me cast a spell there will ensure that nopony can ever get slain by your arrows."

Well, doesn't that make things harder, but he guess he can see where this ruler comes from. "Fine, but at least do I can knock the wankers out." That she agrees on and with a spell there makes everything shot by this bow gets knocked out by a powerful sleeping spell. She then transfigures him a quiver there always will be filled with silver arrows.
This feels like Christmas morning for Sniper and he can deal with this beautiful bow being unable to kill. With his new quiver and bow on his back, "I'll go right to it." and runs off to check on the area where the food gets inside. That was how he got inside to his wedding assassination.

Celestia returns back to her station watching over the city, praying that her subjects will not be harmed from whatever threat her vision warned her about.

(Ten minutes later. Bakery)

Applejack, along with a few members of her huge family are busy as bees making the food, Applejack mostly busy finishing up the last touches, such putting the frosting on the wedding cake, helping Apple Cobbler with the ice sculpture and lastly taking out the bite-size apple fritter. Just about there, the bride arrives with Twilight right at her side. "Hiya, Princess!" Applejack greets her.

"Please, just Cadence." The alicorn says with a sweet smile and starts looking around the kitchen from the delicious smell filling the room. "Wow, something smells really good."

"Glad to hear." Applejack says and offers her the just done plate of apple fritter. Cadence takes a bite and barely done she has already reclaimed another. She does restrain herself from reclaiming a third, telling Applejack. "They are really delicious!" With said country pony beaming and packs a few of the fritters into a bag. "Aw, shucks. Why don't you take a few to go? I know how you brides can be. So busy, you forget to get a little something in your belly."

"Oh, you have no idea." Cadence giggles and takes the bag. She joins Twilight who has taken over her job keeping everything listed down. "Where next?" She asks her assistant, already eating from the bag.

"Now to the dresses." Twilight replies and bites the offered apple fritter her soon to be sister-in-law offers her. Cadence wasn't kidding, these are really good. Swallowing this delicious treat, Twilight explains Cadence. "Rarity is making them in your personal quarters." Cadence nods and with a: "Thanks for the treat." to Applejack, they move out to meet up with Rarity. On their way, Twilight spots Sniper walking around in a way that reminds her of a prowling cat. She would like to ask if he has been hired to keep watch like her brother but before she can, the griffin leaps on top of a building and disappears out from sight.

Noticing Twilight had her attention on that griffin, Cadence asks. "Friend of yours?"

Twilight shakes her head. "No, but I do know Sniper. He... well he prefers keeping to himself, but seems to take whatever he does very seriously, so I haven't gotten much chance speaking with him." She explains and is a bit disappointed in that fact, the transported humans are all interesting in their own unique way. Plus there is a huge possibility that Sniper is connected to one of their Elements of Harmony but other than his team and a few times Rainbow Dash, Sniper isn't talking with anypony. He hasn't tried being social and the other guys have explained to her that Sniper does prefer to be on his own.

"I'm sure you get your chance." Cadence ensures Twilight. The younger pony nods.
On their way, they get a hold on Cadence bridesmaids and at Cadence living quarters Twilight calling into her room to this Rarity.
"Rarity, I and Cadence have come to see the dresses." Barely taking three steps inside and a white unicorn with curly purple hair is before them, bowing. "Your Highness! Let me just start by saying what an honor it is to play a role in such a momentous occasion." She says with a nervous laugh as if fearing she her dresses does not live up to the wedding.
Cadence smiles weakly and gently make Rarity stop bowing. "No need of the formalities around me, dear." and walks over to the dresses. "Are the dresses ready?"

Rarity nods and follows this very kind princess over to the dresses she has been working on non-stop. "Yes, of course." She shows her the dress, explaining Cadence. "I've been working on it ever since I was given the assignment, and I think you'll be pleased with the results!"

That dress is lovely, so Cadence hates saying this. "Don't take this the wrong way, your dress is lovely but... well could you perhaps make a veil— still with flowers? And replace the yellow fabric with white instead and do a longer train?" Quickly adding since she is sure this will be a lot of work for this unicorn. "If it's not too much."

"Oh no worries, darling." Rarity waves her hoof at this also very humble princess. "This is your wedding after all." and writes down the wishes for changes in her notebook.

Cadence smiles thankfully and turns to the bridesmaid's dresses, like her dress they are lovely but to be sure her bridesmaids share her thoughts. "What do you girls think?" She asks the three unicorns at the door.

"I think they are lovely." Twinkleshine, a white pony with pink mane says. The blue unicorn beside her; Minuette, nods in agreement and the turquoise colored Lyra says. "I love them."

And that is enough for her and says to Rarity. "You heard the girls; they are perfect they way they are." Rarity beams and returns on working on the wedding dress. With this done, Cadence and Twilight leave so Rarity can work in peace.
Next is Fluttershy and Cadence is almost awestruck how beautiful this shy young mare can make the bird sing. There is no need correcting the yellow pony, so Cadence instead spends most her time enjoying having tame birds on her.
Lastly she and Twilight head over to check on how Pinkie's party planning is going. It highly amuses the princess on what this pink pony has planned for the party and do think they have time do a little dance, but just as she got her groove, fatigue grabs her.

"Cadence!" Twilight calls worried, offering her once foal-sitter a shoulder as support. Cadence gives her a weak smile. "I must be more tired than I thought." She says. Twilight thinks that perhaps it is best ending today's preparation so Cadence can get proper rest. "Let's get you back to your personal quarters."

"That won't be necessary."

All three ponies turn, seeing Shining Armor walks over to them. He steps up beside Cadence, lets her seek support from him. "I'll take her back to my home." He tells Twilight. She nods in a small agreement and asks both worried. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Shining Armor smiles weakly. "I'll call if there is anything— come on dear." He says to Cadence and guides her back to his home.

Meanwhile, near the huge Canterlot library Sniper is still searching for anything unusual. So far he hasn't caught anything, mostly because he do not know what is abnormal for these ponies. "This is starting to get ridiculous." He grumbles in his bit aimless wander on the roofs. This is starting to feel like when he and RED Spy searched for any clues of what took the others away, like back then; there are no clues and that is frustrating.
Looking up to the tower where Celestia has been keeping watch, he tenses up for a moment seeing another alicorn approaches the ruler to then calm down when it is clear those two know one another, now the dark blue alicorn keeping watch over the city, letting Celestia rest for the night.
There is no rest for Sniper, though. He can rest when he is certain there are no danger looming over the marry couple. Speaking of which. Sniper spots the two walking on the street, noticing that the bride does look quite fatigue, but he is more interested in how calmly her soon to be husband is about it. Quite different from how his first impression was on that unicorn, the Shining Armor he met was quite stressed out and nervous that he couldn't live up to his great task in protecting the city. Well, he wanted something abnormal, and he got it. Sniper follows the two, finding himself hoping his suspicion will be wrong. He doesn't want to be right about his suspicion, not after having seen the better side him, but whatever the case he is right or not. Sniper still wants to be sure that the princess is out from harm.
The pair head into a house well suited for the captain of the royal guard, Sniper stalks after them and is now sort of happy he is part cat as that makes him incredible silent and easily can sneak past the two guard ponies guarding the place. He unlocks a window and slides carefully inside, tensely listing for the pair inside this house.

"Dear, I'm fine."

Sniper stops for a moment hearing the bride's voice downstairs, then carefully sneaks over to the stairs where he can watch the two.

Shining Armor puts her on the couch and levitates a glass of water over to her. Cadence takes it but does not drink, she too deep in thoughts and muses to her soon to be husband worried. "Maybe we should postpone the wedding, waiting to after the threat."

"Don't worry about the threat." He ensures her calmly, too calmly in a certain griffin's eyes. Shining Armor smiles to Cadence. "And it wouldn't be fair for our guests if we cancel the wedding."

"No, I guess not..." Cadence agrees quietly, thinking about how hard Twilight's friends has been working on everything, he's right, it wouldn't be fair for them. Speaking of Twilight. "Your sister has been doing such a wonderful job helping me today."
Shining Armor hums softly and strokes his head against hers, she returns it but does winch when a sudden headache hits her.

Shining Armor levitates the water she yet hasn't drunk back to her. "Drink up, it will make you feel better." She does and patiently he waits for her to pass out. When she is, he smirks and begins stealing the light magic residing inside Cadence. He does stop when an oh so familiar voice says:

"Step away from the princess you filthy imposter."

Shining Armor turns slowly around, smirking to the intruder. "Oh so glad you could come." He says and is glad he now does not have the excuse sending the guards out to fetch him. This makes his job so much easier. He attacks the griffin by shooting a green beam at him, paralyze Sniper from shooting him with his new toys.

Sniper curses, he did not expect him to be this fast! Shining Armor steps over to him, chuckling. "Oh Sniper, that's what I like so much about you: always so set doing everything on your own." Making the griffin winch ever so slightly, turning into convulsion when he did the same thing to him as it did to the princess. Sniper has never felt anything like this before, it was like all his happy emotions got sucked out, only leaving dread behind. When the creature is finished, he cannot stand on his feet and tumbles onto the ground, completely at this emotion sucking monster's mercy. Still, he tries desperately reaching out for his weapon.
The fake Shining Armor steps onto his reaching claws, and with the other kicks the silver bow away. The white unicorn smirks maliciously down to the griffin, behind him a pony made out of some sort of black smoke appears. "Now to the fun part." This pony of shadows steps towards Sniper, it turns into a griffin and an unnatural large smile twists its face in what only should be seen in movies or in someone nightmares.
Sniper is not a man of much fear and never thought such a cheerful place as this had any horrors. But looking at that thing walking towards him, unable to fight or flee, all he can do is wait for it to strike. Sniper has never been this scared in his entire life and wishes that this wouldn't be how he would die.

Author's Note

yeah, I just made switcheroo on the A Canterlot Wedding episode, and I regret nothing.

if you wish an episode in this fanfiction, do tell me and I might add it in future chapters.

Choice of Action

Note: This happens an hour after the last chapter.

(Human world)

The RED team is quite surprised seeing the BLU Demoman walking towards their base with a white flag. With the Respawn down and curious about why an enemy approaches them for the first time with a white flag are the two main factors to why the RED team hasn't already torn him to shreds with their bullets.
"What do you want?" RED Engineer calls out from the window, his gun ready in case this is a set-up.

More than relieved that the RED's at least are willing to hear him out instead of shooting him on sight as the others thought they would. "Do you still have your Medic?!" BLU Demo calls the man dressed in red, noticing the confused frown on the Engineer face so he decides to explain further to why he has come. "Our Sniper needs medical attention!"

Soldier almost knocks the quite baffled Engineer out from the half-open window in his action to tell Demoman of their condition to agree on this. "Only if I escort him!" Soldier cannot explain why but he is somehow seeing BLU Demo as a good pal, maybe it's those dream- he doesn't know but they have made him willing to give this enemy a chance.

Demo simply nods.

Okay, Spy's ramblings must hold some water then. Engineer thinks and heads into the base to explain Medic about this strange request. He finds the doctor at his desk with a load of papers around him but Medic hasn't filed a single paper; too deep in thoughts it seems. "Doc," Engineer calls, getting the doctor's attention. "BLU team is asking for you." Gesturing down to the now calmer but quietly rambling Spy about getting rid of someone the worst possible way. "BLU Spy did indeed get him."

Medic frowns deeply of this new facts, but like with those trapped in Ignis world, it seems RED and BLU has to make a ceasefire with one another here as well. "Let me get my things." He replies and grabs his medical bag before leaving the infirmary along with Engineer.

"Soldier will escort you."

"I would prefer Heavy, but we can't risk they kill one another." Medic remarks dryly of the thoughts having to deal with Soldier as well as the BLU's.

Engineer does not blame him, Soldier can do very stupid things and convince him what he is doing is of no use will only make Soldier the more determent on doing it. "What about Ignis then?" He asks, thinking that one at least won't blow anyone up after a small provocation.

"Better than Soldier."

Engineer heads out to find their immortal guest. He finds Ignis playing chess with Heavy; those two has gotten quite good friends it seems. "Ignis, could you keep Medic safe over at BLU base?"
Both Ignis and Heavy look over to him in surprise, Heavy's gaze quickly turns into mild disappointment but does not say anything.

Heavy may look and sound stupid, but he is actually a smart man and like Medic; he knows why he cannot accompany the doctor to the enemy base.
But what he can do; "Keep doctor safe." He tells Ignis hard. Said immortal salutes and heads over to meet up with Medic.

After have persuaded Soldier that Ignis is the better choice, the two walk out to where BLU Demo waits for them and after a quick nod between Medic and Demo in a silent agreement of not shooting each other in the face. The three head over to the BLU base. There Medic heads straight over to his counterparts infirmary and is surprised to see that BLU Medic also has a cage filled with doves- his doves in fact. His favorite Archimedes isn't there though, he does wonder if his dreams about him being a unicorn and having Archimedes resting on his head is real. He sort of hope so.
Would hate the fact he has lost his favorite dove. Anyway, back to the matter in hand. Medic checks the BLU Sniper's vital signs, the man is fine internally. Mentally however... Sniper is barely reacting to him and what little signs he does show reminds Medic about Spy before he went mental. Okay, this is pretty bad and like with Spy, this is something he cannot fix with medicine. With all his knowledge he has gathered from all his past experiments, he can do nothing to fix this and he hates feeling this useless. What good is he then?
"Ignis." He calls for the alicorn, annoyed that he has to call for help, but if anyone knows what is going on with Sniper and Spy, then it is him. The man walks past the bit nervous BLU's- Medic realizes they have no idea what is going on because Ignis has been staying in RED's base and thus only told them about where he sends the others and what the two sides are really for one another. Brushing those thoughts asides. "What are your thoughts on this?" He asks their new fire user.

Ignis right hand glow slightly from his magic, what his tracker spell catches is quite surprising. "Huh? Been over millennia I last stumbled upon a Changeling victim." He muses, but the memories of this species are not happy ones, in his eyes Changelings are annoying to fight with their shapeshifting ability and can be straight out deadly in larger hordes with their ability to absorb light magic.

"A what?" BLU Scout asks.

The RED Medic turns to the obvious BLU's, thinking Ignis has some explaining to do. It takes the man some time, but when done, BLU's reaction is very much like RED's: startled beyond belief.

"They are still alive?" Heavy asks although it sounds way more like a statement, his next does as well. "And RED are other half of our soul?"

"That's right." Ignis nods to the three remaining BLU and points to the unconscious BLU Sniper. "That is why your Sniper is like this, his other part of the soul has been attacked by a Changeling."

"And what is a Changeling?" Demo asks, completely forgotten about his scrumpy at the moment.

"It's a sort of equine bug." Ignis explains the humans. "In their lava and first stage; a Changeling needs to constantly feed on others light magic- which is powered by positive emotions in order to gain enough strength for their metamorphic and final stage. Usually, the queen and king of the hive will keep their lava and first stage drones constant hunger in check by letting the metamorphic Changelings bring them the light magic they need. I think the one there attacked that man's other half of his soul must've encountered a rouge— it's a Changeling without a hive." He adds from the confused looks the mercenaries gives him. "A changeling without a hive cannot get enough light magic to metamorphic, so meeting one is always nasty business—don't worry, he should be fine in a week or so."

He wonders, "How does a Changeling look like?" Demo asks, for how this red-haired man explained a Changeling nature, it reminds him a bit of that thing he saw in his dreams about colorful horses. Perhaps those dreams are what RED Demo sees?

"Well, a Changeling is a shapeshifter, so you won't know you're looking at one until they drop the disguise on their own account or gets knocked out. But if you see one without a disguise then the one there attacked your Sniper would look like a black bug in shape of a horse with holes in its hooves. Their eyes are blue and lacking pupils- oh and their constant hunger for light magic makes them attack pretty much anything." Ignis explains and is about to explain how a metamorphic Changeling looks like but before he can.

"I have dreams about Spy being such a thing!" Demo says, his remaining eye wide in shock. "Bloody hell, he is a Changeling!"

Wait what? "Come again." Ignis frowns, why have a bearer of the Pillars been turned into a Changeling? Only the pony kind should bear the Pillars, it has always been like that.

"Spy is a Changeling." Demo repeats and if his dreams are from his counterpart then. "But he's not attacking anyone, he's gotten quite the nice guy."

Scout snorts hearing that. "Only when hell freezes over that back-stabbing scumbag turn into a 'nice' guy."

"Or come to a place filled with colorful ponies..." Medic muses under his breath, anyway better get back to base before the Administrator gets irritated enough to lure a new wave of robots their way. "There is nothing I can do for your Sniper. He is currently dealing with the effects RED Sniper is going through. All you can do for him is making sure he stays fed and hydrated. Hopefully, he will recover when RED Sniper does— oh and you better restrain him." For according to Spy's mumbling, BLU Spy did something towards him so there is a chance Sniper might attack someone when he wakes. The BLU's exchange looks with one another in confusions but does as Medic requested.

(early next morning)

So much pain, it hurts so much. And yet the dark side of him shrugs it off with the thought that he deserves it, that someone like him does not deserve happiness and also, in a twisted sense, if he does not deserves happiness; no one should. The sinister voices in his head kept him from thinking on those he cares about, kept him from fighting the darkness holding over him. He has become a cold, calculated infiltrator, a master of deceit. He has no loyalty, no care for anyone but those holding what he wants. That is the only reason why he obeys her, so he can get the food his body screams for every single second of his existence, adding to the pain he suffers from. These ponies will suffer, they will become food to end his agonizing hunger and he can find pride that he was the one who did it.
But alas, he is getting a bit ahead of himself.
He still needs to remove the conduit before the invasion starts, it will be easy enough to draw her in. After all, he made sure to put her guard down by pretending to be her loving brother. There is no need forcing her, all he can say is a small request and she will follow him willing right into the trap. Twilight won't know what hit her before it is too late and he will enjoy watching hope drain out from her eyes right before he kills her.

RED Spy mumbles out the thoughts of the other half of his soul, he is unable to know where the BLU Spy start and where his mind ends. For the first time after years of separation, their minds are tightly connected, in a twisted sense of irony, all thanks to the darkness controlling the BLU Spy. RED Spy is completely unaware of where he is and the German man standing beside him, all he sees is the hallways his other is walking down, following those foolish ponies he has tricked completely. "Soon, soon the conduit will be gone... the queen will reclaim this land... the darkness will return..." He mutters out, before returning back to the incoherent mumbling.

Medic does not like what Spy is saying, not one bit at all. He might not fully know what Spy is truly talking about, only that it sounds like if BLU Spy gets this conduit, then some sort of darkness will return. "What conduit?" He asks the mumbling Spy.
The barely conscious man snaps his eyes up to him, revealing his pupils have gotten disturbingly big as they fill all of his eyes now. Medic barely restrains himself from jumping away, but he does grab his bonesaw at this quite creepy sight. "What conduit?" He repeats to the man there is possessed by something he has no chance of fighting and that is what scares him. Medic can only hope that whatever is possing the two spies won't be able to leave its vessel and attack— if it can then they are so screwed,
A wicked smile appears on Spy's face. "A sweet little pony, soon her purple pelt will be tainted in red, her shining eyes frozen in horror when someone she trusted will take her life- sound familiar oh tormenter of the defenseless and innocent?" He asks mockingly and would've probably attacked if not for the restrains.
...Yes, that sounds awfully familiar, in more ways than Medic would like to admit... And now he knows who BLU Spy will kill. That unicorn he often sees in his dreams, smiling awkwardly after he has shared a bit of how twisted his mind has become but somehow still want to know the human behind the self-proclaimed monster.
"Twilight." Medic whispers, he may not know this Twilight in person, but he knows from the link with the BLU Medic that he is starting to consider her a friend. And if Spy's mumbling about her being a conduit is true, then without her; the Elements of Harmony, the possible only weapon against this threat- it won't work without her. "Scheiße! Ich halte die wichtigen Fakten, aber ich kann es nicht bringen, wo es darauf ankommt!" He curses on his father language and storms out from the infirmary.

"What is wrong?" Heavy asks Medic when he noticed the frustrated look the doctor has on his face, he only gets such a look if a project of his really went wrong or if someone mentions the Nazis. Neither has happened, so Heavy wonder if Spy's mumbling has revealed something bad. He stops Medic's walk, repeating his question. "Josef, what is wrong?" As it seems like Medic did not hear him the first time.

Medic only notices Heavy when the man's big hand lands on his shoulder and he hears his name being spoken, it takes him a moment to realize Heavy asked him a question and with a sigh, he explains to the big man what he has learned from Spy. "BLU Spy going to kill someone important— a pony named Twilight Sparkle."

Heavy admits that all of this links between their other and the lost members being in a world filled with colorful horses talk does go right over his head. But Heavy thinks he does not need to understand, he just has to accept it. "Can no one there stop other Spy?" He asks Medic, for honestly, what can they do here?

Medic pinches the bridge of his nose as he has, much to his frustrations come to the same conclusion. "I'm afraid not... what I got from Spy; his counterpart has them completely fooled. Sniper might've known but from how BLU Sniper is out cold, I say BLU Spy got our Sniper." And that is saying something for Sniper has been practically the only one besides from Pyro who could detect Spy when disguised or cloaked.

Heavy see, but still. "What can we do?" The only way they can do anything is that one of them goes to that place. "We can only bring message by go there."

True, but with the danger of them wanting to kill their counterpart for some strange reason looming over them, only two can go and that is Heavy and Scout— hold up, Scout. Could he be their answer? "Where's Ignis?" He demands, Medic knows he is running a high risk revealing this, but he will never forgive himself if Twilight dies. What he got from his other and Spy's rambling; the Elements of Harmony is the only object there can fight this darkness. That is why this darkness wants Twilight dead; she is the conduit of that ancient magic.

"In living room." Heavy replies and follows Medic as fast as he can which is hard as Medic is the second fastest of the team. Inside the living room, they find their immortal only with a half eye open from boredom watching television along with Scout. Medic does not waste a second asking. "Ignis, does love to family count as light magic?"
Both Ignis and Scout look up in confusion, while Heavy, on the other hand, starts to understand what Medic is asking. The hints have been subtle but for those who listens and watches closely would see that Spy doesn't really hate Scout and all those insults were merely to throw off any suspicious. Heavy do spend a lot of time listing to the other team members, and after having spoken with Medic about it— who found the connection because he could see the biological resemble. Both have come the realization that Spy is Scout's father and hints over time have shown that Spy doesn't really hate the boy as everyone else thinks. If he truly did then he wouldn't' have agreed on teaching Scout how to be around women such as Miss Pauling or even put up with the boy's often very annoying shenanigans with only a few insults.

Confused by this sudden question, Ignis replies. "Yeah, love is the most powerful form of light magic. Why?"

Heavy and Medic exchange a look with one another, both knowing what this will mean but in order for their unspoken plan to happen, Ignis will have to transport Scout to that world. Heavy doubts Scout will like if he got told he is the son of the man he hates with a passion or does his job if just getting thrown into that world on his own. Perhaps it is best that he go with him, it will make it easier for RED team when they need to work together with BLU. "I will go." Heavy says.

Understanding by those simple words, Medic nods and although Heavy can easily restrain Scout so Ignis can transport them both, getting the kid to do his job will be a pain in the neck if it's for Spy's sake. So instead he says. "Hopefully you will be enough to save our fallen comrade." As hoped that gets Scout's attention.

"The hell are you two knucklehead talking about?" Scout asks, wondering where Heavy will go and on his own.
Heavy send him a small glance "I will go to other place. Help Sniper." with Medic adding. "From how BLU Sniper was when I intended to him, it seems our Sniper is in big trouble." That sounds really bad, Scout thinks and although he does not fancy the thought of going, he thinks he owes Sniper for sticking up to him more than once. Besides, Heavy is so slow that he won't be able to catch whoever has been foolish enough to hurt Snipes— and Scout is certain that is why they have this conversation around him... "Fuck I hate you guys..." Scout grumbles, more so when he gives in to their subtle request of giving them a hand. "Fine, I'll go too— but only because Heavy can't catch anything with that snail speed of his!" He retorts to Medic's smug smile.

Medic and Heavy both smiles over the victory, with the latter saying to Medic. "This might work." but know they can only hope Scout relation to Spy will help them out with that threat RED Spy indirectly warned them about.

Medic sure hopes so as well, only one way to find out. "Ignis, bring Heavy and Scout where you send the others."

Ignis blinks at this sudden command, but hey, he's not complaining; was thinking on teleporting them there anyway. "Okay." He shrugs but would like a bit preparation, oh and the last Pillar he felt. He jumps out from the couch with: "I would like that little lady went with you as well."

Scout blinks in his surprise hearing this. "Miss Pauling?" Which leads to the question. "Why?" Not that he complains, it will give him a chance to get her to know better and perhaps get them on that date they never got to after that bread monster attack.

Snatching a lighter from the kitchen table. "It was weak, but I sensed one of the lost Pillars of Virtue inside of her. Plus-" He smirks to the three mercenaries. "It will leave the statement to that evil woman that I am not one to messed around with."

Whatever the man says, Heavy simply shrugs and warns him. "Miss Pauling hard to get a hold on." and is wondering. "Can we bring weapons?"

"Hm, need to track her then..." Ignis muses and with the lighter as a source of fire. He summons his wings through his magic, turning to the three bit startled humans seeing what he has heard a lot of human calls an angel- no idea what that is- only they think he is one when he summons his wings. "No, your weapons will be left behind. So don't bother with that. I will send you there the moment I get hold on Miss Pauling, shouldn't take long." and after have walked out from the door, he takes to the sky.

With the man with the flaming angel wings gone, Scout turns to Heavy, still confused about why Heavy want them to that other world. "Why the hell us?"

Telling Scout the truth will only make the kid refuse to go, sure Scout might learn it on his own, but Medic much rather want that than dealing with Spy blackmailing him for life because of this. "Only you and Heavy have the other half of your souls nearby. And with the respawn still down, one wrong move and you will lose your other half forever." Medic explains the youngest of the team.

"We are best choice." Heavy eyes Scout with a small smirk. "But if tiny man too afraid, I will take BLU Scout."

That might be his other soul, but still. "Oh no you don't! If you take anyone then you take the better half of me!" Scout snaps, unaware he completely fell for it.

Medic and Heavy exchange an amused look how easy it is persuading this kid. Turning back to the annoyed speedster. "Good, let us eat. Immortal man will not be back soon." Heavy says, also thinking that they probably won't get anything to eat for a while in that other world if they have to chase BLU Spy down.

***

(two hours later)

Everyone from RED is now up and sort of happy that today seems to be a day without fighting, something they all need, yes even Soldier. Fighting all the time is very exhausting both mentally and externally, not that the Administrator would know about that. She has more than once tried to remove their already few off hours.
Their moment of calmness breaks of the sound something breaking.
"It's the BLUs!" Soldier shouts and runs to fetch his weapons, but no, their invader proves to be Ignis— who apparently forgot to use a door and instead decides to crash through the already broken roof, holding a very dismayed Miss Pauling in his arms.

"Howdy there, Miss Pauling." Engineer greets her casually, already knowing what is going to happen from what Medic has told them. He then sends their immortal guest a small glare. "Use the door the next time." He got enough to repair already without Ignis destroying more of their roof.

Ignis laughs sheepishly, he turns to Heavy and Scout. "Ready?" They nod, leave the table and stand in the middle of the room.

"Guys, what is going on?" Miss Pauling demands, she has been doing very important missions for Helen when Ignis suddenly snatched her and that winged man has refused to tell her anything.

Medic fills up his cup of tea. "Something about you has a Pillar of Virtue inside and Ignis wants it back to his world." With Soldier, now returned from the armory saluting her. "Nice trip men!"

Oh, they gotta be kidding! Miss Pauling shoots Ignis a glare, although far from an intimidating one, for honestly: what can she do against someone who is four thousand years old? "Don't you dare!" She let out a yelp when he throws her over to the two, caught by Heavy. Before she can away, the wings of flames from Ignis surrounds them in a ring of fire.

"Oh, I dare alright." Ignis grins and with a two fingered wave, he has seen Demo do when he blew up a bunch of robots. "Have a nice trip!" and the flames teleports them to his world.

Engineer eyes the spot where the three disappeared, then returns back to his newspaper. "Well, at least you didn't burn the floor."

"You are trying my patience Ignis."The Administrator voice suddenly speaks through the megaphones, making every remaining mercenary look up from whatever they are doing.

"That's what happens when you tick off an alicorn soldier." Ignis retorts back, dismissing his magic and his wings disappear again. "You should've known you were playing with fire when you decided to blackmail me. "

So Helen noticed, but she's not really afraid of this immortal being. Everything point at that Ignis is not the man going out to kill out of spite. Although this spitting in her face by keep on removing her people is getting very irritated, more so when he had the gall in taking her most loyal assistance. But as much she would like to torment him, she can do little against him with the powers he possesses. She does wonder if she can put his immortality against him though. Has to study up on that. But for now, all she can do is punish the mercenaries for this act."RED because you didn't lift a finger to stop Ignis from removing two of your members and my assistance: you won't be allowed any leave. Any attempt doing so and you won't ever be able to show your faces in public."

The remaining of RED all tense up hearing this, anger fuming off of them hearing they won't be able to get a bit away from the battlefield nor see their families.

Turning the switch to the BLU base, she tells those there."You broke protocol by asking the RED team for aid."The BLU's snap their attention to the speakers, dreading she would've known this. Helen doesn't care if they had a good reason for doing it. If the BLU Sniper died for real then she would've found a new one. Doing the soul split treatment is a pain and expensive though, but it has spared her time in finding two people with the same skill set."For that, you won't leave the base until the lost RED and BLU has been returned. Any attempt leaving for any reason and you won't ever be able to show your faces in public."The BLU's exchanges look with one another, both horrified that they won't be able to leave their base or battlefield and wondering how they are supposed to make their other souls return in order to leave this place again.
Helen then does so both teams can hear her."Your break is over, go out and fight!"She turns on the respawn machine again."Your respawn is back, so if I see any of you holding back."

Begrudgingly, RED and BLU leave their base and run out to return the war games, all swearing curses of the punishment the Administrator gave them. The only one not fighting is Ignis, instead, the alicorn stands on the RED building, watching the two sides fight and cannot help but think about the civil war he once was part of. Except for this mini-war before him has no reason to really be fought.

Author's Note

well, several of you have been waiting for this, Heavy and Scout are going to Equestria! Miss Pauling too and with that, I have a question for you guys: what should she be?
earth pony, unicorn or pegasus?

I will write her as whatever get the most votes.

The Invasion

When the flames from Ignis disappeared, Heavy lands onto a very clean and beautiful crystal blue floor. Before he gets the chance to look properly around, Scout and Miss Pauling land on top of him. Perhaps it was a good thing he landed first, for he is sure he would've crushed them with his size. Looking up to the two, Heavy blinks seeing not two young adult humans, but instead two ponies, the one he presumes is Miss Pauling has become an aqua blue unicorn with lilac hair there has a single black stripe in both the mane and tail. Scout on the other hand... well Heavy thinks Scout has become a pegasus with those bird wings, but shouldn't he have become a Changeling like Spy? Have he and Medic been wrong?If they have then this will make the whole reason coming here been for nothing.

"Ugh, why do I feel like I just witness the worst baseball match ever?" Scout mutters to himself, caressing his chest with his hoof–wait hoof?! Scout jerks his no longer hand away, making him fall down from whatever he landed on. He stares at the now dark brown with huge dents- as if been beaten by a baseball bat too many time hoof. Why the hell has he- oh wait, he is in that pony world the others at times talks about. "Um, okay?" He gets up and trots around himself, bit disappointed what form this world has giving him. He is so... bland. His coat is dark brown, darker around the base of his neck and down his spine. for some reason, he has gotten a sort of tattoo on his butt in form of two baseballs, weird but okay. His hair and weird looking tail dark reddish brown- the wings make up for it though. "Oh man, I sure hope I can fly with these babies." He grins flaps his new although quite tattered limps. He lets out a small yelp when what he stands beside starts to move. Proves to be Heavy and—"Shit even here you are one big motherfucker." The huge merlot colored horse with a boring brown decorating his the base of his legs and a big spot on his chest. His tail- the only thing he has since Heavy is bald has the same color. The now big horse shoots him a small stare before he turns to the— even as a pony Miss Pauling is nice looking, Scout must admit that. "You alright Miss Pauling?" Heavy asks.

"No, I am not alright!" Miss Pauling snaps at the two, she–they have been turned into horses by Ignis. Ugh, now she truly regrets not to have shot him the first time he introduced himself. "We have been turned into horses—why didn't you stop him?!" She did not notice Scout flinches as if he got whipped.

Unfazed by her anger as it is understandable why Miss Pauling would be upset. She did not get any warning this would happen. "Sniper needs our help." Heavy explains the now unicorn shaped Miss Pauling calmly. "We did not plan bring you, but Ignis insisted."

"Yeah, and it's not like we could fight him..." Scout laughs weakly. "Last time we did he fired a fricking fireball at us– didn't hurt as much as Pyro's flames though." Really hoping Miss Pauling will calm down. It sort of hurts she being angry at them. He feels like getting whacked by an invisible hand, winches and when opening his eyes again, he looks into Miss Pauling very crosses green eyes.

Miss Pauling is not amused. "Now is not the time joking around Scout." She tries to get on her feet to then stumble when this body is made to walk on four and not two. She bites down a scream of frustrations.

Noticing Scout flinches from what frustrations Miss Pauling must be feeling this very moment gives Heavy hope that the plan with Scout will indeed work. "Scout, you feel Miss Pauling emotions, yes?" He asks, just to be sure.
Both Scout and Miss Pauling look up to him in confusion. The latter then turns to Scout there scratches his left hoof nervously. "Um... I think so..."

"What?!" Miss Pauling exclaims in shock, Scout can feel her emotions?? "How is that possible?" She demands.

Getting overloaded by her negative emotions there reminds him a bit too much of his mother's former ex there had a habit slapping him for talking back. Scout's first instinct is to move away from this mental threat. "I don't know, okay." He just wants her to feel better so the tension will disappear. He does not notices he sought protection beside Heavy, whose emotions is way calmer which gives his now very stressed mind some relief. "Please don't be angry..." He tells her softly, exactly like he would when his mother was upset.

Heavy feel a bit sorry for Scout now hiding behind him, pretty sure he is getting blasted with Miss Pauling's negative emotions. Something Scout is not used to, not to mention he can barely control his own emotions. That makes Scout extra sensitive to what others feel. Heavy has an idea that's is why Scout talks so much and too arrogant to hear others; he is used to dealing with people annoyed at him but frustrations of the current situation from Miss Pauling. That must be difficult for his untrained mind to comprehend and tackle properly. He eyes the mare, telling her plainly. "What done is done. Do not lash out at Scout."
He must admit that it is sort of ironic that someone trying so hard not admitting his own emotions now is forced to endure others.

Seeing how vulnerable Scout looks, not at all used to see the cocky Scout like this. And knowing it is her frustrations and anger there somehow harms him. Miss Pauling takes a deep breath, calming herself. "Alright, let's... let's figure out where he brought us." She says calmer and very unsure on her feet starts moving down this hallway they ended up in.

Heavy gives Scout a small look before he follows. Scout is close behind, however unlike in the human world; the speedster does not approach Miss Pauling and tries to flirt with her. She must still be pretty upset, Heavy guesses.
They do not get far down this hallway when the door on the other side opens by what Heavy presume are guards and the moment these guard ponies spots them. They draw their spears on them. Heavy do consider punching them- wait hooves, so it is a kick instead, either way, he decides to let things play out for now.

"Identify yourself!" One of the guards demands, just as Twilight, her friends, Cadence, Shining Armor and Celestia leave the soon to be wedding room after the reversal.

Okay, this whole world is filled with talking horses, Miss Pauling observes and thinks it might be best getting out from here as quick as possible before they get into needless trouble. "I'm sorry, we got a little lost." She tells the guards.

Celestia steps over to them, asking with a soothing voice. "Where were you heading?" Eyeing this unicorn with suitcase having waves of papers flying out for a cutie mark. A pony she has not seen in the castle before.

Taking aback by this radiant, tall and clearly, the queen if that crown indicates to anything horse, Miss Pauling tries desperately to come up with a believable excuse, but before she can, Scout exclaims loudly. "It hurts! Make it stop!" Collapsing onto the floor, whimpering as if he is going through his personal torture. Okay, this is really starting to worry her. "Scout? What's wrong?" She asks in near panic from not knowing what to do.

The other ponies jerks back to this colt sudden reaction. Celestia steps over to see if she can help, she taps lightly this trembling colt with her horn, filling his body with her healing magic. He slowly stops shaking, much to her relief. "Feeling better young one?" She asks, giving him a soft smile.

Scout nods slowly, glad of the relief from the pain there hit him like a brick wall is gone. But to his horror, as this warm soothing this radiant horse gave him fades away, the agony returns. His eyes start darting around for the source, and when he spots it; he freaks out. Jumping onto his hooves and backs away from that white, with blue hair of a unicorn. His whole body screaming at him to get away from that mental assault he gets from that unicorn.

Twilight frowns deeply on this strange pegasi's reaction the second he spotted her brother. Turning to Shining Armor; she is not surprised seeing him frown deeply at this scared out of his mind colt. Back to this pegasus. "There is no reason to fear." She tries to ensure this freaked out young stallion.
Shining Armor nods and steps over to the three. "I mean you no—"

"Stay away from me you freak!" Scout cries, backing further away from him. But that is not enough, the pain is too great so he flees to get away from this agony and loath to the whole world he is sensing from that one.

"Scout!" Miss Pauling calls but he does not listen, so busy getting away from whatever is freaking him out. "I'm sorry." She apologizes to the overly confused group and with "Let's go Heavy." She follows after Scout with Heavy close behind.

Heavy does, however, send that male unicorn a glance, it seems like he has found the BLU Spy.
He will need to get Spy to reveal himself, though. It's clear he is disguised as someone important, doubt Scout will be any help as it is clear whatever going on with Spy is a pure agony for the speedster. No matter, Scout did his main job and now can let Heavy do the rest.

"What was that all about?" Rainbow Dash asks of that scene, watching those strange two ponies leave to find the one there panicked for no apparent reason. But no one has an answer. Well, Pinkie sort of did but not on Rainbow Dash's question.

"Their names sounded very much like the others." She giggles.

Twilight blinks hearing this, could these three be from where Spy, Demo, Engineer, Sniper, Medic and Soldier are from? If that's the case then why did this Scout react so badly on her brother? She feels a hoof on her back, turning around she sees it is her brother.
"Could we speak in private for a moment?" He asks her in a worried tone. She nods, thinking he too must be worried why that strange pegasus yelled at him like that. She and Shining Armor leave the others, heading to a place where they can talk in peace.

She did not see the sinister look on Shining Armor's face.

"Scout?" Miss Pauling calls, now inside some room decorated for a party. She lets out a sigh of relief when Scout slowly walks over to her with a very pathetic look on his face– like someone has thrown him into a cell filled with dead puppies. She walks over to him, demanding hard. "What happened? Why did you freak out like that?"

"I..." Scout drops his head further, he is so exhausted and numb from all these mentally assaults he got in such short among of time. His mind hasn't been able to handle it. "It hurt me... he hurt me alright!" The last of the sentence he snaps, baring his teeth so the longer canine can be seen.
Miss Pauling takes a step back, startled by the sudden aggressively thrown at her, good Scout thinks, for all he feels right now is numbness from that pain. "It fricking hurt, but it's not like you give a shit. All you care about is going home to your bitch boss!!" The numbness rapidly gets replaced with an unknown rage, one he cannot control.

"Scout—"

"Don't you Scout me!" He snaps at the scared unicorn, stomping hard onto the ground. "I am sick and tired of you continually ignoring what I am saying– am I not good enough for you is that it?!" He sneers, but he's not really surprised, everyone thinks that. He tried to be nice, but it seems girls only want bad boys, well, he sure hell can be that if that's what it takes.

Miss Pauling takes another step away from Scout, for the first time afraid of him. She hasn't been aware how much her ignoring him had hurt his feelings. He never seemed to notice if she listened or not, but he must've for there are so much pain and anger behind every word.
She has often dealt with people threatening her as Helen has many enemies, but usually, she would have a gun or the mercenaries like Scout to deal with them. Miss Pauling has never seen Scout this angry, so rageful; so much that sparks start surround him- wait what? Why does his body spark as if he's charged like a thundercloud?
That can't be healthy.
"Scout listens to me—" She tries to calm him but a predator hiss from Scout made her back further away. Her body tense as it looks as if he's ready to attack her.

"Enough." Heavy cuts in, stepping in between the two. Scout glares up at him, most of his body is filled with sparks of negativity. "You want a piece of me, fatso?!" Heavy does not answers, simply stepping over to him. Scout found that action as a provocation and tackles into him. Didn't do much, though, as Scout's mind is too clouded by the negativity he has gotten from both Miss Pauling and the disguised Spy. Heavy is sort of glad that Scout is uncoordinated in his anger and he does not have a weapon, he might've done more damage than merely knocking the air out of him during a lucky hit. Then, about five minutes of attacking, Scout drops to the floor, whimpering now that he has released all his anger onto the punching bag Heavy deliberately made himself for this frustrated young man. Seeing that Scout now has gotten rid of his anger, Heavy carefully sits down beside the whimpering speedster and puts a hoof on Scout's shoulder, thinking about the sweet but rare moments with his family. He thinks about his loving mother, figuring that Scout can relate from how much the kid talks about his own mother.

Feeling a soothing and oh so welcoming feeling there reminds him of the time when his mother comforted him as a child, Scout lets go of his anger and lets this way better feeling in. Unaware he curls up beside Heavy; the changeling side of him craving for this way better source of food and that heals up his exhausted mind. He lets out a sigh of relief, not sure how but he thinks Heavy is the cause of this. "Thanks, paly..." He says quietly but does not move away from the more horse sized man.

Heavy simply hums in reply, he's more relieved that his theory actually worked. He turns around, seeing Miss Pauling stand a bit away, very unsure and somewhat scared of what has just happened to Scout. She does slowly walk over to them, asking Scout carefully. "Did you... did you mean those words?"
Scout winches, he is quiet for a painfully long time before he answers in almost a whisper. "Maybe a little..."
Miss Pauling opens her mouth, but Heavy does not think that now is the time for them talking about their one-sided relationship. "Miss Pauling, I need your help with Spy."

"Spy?" Miss Pauling blinks.

"Da, horse Scout yelled at, it was Spy." Heavy explains and is sort of surprised that Scout did not insult the man as he usually does. And apparently, Scout sensed that as the young man says quietly. "I hate him, but I don't want anyone suffering through that shit."

"Heavy didn't say anything." Miss Pauling points out in confusion, turning to said huge horse when Heavy chuckles lightly and explains much to her surprise. "Little Scout feel my surprise." Now said emotion detector snorts as if offended. Okay, this is getting weird, but something she can think about later. Now it is time to get a hold on Spy. "Let's get Spy." She says and leaves with Heavy close behind.
She does stop for a moment, turning to the still lying Scout. Usually, she would command him to come as well, but after have witness what he is dealing with. "Get some rest." He slowly nods, too tired to argue.
With that done, she and Heavy hurry as fast they can– which is not fast as neither has gotten used to walking on four legs.
Heavy is the one who spots the disguised Spy first. "There." Nodding to where Spy and a purple unicorn are walking into a lone room. They walk over to the room as fast their new bodies will allow them. Stepping inside, a horrific sight meets them.

The still-disguised Spy has the terrified purple unicorn underneath his hooves as if about to crush her skull with a stomp. He looks up and sneers of the interruption, he stomps once over the mare's hoof, not breaking it but did cause enough damage that she won't be able to run or get away. Stepping away from the whimpering in pain unicorn the disguised Spy now turns his full attention to the two intruders. "You should've stayed out of this." And jumps at Heavy.

Heavy tries to punch this disguised spy with his hooves but Spy is too fast and Heavy is the one getting kicked; right over the face.
"They belong to me, fat man!" The disguised Spy sneers before jumping at Miss Pauling, she did not stand a chance. She got tackled down and Heavy does not recover fast enough to save her from getting knocked out by getting hurled into a pillar.
Heavy let out a war-cry and somehow manages to catch this way faster Spy and throws him to the floor. Like with Scout he uses his emotions, this time though, as a weapon. He lets Spy feel his rage, and his determination to beat some senses into him. The disguised Spy freezes up for a moment, but quickly recovers and tackles into Heavy. He turns into his true form and lunges his way longer canine teeth into Heavy's neck, truly going into being a vampire. Heavy cries in pain from the bite bit also feeling himself get drained, not of blood but something else. He steers and jumps in attempt getting this bug looking horse off his neck. But no matter what he tries, Spy refuses to fall off. Heavy's body starts to feel heavy and numb, he tries to fight it but that only makes him stumble onto the floor.

Spy jumps off, smirking smugly down to the fallen stallion.

"Spy?"

He turns around, facing the teary purple unicorn.

"W-Why?" Twilight asks, feeling hurt and betrayed by this Changeling there always proclaimed to friendly and on their side. Has that all been a lie?
Spy walks over to her, forcing her head up with his hole filled hoof, smirking maliciously

"Because I can." He says, for a moment his smirk falters as if remembering something. He steps back and shoots a green beam at the floor. Green flames surround Twilight, dragging her down and away. He stares at the spot for a moment, then he smirks again and turns to Heavy, licking his mouth hungrily. "Now, where is that brat?"
Heavy refuses to tell, much to Spy's annoyance, and because he doesn't have time to torture the answer out, he decides just to trap this dimwitted fool and Miss Pauling in a cocoon so he can feed on them later. Putting up his Shining Armor disguise again, he heads out to find Cadence and makes sure she is fully under his control. Can't have his main prize will leave on her big day, after all.

****

Deep down in the underground caves of Canterlot, Twilight struggles onto her hooves, crying of the betrayal but also the dread that she might've lost her brother to that monster. She is so close to collapses and cries herself hoarse, but a weak call behind one of the many walls around her makes Twilight look up, recognizing the voice. With renewed hope, Twilight shoots a beam at this wall, gasping in shock and relief seeing her brother, chained, highly ruffled up but alive. "Brother!" She cries and limps over to him.

A single spell releases him from the chain and Shining Armor hugs her tightly. "Twily! Oh, I was so worried what that monster would've done to you." He exclaims very relieved, then worried when seeing the huge bruise on her leg. "Twily, your leg."

"It looks worse than it is." She tells him, glad that big earth pony and blue unicorn came, without them, Spy might've killed her. Speaking of that traitor. "This is all my fault... Spy, he.. I told him so much...!" She cries, feeling stupid that she let her guard down around him. Believing his words of not wishing them any harm.

Shining Armor hushes her gently. "Shh, it's not your fault. You didn't know." and hugs her again, his attention is however drawn to a weak light shining, a light inside of him calling to follow. It is a bit odd as he did not feel this a few hours ago, but something tells him that if he follows it; he will find his beloved Cadence. "I think... I think I know the way out— can you walk?" He asks Twilight. She nods and limping starts following her brother. They both hurry as fast Twilight leg will allow her through the caves.

***
After having left the now fully brainwashed Cadence in her quarters, Spy walks over to his room, where he puts on the black uniform for the wedding. At the mirror, he takes a golden medal.

'This day is going to be perfect
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small'

With the medal decorating his chest, he walks among the many uniforms Rarity has made.

'All those armor loving bores, say I look great in uniform
What they don't know is that I have fooled them all!'

He smirks evilly, his usually blue eyes shifting to a poison green.

***

Down in the caves, Shining Armor wants to hurry but is keeping a slower pace for his sister's sake.

'This day was going to be perfect
The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small...
But instead of having cake
With all my friends to celebrate
My wedding bells, they may not ring for me at all… '

He stops when Twilight stumbles and helps her back up. Dreading they might not get out in time...

***

'I could care not a thing about the ring
I won't partake in any cake'

Spy trashes the bowl of fruit, such garbage cannot sustain him.

'Vows, well I'll be lying when I say
That through any kind of weather
I'll want us to be together
The truth is I don't care for her at all'

Looking out the window where his soon to be main food source is heading for the ceremony.

'No I do not love the bride
For my heart is dead inside!
But I still want him to be all mine!'

***
Shining Armor levitates his sister onto his back, when sure she won't fall off, he starts running.

We must escape before it's too late
Find a way to save the day
Hope, I'll be lying if I say
"I don't fear that I may lose her
To one who wants to use her
Not care for, love, and cherish her each day!"'

They encounter an old mine, and to their luck, there is a mining cart on the rails.

'For I oh so love the bride
Oh in my heart, she does reside.'

He puts Twilight into the cart and with a strong push, the cart starts moving. He almost misses it if his sister hasn't used her own levitation magic on him.

'Oh, Princess Cadence, I'll soon be by your side!'

The rail gets to a sudden halt as part of it has fallen apart, throwing the cart over the edge. Shining Armor activates his shield spell around both him and Twilight, making them bounce off the rock below and end back on the other side where the light is calling him.

***

The ceremony has begun, Spy, disguised as Shining Armor steps up as the groom he is, smirking watching his food source offering herself on a silver platter as she walks up to him in that lovely dress.

'Finally the moment has arrived!
For me to take a very lucky bride.'

***

Once again running headlong through the caves there seemly has no end.

'Oh, the wedding we won't make
She'll end up marrying a fake
Princess Cadence will be...'

***
"...mine, all mine." Spy smirks and with a chuckle, lets Celestia do the boring vows.

***

Still trapped in these caves, in desperations, Shining Armor shoots a beam at one of the many crystals surrounding them, but all that got him is a hole leading to yet more caves. He groans. "We're never going to save her if we cannot get out from here."

"We will." Twilight ensures him, searching the caves for any sign of a way out. "We just have to find... there!" She spots light way above them. She limps over to her brother and uses a teleportation spell, taking them to the wanted spot. About to move, Twilight and Shining Armor stop when a crystal lands before them from above, they look up and stare horrified at a maniac looking griffin in form of Sniper.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asks, menacingly. He leaps down from his spot and hits the force field conjured by Shining Armor. The somewhat now darker griffin recovers from the sudden spell, he stalks around the force field. "Come out and play little ponies~" He sing-songs.

Twilight is heartbroken seeing that Sniper too is in on it. "Oh no... you too Sniper...!"

"Me too little pony, me too." Sniper replies with a wicked grin and attacks the force field, trying to claw himself through it. "And I am going to tear you to pieces! Maybe eat you too." He says now on top of the force field. His usual stoic professionalism is completely gone, replaced with a bloodthirsty killer. "Fight me all you like, it's going to be fun watching that desperate hope stay in your dead eyes after I have killed you."

Shining Armor narrow his eyes of this far from friendly griffin, he remembers seeing this one. But this griffin wasn't so... bloodthirsty back then. "Something wrong with him." He says, for a moment ignoring this griffin constantly voicing how he is going to tear them apart. "I think... that Changeling has some sort of control over him."

"Nah, this is all me. " Sniper replying from above the forcefield, looking grinningly down to them. "Spook did remind me how bloody useless it is being a professional when you can just cut lose." and he starts clawing into the shield again. "So do me the favor and come out! I would like have some fun skinning you two ponies alive, I always wanted a jacket made out of horse skin."

Twilight flinches from the usual so stoic griffin's words. She knows these turned humans are used to fight and at times kill, Medic has told her they did do some rather twisted things to one another and taunt the fallen afterward, yet from how Medic said it, Twilight got the sense they mostly did it because they had gone numb from being stuck in an endless circle of death and war. She was, of course, disturbed how Medic told what he has done to others, but the light in it is she did catch on a hint of regret in his voice when telling her about it, even though Medic did do a good job hiding it behind his twisted humor. But Sniper is talking about killing them with such glee- no regards for anything other than cause as much harm as possible; that terrifies her.

Shining Armor horn lights in sharp magenta, he wishes he has time to perhaps snapping this griffin out from whatever is wrong with him, but he can do that when Cadence is safe. "Not today griffin!" He shoots the griffin off the shield, and before the griffin can recover, Shining Armor traps him inside another. The griffin snarls and hisses, trying- but to no avail getting free from his small prison.
Turning to his sister. "That should hold him for a while. Let's go."

Twilight nods and after giving the snarling Sniper a quick glance, the siblings hurries to the wedding.

Out from the caves and back in the castle's halls, they spot the same strange pegasus there freaked out when he spotted the one Twilight now know was Spy. He almost does the same when he spots her real brother. Twilight stops him from running by quickly grabbing him with her magic. "It's not Spy, this is my real brother." Nodding to Shining Armor there has a small frown on his face in confusion.
The young stallion stares a few seconds at her brother, then looks at her with; "I believe you, being near him aren't... hurtful."
Twilight blinks and in her moment of confusions forgets using her magic and drops this strange pegasus back onto the floor. "Hurtful? You mean you can sense emotion?" Adding since she only knows one species there can sense emotions like this. "Are you a Changeling?"

Scout looks down himself, then up to this purple pony with a shrug. "Beats me."

Okay, Scout here is definitely from this human world and knowing the others were skilled fighters. "We need your help." He gets on his hooves and nods slowly. She returns it and along with her brother, they hurry to stop the wedding and they reach the place just in time.

"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you–"

"Stop!" Twilight shouts, everypony chatter in disapproval and her friends giving her shocked look for right beside Spy stands... another her? Twilight already fears what that second her is.

Spy shoot Twilight a glare, thinking he should've killed her instead of putting her in that prison– Why did he send her down there again...? His train of thoughts on this mystery breaks when Shining Armor steps into the room with the brat close behind. He growls and would like to know as he had security down there in case Shining Armor did get free. "How did you escape Sniper?"
Sniper has the same darkness inside as he has, it would've ensured Sniper 'morals' wouldn't get in between his kill.

"He's cooling off in one of my shield spells." Shining Armor replies. His look-alike swipes his tail in annoyance and says with a huff. "Clever, I had hoped you would've killed one another. No, matter; you're still too late."

Probably like everypony else, Applejack is confused. "I-I don't understand. How can there be two of them?"

Twilight steps forward, now feeling bad she didn't tell her friends about Spy being a Changeling. "He's a Changeling, it's Spy!" Celestia and her friends gasp hearing this, the disguised Spy sneers in anger, but she is not done."He told me he was good, but all he did was feeding off on us! That is what Changeling does!"

"Well, no reason hiding it." Spy grumbles, and bows to the fake Twilight. "After you." The fake Twilight turns into her real form in a ring of green flames. She becomes as big as Celestia, black like any Changeling, but with long blue hair and bigger wings, in fact, she looks very close to an alicorn. This alicorn changeling laughs evilly and at her side, Spy takes his Changeling form, this time in a bug looking armor.

The queen of the Changeling steps forward to the real Shining Armor and Twilight. "Right you are. And as queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects." She walks down the stairs, letting Spy make sure no one will interrupt her speech. "Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!"

Shining Armor takes a step forward, his horn glowing brightly. "I will stop you! Your lackey might have removed me but my protection spell is still up!"

"Ah-ah-ah." Spy coos, his teeth awfully close the brainwashed Cadence. "One wrong move and your precious wedding will turn into a funeral." Smirking as Shining Armor reluctant dismisses his magic.

Queen Chrysalis laughs of how easy that went, these ponies are too loving for their own good. "There is nothing you can do to stop my changeling army, soon they will break through your already weaken barrier." She steps over to the shield caster who is not a threat so long Spy has his beloved under his control. "First, we take Canterlot. And then, all of Equestria!"

"No. You won't." Celestia steps forward, feeling very crossed that Spy has betrayed them and she trusted him. But she can worry about him later, first she has to deal with this queen. "You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self; I can protect my subjects from you!" She shoots a beam of her solar magic on the Changeling queen. Her alicorn magic made her stronger and would've defeated the queen, but then.

"Guards, protect your queen!" Chrysalis commands and all of the royal guard ponies turn into changelings and attacks Celestia, she tries to fend them off but with them draining her energy and their queen using her own magic, Celestia is soon defeated.

Smirking and very glad she smuggled several of her drones inside, if not then this alicorn would've defeated her. "Not even an alicorn can stand up to the might of the Changeling army!" Then turns to Twilight and her friends leaving, Chrysalis doesn't bother to command her soldiers to stop them. Like with the disguised soldiers in here and Spy keeping the wedding pair in check, she has ensured that these Element bearers won't be able to get their trinkets. She eyes the glaring Shining Armor and thinks she might get herself a snack before she has to deal with those that carry that ancient magic.

Author's Note

I took the freedom in making a few changes in how the invasion would happen. Chrysalis is an interesting villain and I think her plan in the show could've been so much better if the episode got more time.
what do you think of the changes I made? do they sound like something Chrysalis would do?

I took the lyric from the colt vision of the song made by Jacob Pritchett.

Opposing the Changeling Queen

Queen Chrysalis has just drained Shining Armor from most of his magic when the drones she stationed nearby where those annoying Elements-of-Ruining-her-day have re-captured and brought back those six ponies there thought they could thwart her.
The queen laughs of the faces these ponies there thinks they are the heroes as if they thought they could defeat her just like that. "You do realize the reception's been canceled, don't you?" She taunts the ponies and turns to the windows, crying gleeful out to her army of Changelings there have gotten through the barrier. "Go! Feed!" They obey her command, flying out to feed on the city of Canterlot. She is so confident in her victory that she even lets the drones inside this room go out and feed on the ponies of Canterlot.

Celestia feels dread that her vision has come through... more than ever she wants to stand up and fight this invasion force but she can barely move from that horde or Changeling drones have drained most of her energy, leaving her with a bigger sense of helplessness that she has failed her subjects...

Still standing at the window Queen Chrysalis watches her drones hunt down every pony of the city and will get enough food so they can conquer rest of this land. This has been the perfect day indeed.

Noticing Twilight is trying to sneak over to Cadence, Spy sneers and jumps on her. "And where do you think you are going?" He asks, baring his long canine close to her face. Twilight stares up to him with fear in her eyes, he too feels a sense of betrayal coming from her, and if not for the dark being tainting his mind. Spy would've felt deeply regretful by this but all he feels now is glee that he managed to fool this naive pony so well.

"Let her go!" Shining Armor commands, struggling to get on his hooves but all that his shouting did was making this very clever changeling step almost possessive over his sister, asking in a taunt. "Or you will do what? Blast me with that horn of yours? You better have enough juice in it and hit right or your beloved sister might get hurt."
Shining Armor really wants to take the shot but he just can't take the chance, not with this Changeling having his fangs that close to his sister's throat.

Spy laughs loudly of this royal guard pony does not want to make a small sacrifice in order to save the rest of the capital. "Oh, you ponies, too much of a pacifist for your own good. You are all so weak!"

"Think again bug-face!"

Spy snaps his attention to where the yelling came from and right that second he gets headbutted by Scout, the headbutt itself is nothing to cry over, but the emotions of hatred and pure determination does. He stumbles backward, trying to shake this assault of raw emotions away. Before he can, Scout kicks him right in the chest. Spy does recover from this assault of emotions, he wouldn't be a good spy if he couldn't get emotions under control in stressful situations. He hisses at this brat and returns the favor by throwing his own and stronger assault of pure rage and despair at him. As expected Scout's hasn't trained himself to handle sudden emotions, he flinches and topples on his hooves. Spy smirks at how easy that was. "You can't dodge and you cannot fight, hell you can't even use your rage properly." He kicks the youngsters, sending him sprawling onto the floor, but Spy is far from done with this one. the darkness in him knows that this boy is a major threat and commands him to get rid of it right now. And Spy will after he has proven Scout that he is not as awesome as he thinks, in fact: "You are worthless. It's no wonder why no one likes a vulgar and useless brat who never shuts up like you."

"Shut up you snake!" Scout shouts back, tears in his eyes of not only the despair Spy whipped him with but also the truth in this older man's words. Spy smirks widen, walking like a predator around him. "Oh, where's the fun in that? It's not often I get the chance hitting you where it really hurts." Scout tries to fend him off by attacking but the drain of Spy's incredible negative emotions slows him down. Spy easily dodges him, "Behind all that arrogance is nothing but a sniveling child wishing for approval from someone there's never going to give it." Scout's eyes of those words, so caught off guard on how precise Spy hit his inner demon and before he can recover, the adult Changeling bites him in the neck. Scout scream in pain, thrashing desperately in an attempt to make Spy let go, but Spy only clams down harder.

Twilight got enough! She shoots a beam of her magic on Spy, she does also hit this Scout but thinks he can deal as she did make Spy let go of him.
Jumping up beside the young stallion, Twilight's horn beaming strongly against this traitor's Changeling. "You have to go through me if you want him!" It's very clear that Spy really wants this young stallion dead.
"Me too!" Rainbow Dash joins her with Applejack close behind.
"Um, m-me too." Fluttershy stutter nervously but does join them.
"Me three!" Pinkie says way more cheerful and one arm hugs this weird looking stallion, blinking of the strange sort of electricity his pelt gives off.

Their emotions, their determination to protect a complete stranger, and that pink pony's huge wave of joy going through him. Scout cannot comprehend the immense power, but he feels awesome! He grins at the startled Spy and after have charged himself, he tackles into Spy so hard that he makes a small dome from the air. Spy gets splashed against the nearby wall, shaking from Scout emotions. Yeah, he better! Another charge and Scout headbutt him with a loud "BONK!" and would've attacked again, but then notices that deep underneath all that rage and despair. He feels pride. Pride aimed towards him. Wait, what?! He stops his assault, staring dumbfounded at the man he has hated since day one. Suddenly no longer so sure if all those negative emotions are really his own.

With Spy somewhat out of commission, Cadence snaps out from the brainwash. Shaking her head in confusions, she notices her beloved is lying on the floor. She gasps and runs over to him.

Chrysalis is not having it though, she jumps in between the two lovers; telling the alicorn gleefully. "It is over princess!" To then get super tackled by some weird looking Changeling kid, she sneers in anger of the nerves of this grub. "You dare to attack your queen!"

"You are not my queen spider lady!" Scout retorts in another charge attack, but before he can hit her though, she grabs him with her magic and hurls him into the wall. It knocks out his air and Scout lands hard onto the floor, struggling to get back up but before he can, Chrysalis forces him down by stepping on him.

"You soon will see me as your queen you puny grub." Chrysalis sneers and starts to drain this wannabe grub for his energy, it will teach him not to turn against her. The grub cries in pain, struggling but is unable to fight a queen like her.

Seeing this and be more back to his senses than ever before he got tainted, Spy fights against the darkness holding his mind. "Get out... from my mind!" He forces the darkness out- the shadow pony realizes this fight is lost and disappears in a cluster of black crystals- Spy, although not fully cleansed and far from his former self, he did have enough willpower to know that if he does not act now, he will love Scout. He lunges at the queen of the Changeling, tackles her away from Scout and steps in between the queen and the barely conscious kid. He hisses furiously at her. "You stay away from him!" She stares at him in surprise, then snorts somewhat disgusted "I should've known a pony lover like you would get a half-breed for an offspring." Spy jerks ever so slightly from the sudden hit of shock coming from behind him. Ignoring the fact the cat is out from the bag, he glares at the queen. "Touch him again, and I will tear you apart!" and he means it. He won't hesitate for a second if she dares to harm his light in this miserable life.
Chrysalis attacks him and true to his words, Spy retaliates with a fury very much his own now.

Shining Armor tries to perform his spell, but those changelings have drained him too much. "No... I don't have the strength to repel them." He gasps in horror and feels so useless he can do nothing to help the people in Canterlot or the Changeling- there for some reason now are fighting against his queen in order to protect that strange pegasus colt. He wants to help as it's clear that drone is fighting a losing battle, but... he can't! His attention gets turned back to Cadence when she suddenly hugs him, saying softly yet determent. "My love will give you strength." So he tries again. Cadence lets her horn touches his and even though both of them are drained, their love to one another ignites not only their magic but one far older than anypony in this room.

Still trapped inside the changeling cocoon, Miss Pauling's body lights up and shards of a lost element fly over to the new bearer and avatar of this element. The shards find the targets and surround Shining Armor and Cadance, giving their magic the boost they needed. The two blinks in surprise of this, but with a smile returns back to their united spell. The shards spin around them like lightning, lifting them off the ground.

Holding the barely conscious and heavily bleeding Spy between her jaws Chrysalis snap her attention to the forming spell. She drops this traitor drone, but Spy has kept her busy just long enough. The shards gather around their necks, Cadence gold necklace gets a heart and Shining Armor's silver forms into a shield, both in the color of turquoise. With the Element of Love surging through them. Their united spell to protect everpony sharing the same feeling of the same Element under their control. It forces everything else away from the city. Which meant that Chrysalis and her changeling army gets blasted away from Canterlot. The only two Changelings safe from the spell are the father and son.
The spell ends and the two new bearer of the Element of Love ends back onto the floor, beaming at one another before they hug.

Twilight helps Celestia back on her hooves, worried for her teacher and ruler's well being. Celestia eases her mind with a simple. "Don't worry about me; I'm fine." Twilight smiles, but it does drop as the alicorn turns over to where the badly wounded Spy has collapsed, both the beating he took from Chrysalis and the shield powered by love. Twilight is no longer sure about that Changeling anymore. He betrayed them, but ended up protecting Scout- who apparently is his son. He almost gave up his own life for it.
She follows Celestia over to the two, letting the ruler of the sun do whatever she wishes to Spy.

Celesta hesitates, but do cast a healing spell on the wounded changeling, closing the most treating wounds. His eyes snap wide open, staring up at her in shock as if he cannot believe she did this to him. Celestia must admit that she did consider not doing it, for it was clear that he caused this invasion to happen and yet... it is partly her fault too for she was the one who sends him. That is why she healed him, but unless he has a very good excuse, she will not be so kind letting him stays among her people.
"What is your explanation for this Spy?" Celestia asks the changeling sternly.

Fighting a Changeling Queen, which is both bigger and stronger himself- almost getting killed by her and that spell from Cadence and Shining Armor may have cleansed him from the shadow creature, but it has left him meek and very drained. But can take his weaken state; he is free from that creature there took over his mind. Not from his actions though as that shadow pony might have possessed him but it controlled him by increasing his own negative thoughts and emotions. "A horse made out of shadows took over my mind, but even though it twisted my thoughts and emotions; they were still mine." He struggles gets back on his hooves, lowering his head before the ruler. "I will accept whatever punishment you have for my actions." Sure hell he deserves it, just as much he deserved the banishment from his own country back in the human world.

Celestia watches Spy for a long time, then at this half pony/changeling, the colt looks conflicted, as if he doesn't know how to react to all of this. Chrysalis did say that this is Spy's son, and from how Spy almost sacrificed himself to protect this colt— so that's what the vision was about. That colt was the light. Did that mean that she was meant to let Spy get possessed? Not sure, the visions don't always make sense.
It would sort of be unfair robbing this colt for a parent by exile after Spy fought so hard protecting him. Still, Spy was the cause this invasion almost succeeds, but he was possessed by a Shadow pony— if that is the truth as those dark beings should only be part of legend. But, everpony deserves a second chance, Luna is a grand proof of that. "Spy, I will not exile or imprison you for your actions." Celestia finally speaks, the changeling looks up to her in utter surprise, she is not done, though. "But you will have to prove yourself worth being trusted again. You caused a lot of harm and only by mere luck nopony got killed. My punishment for you; you will be under the constant watch of Twilight and her friends. You will not shape-shift unless they ask you, and until my student says you can be trusted again: you are not allowed to leave the borders of Ponyville and I will not acquire you any missions."
Spy nods he understands. Celestia then turns to Spy's child, one who made Spy get back on their side and thus gave Cadence and Shining Armor just enough time to make their spell. "Scout was it?"

"Uh yeah, yeah, that's right," Scout replies with a weak smile, what he is getting from this horse is incredible and kinda scary at the same time.

"Without your action, a lot of ponies would've gotten hurt. So for that:" Celestia bows her head slightly towards him. "I am grateful." Blinking when Scout's fur starts to spark a little.

"Thanks!" Scout beams, completely unaware that he is like a small thundercloud at this moment. He does snap out from it when Spy groans, and gives him a small wave of dismay. "Oh dear god... as if that bonk drink wasn't bad enough..."
Scout shoots him a glare. "Says the shape-shifting scumbag."

Spy looks away. "Touché." and firmly ignores the surprise he gets from Scout, he's too exhausted to argue or throw fake taunts at him.

With that settled Celestia turns to Twilight. "Let us join the others." the purple unicorn nods and with one last glance to Spy, she follows the ruler of the land.

Scout slowly turns his head back to Spy, not sure how to feel about what the spider queen said about Spy being his—
"Don't." Spy interrupts his thoughts, the changeling sends him a hard look but Scout's new ability allows him to see right through the mask and realizes how hurt truly Spy is. "Don't go there, we both know it won't work." and Spy leaves him with a dropped head, most would think it is fatigue, but... Scout knows better.
Scout stares at the door where Spy disappeared, never before felt this conflicted about something. he has always been so sure about his decisions, but now... now he has no idea how to tackle this new change of event.

***

After have gotten cleaned up by the invasion and those brainwashed or trapped back to normal. The wedding can get started again, the turned humans weren't invited to that part but Celestia did allow them to join the festivities after the wedding.
Here Scout told Heavy, Sniper and Miss Pauling what had happened and that the ruler of this land practically owes him.

"Don't make it get to your head." Sniper says and grabs himself an apple fritter. "I'm dealing with a pony with an overblown ego already, I have no wish dealing with two."

"Hey!"

Heavy chuckles and since they probably will stay for a while he asks Sniper. "Where are rest of team?"

"Probably doing their own thing back at Ponyville." Sniper shrugs and does look forward returning to that town again. Canterlot is a bit too crowded for his taste. He turns to Miss Pauling stepping over to them, looking a bit stressed out and yet relieved. "oh good, that removes one less thing to worry about. Now we just need to figure out a way returning home".
"Might take a while," Sniper replies, but being stuck here is not really that bad- although that shadow thing sure scared the crap out of him. Being possessed by it wasn't fun either, but other than that, this place is quite peaceful. He reclaims another tasty treat and remembers that not everyone transported here has been found. "Oh, we still haven't found both pyros. Shouldn't be that hard though, they are probably a pony with a fire cutie mark and setting bloody everything on fire."

Miss Pauling hums, thinking they better find Pyro and find a way home. "When we find Pyro, I want all your resources put on finding a way back." She blinks when Sniper chuckles as if she told him a joke. "What?"
Sniper eyes her above his aviators. "We have the princess on the case. If you want to speed it up; you will have to ask her"
oh, okay, Miss Pauling figures she will need to speak with that big white horse. "Okay, I guess I will have to stay here then." She do not think it is a good idea letting a bunch of mercenaries run wild in this city. "Perhaps it is best you stay in this Ponyville?"

"Sure."

Miss Pauling nods and figures she can get a better chance for an audience if the city's savior would— "Where's Scout?" She asks, looking around for the speedster, but for once, he is nowhere around her.

"He left." Heavy simply replies, not much help for miss Pauling but he figures the two needs some time alone.

Scout find Spy sitting alone on a balcony, watching the party down below. "Aren't you going to join?" He asks, although way more hopeful they could talk. He has never known how it is to have a father, not that Spy is what he has been hoping- far from it for but he just cannot shake that genuine love he felt from the man when Spy protected him against that spider queen.

"I doubt anyone would like the harbinger of Canterlot close to destruction near them." Spy replies, completely ignoring Scout's hidden emotions. He will NOT go there, he cannot go there. If he just takes one step that way, then he will fall and won't ever get back up if that happens.

Landing beside him, figuring he might as well get to the point. It's not like he can hide his emotions to Spy like Spy can't hide his to him "Can we talk?"

"No."

"Why?" Scout demands, he is confused and frustrated that he sees and hears one thing but feel another, it does not make any sense! "Is it because I'm not the child you wanted?" Spy sure hell made an indication of that when they fought, but now, he thinks he gets the old man's true emotions as he feels a sense of denial, then shocks, then despair.

"Go away Scout."

He does not, instead Scout steps over so he stands in front of Spy, asking. "Do you hate me?" Again that emotion combination, except the shock is gone, replies with a greater sense of despair. It confuses Scout, does this means that Spy has never hated him? Then why did he go through so much trouble in making life hard for him? Scout blinks when he suddenly sense anger from Spy and lets out a yelp when the changeling throws him to the floor, looking as if he's about to tear his throat open. "Scout, get the fucking hint: leave me ALONE!" The changeling hisses and Scout does for a second fear that this one will kill him, but then he notices that Spy's emotions contradict his behavior. Spy is angry yes, but it feels forced and not really aimed at him.
Scout stares at him, dumbfounded of what he is getting from Spy. it startles him that his new ability to sense emotions is making him able see what truly is behind that mask, and it's not the fabric mask he talks about. Being able to sense Spy's true emotions, he is certain in this: "You won't attack me." He states out and decides to try and get Spy's hoof off his chest. Spy struggles, but as Scout theorized, the man of disguises doesn't retaliate more than a few halfhearted kicks. Getting back up, Scout watches the man he has hated ever since the introduction to one another, Spy had been mocking him for being a child doing a man's job, never once giving him a break reminding him that. But now he can look past that mask of being a giant asshole, Scout realizes that Spy did that because... well, Scout thinks he did it because he didn't want to watch him get killed.
He takes a step towards Spy and Spy leaves him, it hurt watching a scene he has imaged several times of how it would look like when his father left the house for the last time. Scout drops his head in sadness, but it is quickly replaced with anger and he glares into the darkness of the room where Spy is hiding. "You're not making any fricking sense." He growls and flies off but does not join the others; too much on his mind.

When sure Scout is gone and out of hearing range, Spy lets out a pained sob, cursing Scout for pushing him like this. Why has it gotten so hard?! It was hard under the war games, but never like this!
But now when he is on the subject about that boy. He needs to be sure as few people know about this as possible. Spy flies carefully down to the party and quietly get over to where Twilight and her friends are dancing. "Can I talk with you six for a moment?" He asks, all six of them send him a wary look and he understands their hesitation in not trusting him. "Chain me if it makes you feel safer, all I requests that not making me talk here."

Twilight and her friends eye one another, she turns back to him and nods. "Alright." They follow him away from the party. When Spy stop at a place with no one but them, he does not struggle against the magical chain she summons, wraps around his neck and keeping him in place.
With her horn glowing for this chain spell. "Alright Spy, what is it you want to say?" She demands, although not as hard as she wanted. she is starting to understand that Spy- even Sniper wasn't themselves back during the invasion.

"Perhaps apologie for your action?" Pinkie Pie asks.

Spy shakes his head at the pink pony almost hopeful question. "There is no excuse my actions, you have every right distrusting me." Even though he wants people to trust him, and the Elements think he is worthy; Spy does not think himself as a person to be trusted with anything. He has been told and done so many horrible things that he is certain that deceit has become part of him; never to be erased. And he is fine with it, he deserves this distrust. All he asks: "But all I asks of you is never reveal anyone about my relation to Scout."

"Your son you mean." Applejack frowns and asks as this does not make much sense to her. "Why do you want us to keep this quiet?"

"I have a lot of enemies there wants me dead, and if they ever catch wind I have such a huge weakness in form of my son; they will kill him in order to get to me." Spy explains and from how shocked the mares both look and emotions give him, he feels a bit envious that apparently killing children in order get to the parents isn't a common thing here in Equestria. "Hate me all you like, but I beg of you: don't fault him for any of my actions." He begs the six mares, for Scout has for a long time been his only light in his dark and gloomy life. Scout may always hate him, and Spy is more than alright with that, all he wants from his son is the boy to have the happy life he never got.
A bit to his surprise, Rainbow Dash- who has been the one most angry at him; is the first there promise him to keep this quiet, adding with: "But that still doesn't mean I like you." The others follow suit rather quickly.

"I can relate not wanting to see family hurt." Applejack says.

"Me too," Rarity agrees, adding, "you got my word."

"I-I won't tell anypony." Fluttershy says in a low voice, but her emotions are genuine.

Twilight eyes the changeling, she must admit she cannot find herself to trust him after he had tried to kill her, but this isn't about him, it's about his son. And like her friends, she cannot bear the thought of losing her family to somepony who wants to see her hurt. "For your son." He nods, fully accepting her reason.

Pinkie then jumps in between the magical chained changeling and ponies, declaring seriously. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Doing the motions to mimic her words. Spy stares dumbfounded at her. She giggles of that face and explains the once bad but now good again changeling. "That's Pinkie promise; you do NOT break a Pinkie promise— girls, we do the Pinkie promise!" She declares the five others and they all make a cross over their heart, mimics they fly and lastly poke themselves over the right eye.

.... he is not going to question this, simply hope that this strange promise and the mare's words will be good enough. He really would hate to kill them all. Spy nods and tells that is all he wanted from them. "You can return back to the party now." Twilight dismisses the spell around his neck and before any of them can open their mouth; he flies off, returning to his solitary spot on the balcony.

***

Back in the human world, the BLU Sniper and Heavy have recovered from what their counterpart went through. Sniper is embarrassed he lost his cool like that and is happy his team listened to Medic's request or he could've seriously hurt someone with his brutal glee of cutting someone to pieces. Heavy is more confused about what his teammates told them that his knockout was the cause of the RED Heavy who apparently now is somewhere else and somehow got turned into a horse.
Back at RED base, with Ignis ensuring everything is fine Medic releases the now dumbstruck but back to normal Spy from his restrains. Spy is incredible relived this crisis is over, but also worried about his true feelings towards the youngest member of the teams has strengthened ever since their team's Scout went to that other place.

Author's Note

now that Scout knows the truth, let's see how he will handle this problem in the future. and just a quick side note, I made Celestia and Luna's vision unclear so they don't always know what it is trying to tell them. see it my way explaining why Celestia knows when danger is coming but does at times tackles it wrongly.

Nightmare Night

Note: this happens the next day after the last chapter.
mostly of the story is taken from the episode 'Luna Eclipsed' but a small part of 'Baby Cakes' is in as well.

Twilight heads over to the unicorn named Miss Pauling so she can give her the good news. "I've rented a room you can stay in as long you are here in Canterlot, we can talk about a room in Ponyville when you arrive there." Miss Pauling nods, saying politely. "Thank you— are you sure you can keep these men in check?" She asks unsure, eyeing the group of the other turned humans currently speaking with her friends. Twilight frowns lightly of Miss Pauling's worry, sure some of them can be quite destructive, but they mean really no harm and aren't the only ponies causing collaborate damage. "We will be fine. They aren't so bad when getting to know them." Twilight smiles, and that is true, well except Spy, his action has made her hesitant about where he stands now.

Miss Pauling raises a brow of what she sees as naivety from this purple colored pony, this Twilight Sparkle clearly has no idea what the mercenaries can do. It's a wonder they have been smart enough to keep the cover about their jobs. "Alright, but if there is any trouble. Call me."

"Of course." Twilight nods, although doubts there will be any reason for that. With this done, Twilight, her friends, and the turned humans return back to Ponyville and because she knows the new arrived will stay here for a while. "We better find you two a place to live while you are here." She tells the huge pony and half changeling, turning to her friends. "Anyone of you can help them out?"
It takes some discussing back and forward, but after about a half hour, they all have come to the agreement that Scout will live with Fluttershy and Heavy will stay in one of the rooms in the Golden Oak Library, probably one of the few places there is big enough for this large pony. With that done, Twilight thinks perhaps it is best letting the other of the turned humans know that two more has arrived.

The others took the news rather calmly, only a bit of awkwardness did happen between Heavy and Medic. The mares did wonder why, but they would- especially Twilight be happy if they don't start fighting.

In truth, Heavy and Medic both are unsure how to be around one another now that they know the truth what their 'clone' really is to them. Unlike the others from RED and BLU, Heavy and Medic— all four of them— they have never been truly hostile to one another. The RED Heavy has a few times let BLU Medic get away and so has the BLU Heavy done with the RED Medic. In return, both medics have never insulted the opposite Heavy although it mostly has been because the healer had no wish in accidentally insulting the man he deeply cares about.
So now the question for Medic: is this Heavy before him a friend or not? After all, RED Heavy is the other half of his Heavy's soul. "This is quite the dilemma." He chuckles weakly up to the huge merlot colored horse before him there simply nods in his quiet agreement. And knowing that Heavy is a very smart guy behind that broken English, Medic asks him for his opinion on this bit weird situation. "What are your thoughts about this? Should we simply ignore the other like we do on the battlefield?"

They could do that, but Heavy is very certain he will miss chatting with the doctor in a matter of weeks. So maybe if the doctor is up to it. "We see no color between us, only Heavy and Doctor." He replies Medic and turns his gaze up to the sky where a few pegasi are flying around. "Until we return human, then color again."

Medic thinks he can live with that, for he has quite missed speaking with this likable brute. "Until we return." He agrees with Heavy and with that set, Medic is way more comfortable speaking with this Heavy. "Have you gotten used to walking on four legs?"

"Not yet, still stumbles." Heavy replies and voices his annoyance that because of his uncertainty on his hooves, he hadn't been able to defeat the turned evil Spy. "If been human, I would squash him."

"I'm sure you would, or kicked him through the wall." Medic giggles at that mental thought.

Heavy smirks in return. "Maybe, what about you doctor? How was first day?"

"Well, after have gotten the biggest headache ever when I tried to figure out Frauline Pinkie Pie, I almost got eaten by a hydra— quite the interesting day actually." Medic summons up, turning his gaze to Heavy, his smirk widen of seeing Heavy raises a brow of this short explanation. Knowing Heavy, Medic is sure he will have a lot of fun hearing about this, so Medic starts telling him that story in better details.

Heavy quickly comes to the conclusion that this place is very much like Pyro's hallucination world: colorful and friendly looking but if looking a bit deeper it is really deadly. Well, not entirely as deadly as Pyro, and the BLU Medic is way more cheerful, almost childish excited when explaining about the magic of this world. Something Heavy hasn't seen from the RED Medic in a long time so Heavy figures this world can't be all that bad.

(A couple of days later.)

At the Ponyville hospital, the mares and most of the stallion from the other world have gathered of the news that the Cakes has gotten a baby. The mares are all excited along with Demo, Scout, and Soldier—the latter being oblivious of what the fuss is all about.
Sniper, Engineer, and Heavy are taking this way calmer, quietly talking between one another if they should congratulate the two ponies who have welcomed them with open arms, even let one of them stay at their place.

"Can you believe the new baby is finally here?" Applejack asks her fellow bearer, Demo grins, both turning to Twilight and quietly agreeing with her words. "Cup Cake and Carrot Cake must be so proud!"

"Do little ponies know it is boy or girl?" Heavy asks from his spot, Rarity turns around to this huge but friendly stallion. "No, but we will soon find out." She answers him joyfully, Heavy nods in agreement that they sure will.

Pinkie beats them all in her excitement, though. "I wanna see the new baby pony! I wanna see! Which one is it?!" She demands, pushing her head closer to the glass showing the nursery.

Sniper rolls his eyes, not really at Pinkie; her weirdness is more or less universal acceptance among everyone in town, no, he is rolling his eyes of one of the newest arrivals. And how he is zipping around on his own and probably the mares excitement too. It's getting quite annoying. "Can someone put a lit on Scout?" He asks the others in the room. Soldier does that by tackling the excited boy and forces him to the floor, snapping Scout out from his in this world's vision of a sugar-rush.
"Heh, sorry..." Scout apologizes embarrassedly. Sniper waves calmly at him he shouldn't worry about it. After all, Scout still hasn't learned how to control that emotion detector ability of his.

A very stressed out but very, very happy Carrot Cake walks into the room with Medic close behind. Carrot Cake introduces his and Cup Cakes new children. "Meet our son, Pound Cake" He reveals his cream colored with a touch of a brown mane son, who reveals to be a pegasus. "and our daughter, Pumpkin Cake." Showing his pale yellow with bright orange hair unicorn right beside Pond Cake. The mares and Demo daaws at the sight, but are also quite surprised about two things. One of them that the Cakes got twins and the second is that none of them are earth ponies.

The former has Pinkie's interest way more. "Two new foals for me to play with?" She gasps comically loud to then get perhaps a bit too excited. "That's two, two, two times the fun! This is the greatest day ever!"

Scout somehow manages to get free from Soldier, appearing right beside Pinkie with what he thinks is a very important question. "Hey, how come they are not earth ponies? Is there something I'm missing here?" He asks no one particular in the room.

"Oh it's quite easy," Medic says with a surprisingly normal smile on his face and Carrot Cake explains. "My great-great-great-great grandfather was a unicorn, and Cup Cake's great aunt's second cousin twice removed was a pegasus. That makes sense, right?" The new father asks nervously, unaware that a certain changeling half-breed is thinking of an infertility joke and perhaps it was the best Pinkie stopped him firing that one off.

"We need to celebrate your birthday, babies." Pinkie appears with party hat inside the nursey— a few of the mercenaries stare a bit dumbfounded how she managed to get inside without them noticing. She looks very ready to start a whole party and for those who have been here for a while somehow expects her to pull out that party cannon of hers. "Because you were just born today!" She cheers but before she can do anything, Medic shuts her mouth with his magic and throw her out with a firm; "No parties inside the hospital!" The mercenaries chuckle that Medic looks to have claimed this building as his new domain and are certain the doctor on purpose made Pinkie's head hit the floor first. They do sort of understand why he threw Pinkie out, though. She can be a bit overbearing at times, especially when she gets excited. Said pink pony sends Medic a disappointed stare but has long learned not to mess with this doctor- her knee will just start ache if she does.

Returning back to the nursery, Medic declares to the tired but happy father. "Your children and wife are well and healthy, you can go home any time you want."
Carrot Cake nods and thanks to this new doctor for the assistance.

About a small hour later, the Cakes has taken their new babies home, letting Medic returns to his way more interesting duties in healing clumsy ponies. He isn't sure why he let himself get persuaded to aid the Cakes with the babies, he doesn't really like kids, but Twilight somehow persuaded him. Medic stops for a moment, realizing that he really cares for the purple unicorn. That catches him a bit off guard, he never tried getting friends this fast with someone younger than him. But Twilight is a nice mare, and she does understand his curious nature for new knowledge. She did help him get this job— when he solemnly promised not to let his more twisted side get out of hand.
So far he has only scared a few ponies, but knowing this very resilient race: he knows they will be just fine.
Speaking of recovery. "Twilight, how is your leg doing?" He stops the purple unicorn before she leaves the hospital.

Twilight giggles, it's kinda cute how this stern and seemly narcissistic stallion actually do care for others when giving the chance. "Fully healed," and has to asks with her own curiosity of new knowledge. "don't humans heal like this?"
Medic shakes his head. "Nein, such wounds would've taken weeks, perhaps months to heal without advanced medical help."

"Sounds like humans have to be careful what they are doing."

That Medic can agree on, compared to ponies, humans are quite fragile but, "Never stopped the team from being a bunch of dummkopfs." He grumbles and does not pity the former medics in healing the others without the medicgun and respawn.

Twilight laughs lightly on this, she nudges this crazy but still likable doctor pony. "Good thing those dummkopfs have such a skilled healer then." Then remembers something she wanted to ask him about. "Hey Medic, you coming for Nightmare Night?"

Levitating some of his equipment back to their rightful spot. "I'm too old for such silly things." Although he does still enjoy dressing himself up now and then— he blames that one the team's weird obsession with cosmetics.

"Medic, you're not too old for Nightmare Night." Twilight argues in a laugh of what she thinks him being silly. "Ponies older than you such as Applejack's granny is still enjoying the night."
Medic eyes her thoughtful, turning away, musing ."Hm… I admit I do enjoy dressing up for the celebration, but... I'm used to fighting giant eye-balls, not enjoying a night of… well, harmless fun." Twilight do hope he will try this festival out, thinking he might have fun scaring a few ponies with his rather twisted sense of humor. "You are welcome to join us if you ever feel like it." And with that leaves the room.

Medic watches her leave, pondering if he should for once try out and enjoy this place form of Halloween. He might not be allowed to use a rotten thief's brain to make a talking pumpkin decoration, but he's sure he can figure something out with this world's wonderful magic.

(A week later, the human world.)

Halloween is upon them once again, but this time; they did not have to fight Soldier's crazy wizard roommate. When Merrasmus arrived at Soldier's request, the remaining mercenaries are more than hopeful that Merrasasmus perhaps can help them get their other half of their souls and Miss Pauling back to where Ignis have sent them.
But before they could discuss how that wizard would do it, well it turns out Ignis and Merrasmus know one another.

"Hey Merra, long time no see!" Ignis waves to the wizard there is quite surprised seeing the alicorn here— although Merrasmus believes him to be a wizard like him.

"Long time indeed my flaming friend." The wizard shakes hand with this not yet as old as him fellow wizard. "What have you been doing this past hundred years?"

"Been taking over by dark magic and turned into an arrogant moron." Ignis replies as if they spoke about some match Merrasmus happens to have missed. "You?"

Marasmus sights deeply. "I wish you still were my roommate... for Soldier!" Pointing at the RED Soldier, currently picking his nose. "Is the worst I could ever get!"

Ignis cannot help but laugh hearing that. "What? Oh come on, how can he be worse than me? I blew up your former castle!"

"When you tried to make me breakfast." Marasmus points out and has long forgiven this fire wizard for that. Ignis did mean well. Unlike Soldier who keeps finding new ways to piss him off. "Soldier turned my new castle into a raccoon sanctuary, he burned my body AND thought I was alright with it!"

Okay, he can see Merra's reason for anger now. "So... do you want me to blow him up?"

The older wizard calms down right away, replying awfully casual. "Yes please." Adding, "but don't kill him. He may be the worst roommate, but... I must admit that like you; Soldier does have the heart the right place. His logic is terrible, though."

Ignis chuckles weakly, thinking that it is perhaps that his logic is more or less okay. "This might cheer you up." With the flick of his lighter, the alicorn summons fire formed as a dragon. This dragon-shaped fire charges at the mercenaries, causing them to panic before every one of them gets thrown left and right from the mostly harmless explosive.
That did make Merrasmus day and the wizard breaks down in laughter.

Recovering from the payback on what grief Soldier has caused that crazy one, Demoman demands these two magic users. "Are you two done blowing us up so we might discuss how we can get our other souls back?!"

Marasmus blinks hearing this. "Wait what?" The mercenaries souls are split? He turns to Ignis and the fire user nods in confirmation and reveals awfully casually. "I send their other half of their souls to Equestria, the dimension travel does seem to give them some strange after effects."
Ah, Merrasmus has been there once. Not the worst dimension someone could end up, Merrasmus admits that. It was how he and Ignis became friends. If he remembers correctly, it was about one thousand years ago he first met Ignis and this powerful magician send him to Equestria— by accident of course and in the six years he was stuck there, he was taught how to do teleportation, along with some other magic spells by the two royal sisters teacher. It was also thanks to this unicorn he no longer can remember the name of that he got a way back home again. It took them six years of research and get the right world but like an alicorn; time has very little meaning for wizards like Marasmus, so the many years there didn't really matter much to him. After he got back to the human world again and tracked down the one who teleported him. He and Ignis fought a bit, then agreed they should be roommates as both were wizards and they have been good friends ever since.
"Accident?" He asks Ignis, his transportation to that world was an accident. Ignis might be more powerful than he ever be, but Ignis is very bad when it comes to passive magic.

"Not all of them." Ignis replies, after some thoughts on his fuzzy memories when he still was tainted by that dark magic. "Spy, Soldier and Demo was an accident. I wasn't aware of who I was there- dark magic and all, you know how it is." Marasmus nods he does, although this one has never tried been tainted by it. Lucky bastard. "The others were on purpose."

So now the question of why, could it be Ignis uncanny ability to see the future? Marasmus learns closer to the redhead, knowing how sensitive Ignis is about that ability of his. "Did you get a vision you should do it?"

Ignis frowns. "No, I did it because I sensed the Pillars of Virtue inside of them."

Marasmus jerks away, stares at the other with wide eyes of disbelief. "You're joking."

"Not one bit."

Okay, that both makes sense and none at all. It makes sense why Ignis send them there, these Pillars of Virtue were what Ignis was sent after and Merrasmus has heard how incredibly important they are to pony kind. He never saw any of the bearers in his time there, but he did see what the remaining gems holding that ancient magic was capable off when he, along with Celestia and Luna used them to trap that chaos spirit and returned Equestria back to its former self again, well sort of. The land never fully recovered from that chaos spirit influence. Marasmus sighs, it seems that there is more to the mercenaries than just being the people he fights against when Soldier pisses him too much off. For even though he has used that ancient and powerful magic, Merasmus knows that he- and the royal sisters are not chosen as a bearer. No idea what makes someone into a bearer. He only knows that alicorns and those born with magic like himself can wield the Pillars of Virtue for a short among of time if a bearer hasn't yet been found. Turning to the awkwardly awaiting mercenaries. "I can bring your other half back, but such spells takes time!" The last he declares with his vision of the royal voice. Pointing at the mercenaries in his act to be more menacing than he actually is. "and if you wish to keep the time at minimum then you will leave me be and bring me everything I ask of you!"

"Whatever wizard says." Heavy simply replies, he's busier watching Ignis making a face in his attempt at not laughing at Merrasmus's yelling, apparently the immortal find the wizard behavior very amusing.

"How long will it take you?" Sniper asks, brushing off sod from the harmless explosion Ignis had thrown at them.

"With Ignis help the spell will be ready in four months."

That is very good news for the mercenaries, now they have a way getting their souls back to their world again.

"Can you put our souls back together too?" Engineer asks, blinking when the bomb in its mouth book laughs and says while floating around the two magic users. "Ha ha ha! Are you kidding? Merasmus is so bad he cannot even figure out how to split a soul in the first place!"

"Quiet you!" Merasmus snaps at the Bombmionicon, whacking out after it but misses.

The book floats over to Ignis, very glad to see this guy again. "Hey flame head! You want some bombs?" and is about to turn Ignis head into a bomb, but before it can, this younger but way more powerful wizard flicks it away with a levitation spell. The book smacks hard into the nearby wall, and will not get up for the time being.

"Good grief, why do you still have that nuisance?" Ignis asks after have gotten that nut-job book out from his sight. Explosive magic, sentience, and dark magic is a baaad mix. Well, at least that book is more of a nuisance than a danger.

"I need Bombionicon's spells from time to time." Marasmus mumbles embarrassed that he cannot do that many spells without the magic book, but must admit he has from time to time considering throwing that silly book out. Anyway, back to the task. "I will reclaim one of your bases while I work on your summoning spell!" and after he has grabbed the unconscious Bombionicon, he uses one of the few spells he can do without help and teleports over to the BLU base since that place has the least damage. A quick spell and the sign that he now lives here appears outside the building.

Those from BLU stares at the sign, slowly turning to the RED team as they now no longer have a base to return back to.
So like those trapped in Ignis world: "Ceasefire?" Demo asks and to severals surprise, RED Soldier replies with a nod. "Agree."
After a long awkward moment, the former enemies slowly head to RED base with the BLUs reclaiming their counterparts rooms.
They did have to endure listing to the Administrator yelling at them for making a ceasefire without her permission, but fortunately, she did not punish them further as they did try and get those transported back.

(meanwhile in Equestria)

After having endured an overbearing flirting there makes her wish Scout was around instead of this overblown ego to Prince Blueblood, Miss Pauling finally managed to get an audience with the princess, requesting her and the mercenaries wish in coming home.
Celestia sends her far out family nephew away and with him out, she has both good and bad news about this other world unicorn. "I have found a possible way for you to go back home." All thanks to Star Swirl's book and the faint memory of that very old project of his. She had almost forgotten that these ponies haven't been the first transported here and Celestia feels a bit bad she forgot about that darkly coated stallion, one she unfortunately no longer can remember the name of. "However as it stands now, the portal to your homeworld will not open before summer."

"Isn't there another way, your highness?" Miss Pauling asks hopefully as she has no wish in staying in this place or form for that long. She really needs to get back to the Administrator and get the mercenaries back at fighting the war.

Celestia watches this Miss Pauling, she does seems like a nice mare but something about her feels a bit, well off. But a promise is a promise and it is not fair from her to force these other world ponies to stay just because they are linked to the Elements of Harmony. "I am sorry but I do not dare perform a transportation spell as it very likely can send you to a completely another world. The mirror I and my sister's teacher created is the safest way for you returning back home as it turns out you were not the first there came here." Adding as that pathway only opens every ten years. "You are lucky coming at this time; you see, the portal only opens once per decade." Turning back to her throne and loads of paperwork the Changeling invasion caused. Fortunately, her subjects have recovered and now using that scary episode as a good inspiration for stories and costumes for Nightmare Night. "I will letter you when the time approaches, but until then; try to get the best out from your time here; perhaps get some enjoyment out from Nightmare Night?" She suggests this bit uptight unicorn with a smile.

Miss Pauling reluctantly has to agree on this, she bows and leaves the ruler, hiding the disbelief that this ruler is so interested in this world's form of Halloween. She figures to inform this to the Mercenaries that they now have a way back. Outside she once again encounters that egotistical unicorn who understand a hint just as bad as Scout that she is not interested. But at least Scout tried to treat her with respect.

"I know the perfect place for a good groom, I am sure they can find something there makes you look less like a peasant." Blueblood suggests and steps over so his shoulder touches this lovely but could be so much better if groomed unicorn. "What do you say we go there?" He does not expect an answer and guides his new mare towards the place. Looking down, he winches his nose in annoyance he can't see her eyes properly with those horrific glasses. He levitates them off and smiles that he now can see her grassy green eyes. "There, you shouldn't go with those horrid things."

Miss Pauling promises herself to never complain that Scout is annoying with his bad flirting, for this stallion is the worst! "I have glasses for a reason." She grumbles and stumbles when she can barely see without them, it does enable her to get away from his forced escort. She walks over to where her glasses are but cannot pick them up without hands, much to her great annoyance. Someone is at least nice enough to help her and return the glasses back so she can see again. It takes Miss Pauling a moment to realize that the one there helped her is the second princess. Miss Pauling does not know the name of this one, only that she is the younger sister to Celestia and the princess of the night. She gives this princess a thankful nod. "Thanks."
The princess watches her for a moment, then turns her cyan colored eyes towards Miss Pauling nuisance there has the tenacity to put a hoof on her shoulder, proclaiming. "Ah, allow me to introduce my Auntie Luna."
Miss Pauling tries to make this egotistical unicorn hoof off her, but he doesn't seem to notice as he continues oblivious to the now frowning princess of the night. "We were just heading to the spa, care to join us?"
"We have to decline!" Luna replies in a voice equal to Soldier's loud voice. "We are planning on going to Ponyville see what dreadful celebration the citizens are doing!" Blueblood looks horrified and also as if he pities her. "I'll be sure to have a groomer ready when you return." He declares and tries to leave, but Miss Pauling hasn't become Helen's assistance if she hasn't learned to spot a good opportunity, so getting his hoof off her, she asks Luna. "Mind if I join you?" Both royals blink, but unlike that egotistical unicorn who looks ready to faint, Luna is quite happy about her request.

"That is wonderful, thou may accompany us to Ponyville!" Luna declares and leaves, this other world pony follows to her caret which is drawn by Luna's own royal guards there all have been conjured to look like they have bat wings instead of bird. Putting on her traveling cloak, Luna tells her two guards joyfully. "Let us go and make our grand appearance for the Citizens of Ponyville!" Her two guards smirk and take to the sky. The pony from another world lets out a small yelp as these two of Luna's guard likes to go fast and that is just as Luna wants it.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, the festivities of Nightmare Night is in full swing. Everyone is dressed up and having fun each of their ways, yes even the mercenaries are dressed up as they all have sort of made it a tradition of dressing up around this time of year.
"I do wonder if we're going to fight some mother hubber of a monster again." Engineer wonders out loud to Demo, like everyone else, dressed up for the holiday. Engineer is dressed up as a sheriff, replaced his hardhat with a brown cowboy hat having a sheriff star on along with a same colored jacket and boots with spurs.
Demoman has decided to dress himself up as a vampire with the long neck collar along with a blood-colored cape and fangs. "You'll never know with this place." Demo remarks and Engineer cannot help but agree with a chuckle. "Darn right, it's a wonder these ponies haven't broken down mentally with all this weirdness going on around them all the time."
Demoman laughs at Engineer's reply and both head over to Applejack who has sat up several games such as bobbing apples in the water there is dyed green. The lunch bags on head and hooves dressed Derpy and the Flash dressed Scout sure are having fun with it. Going over there, they encounter Twilight and Spike.

"Heyo lassie and lad." Demo greets them, chuckling at Spike's choice of dressing himself up as a dragon. "Nice costume Spike."

"Thanks! I am a dragon." Spike beams.

"Like you are all the year around." Demo laughs and turns to Twilight, she is dressed in a blue cape and long hat, both having chains of bells at the edges, under her jaw is a fake long beard attached. She stands proudly, waiting for him and Engineer to recognize what she is dressed up as, but honestly; they have no idea. So Demo simply guesses. "And you are dressed up as an old timer performer?" Twilight grunts annoyed by this, it seems he was way off. She gets the more annoyed with the scarecrow dressed Applejack walks over and makes her guess what the purple unicorn is dressed as." With that beard, I reckon you're some sorta country music singer."
Spike starts laughing that no one gets what she is dressed up as.

"While ya all are here, you feel like bobbing for an apple?" Applejack asks, pointing at the spot just as Derpy decides to dive headfirst into the barrel and thanks to her bad eyesight grabs on the plug instead of an apple and drains the water out from it. Scout shoots the cross-eyed mare an annoyed frown as he had almost gotten one of those apples, Derpy simply gives him a sweet embarrassed smile.
Applejack is about to fix this small issue but is interrupted when the crowd cheer makes her, Twilight, Spike, Demo, and Engineer turn towards the scene not far from them. Mayor Mare, dressed up as a clown with a huge rainbow afro starts her speech to the crowd mostly made out of foals. "Thank you, everypony, and welcome to the Nightmare Night festival!" The small group heads over there, here they meet Medic and Heavy. Medic looks much like himself except he is dressed as a scientist a bit more exaggerated than usual, Heavy has drawn lines around his joints to look like they have been sewn on and has two neck bolts on his neck— ah Twilight get it now. They are dressed to be Frizenstain and his monster, clever.
The two gives the four a nod and much to Twilight's joy, Medic says of her choice of custome. "Star-Swirl the Bearded correct?"

"Finally! Somepony gets my costume!" Twilight exclaims with a clear hint of joy, more so when Medic smirks and tells her in a matter of fact. "Well you were the one asking me to read the book about Obscure Unicorn History— quite the interest read I must say."

"Really?" Twilight beams that somepony find that book just as fascinating as her. "What did you think about—"

"Do not talk in show." Heavy interrupts them in a low rumble, the two unicorns chuckle sheepishly and returns back to the scene where Zecora, now truly living up to being a witch doctor with her costume of choice. Her mohawk hair has been combed, allowing her to wear the long white filled with spiders wig. She wears a torn dark blue dress with a belt and spider brochure in same gold color as her neck- and earrings.
She appears in a cloud of green smoke, with it barely faded, she speaks to the crowd of foals. "Follow me, and very soon, you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon." And starts leaving the scene, the foals follow the zebra into the edge of Everfree forest. One of the foals spots a pair of pale blue eyes in the forest and scared runs over to Zecora, she turns her eyes to the spot and realizes that the foal has spotted their Changeling residence. She does wish he would join but has to respect that he's not up to celebrate the festivities. Turning her attention back to her role as the storyteller, Zecora leads the foals to the statue of Nightmare Moon; the sole reason for this holiday. "Listen close, my little dears, I'll tell you where you got your fears of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary." She pulls out more of her green magical powder, blows it and it forms Nightmare Moon. "Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary." As she designed this part of the magical powder, the conjured Nightmare Moon crashes into the crowd of both foals and those adults deciding to tag along. The moment the conjured Nightmare Moon hits the ground, the dust spread out as a dense cloud. Allowing Zecora to continue on freaking these small foals out. "Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves from her searching eyes." She explains the foals, scaring two of them by pretending to be a monster hiding in the cloud, only revealing herself when those two flee with a scream. Enjoying freaking out ponies just as much as her special stallion, Zecora turns with a delish smirk over to the youngest of the foals there is running over to the stature. "But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing: to gobble up ponies in one quick swing!" He backs away from the stature and into Pinkie Pie who really lives up to her costume being a chicken for the moment those two make contact, she lets out a terrified cry which scares the young colt further. Both flee each direction. Smirking at that scene and her performance is doing its work of scaring the audience, Zecora throws up more of the magical dust. "Hungrily, she soars the sky." The conjured Nightmare Moon appears before three trembling in fear foals, searching but is made to not see them and disappears again. "If she sees nopony, she passes by." Zecora throws another of this searching Nightmare Moon over to the other group of foals, explaining all. "So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!" Throwing up another magical powder, the conjured Nightmare Moon appears above them, making a silent roar before dissolving into a rain of green sparkles. Zecora watches it fall with a proud smile she made this magical conjuring powder work as well as she did, she does, however, snap her attention back down when the youngest of the foals— this young colt dressed up as a pirate pulls her cape, asking nervously. "Uh, Miss Zecora, if we wear costumes to hide from Nightmare Moon, so she won't gobble us up, how come we still need to give her some of our candy?"
Zecora beams of that question, for that, is the quote of the next act of this show. "A perfect question, my little friend. For Nightmare Moon you must not offend." She blows out more of her conjuring dust, forming once again Nightmare Moon there stalks the crowd as she explains. "Fill up her belly with a treat or two, so she won't return to come eat you!" The illusion jumps at the crowd, Pinkie screams; scares the foals even more and makes them probably think how important it is giving the stature candy by urging them in her state of panic. "Everypony! Just dump some candy and get out of here!"
Before they can leave though, the wind suddenly starts blowing. Looking up they see the clouds are forming a tunnel leading to the full moon itself.
A flash of light and a caret drawn by two bat-winged and dark purple dressed royal ponies charges down towards the town.

"It's Nightmare Moon!" Pinkie cries, "Run!" and flees along with all of the foals and Spike.

The mercenaries stand their ground, looking ready to attack if this new arrived proves to be a threat, giving both Twilight and Zecora a sense of protection and it helps them to keep their own nerves of fear down to a reasonable level. The two bat guard ponies bring the caret into the middle of Ponyville.

"We better check if that newly arrived is harmless or not." Engineer suggests. The others nod and the group head back to the town.

(Ponyville)

Luna's two guards stop the caret right above the town, and here she grabs the pony from the another world, jumps out from their transport and lands among the bowing citizens of Ponyville. She dismisses her traveling cloak in a cloud of her favorite animal: the bat and walks over to one of her bowing subjects, giving a pony before he hoves a smile before declaring with her royal voice. "Citizens of Ponyville! We have graced your tiny village with our presence, so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night!"

Well, this princess of the night sure knows how to make an entrance and scare everyone out of their mind. Miss Pauling cannot help but think while trying her best to be polite and listen to what this princess telling her subjects of her arrival even though the loud voice is killing her ears. "A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration!" The princess did not see it but Miss Pauling sure noticed how the cowering ponies crawl away from their princess. "Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!" The princess declares, steering up and with the biggest coincidence; a lightning bolt strikes over the sky, right behind the ruler of the night, scaring the already terrified ponies further.

"I wasn't aware there was a second princess." Demo muses to Twilight, but before she can explain to him about this loud but clearly friendly alicorn, Pinkie cries out: "Did you hear that, everypony? Nightmare Moon says she's gonna feast on us all!" And all the kids flee from the scene along with Pinkie.

Demo face-palm of that scene Pinkie made. "Good god Pinkie..." She's a wonderful pony, but sometimes he wishes she just could read the situation better.

Hearing and seeing the fear in the kids snaps Princess Luna out from her royal voice for a moment, it horrifies and irritates her seeing her subject fears her as she had dreaded. "No, children, no! You no longer have reason to fear us! Screams of delight are what your princess desires, not screams of terror!" She stomps her hoof hard onto the ground, hard enough to crack it a bit. She did not see how it only frighten the residence of Ponyville further. Annoyed by this, Luna turns to the Major of this town, thinking that one will at least gives her the respect and admirations she deserves. "Madame Mayor, thy Princess of the Night has arrived!" Pulling out her hoof to the Major, expecting her to kiss it as the ponies always did back before her banishment but all that this elderly pony did is cowering and refusing to even look at her. Confused and the more frustrated of not getting anywhere, Luna tries to do the same to the Major's assistance but gets the same response. "What is the matter with you?" She asks, trying on other of the citizens, all do the same exact fearful response. Annoyed and hurt of this denial, Luna snort huffy. "Very well, then. Be that way!" It might be childish but this is just too frustrating. "We won't even bother with the traditional royal farewell." And leaves the town, clearly she is not welcomed here.

Twilight really feels sorry for Luna being treated this way, but it is sort of understandable that the others— minus the other world humans— are afraid of the princess of the night. So Twilight decides; "I'm gonna go talk to her." But before she can even take one step, a very fearful Spike stops her by grabbing her cape. "You can't talk to her! She's Nightmare Moon!" Twilight reclaims that part of her cape back, lecturing the baby dragon. "No, she's not. I saw the Elements of Harmony change her back to good." Turning her gaze to where the alicorn went. "But it seems like she's having some trouble adjusting after being gone for a thousand years."

"Reminds me of Ignis." Heavy muses, thinking how Ignis was when he saw a microwave for the first time and how he had no clue how a television works. Last time he saw that one; Ignis still thought that those people inside the television were real people shrunk down in size. Perhaps this knowledge might help this nightly colored alicorn. "I go with you." Glancing down when Medic steps over, sign he too is going with them. Twilight nods and turns to Engineer when he suggests; "While you do that, I think we should set these other ponies straight."

"With all of this over, I would like to hear the story about that alicorn once being evil." Medic says thoughtfully.

Twilight promises she will and thanks them for helping Luna out in not being feared anymore. With Heavy and Medic close behind, Twilight heads out to find the princess, the three find her lying before the stature of Nightmare Moon. "Princess Luna?" Twilight calls, getting the gloomy alicorn's attention. "Hi, my name is–"

"Star Swirl the Bearded." Luna interrupts her and must admit: "Commendable costume! Thou even got the bells right."

And hearing this from a princess is such a joy for Twilight. "Thank you! I worked very hard on it." Then notices the deep and sad frown on the princess's face, reminding her why she is here "Uh, sorry…" clearing her throat, "we actually came to welcome you to our celebration! My actual name is—"

Again Luna interrupts her. "Twilight Sparkle." She takes to the sky, using her royal voice while making her magic steam up the weather so the wind would bring her voice further. "It was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon us and took away our dark powers!"

Twilight and Medic get pushed back by the strong wind conjured by the princess, fortunately it did not really seem to bother Heavy much, so Medic didn't hesitate to use him as a sort of cover, Twilight did as well, although not as quickly as the light grey stallion did as if it was the second instinct for him. With the wind gone, Twilight asks the princess with a weak smile. "And that was a good thing, right?"

"But of course." Luna lands again onto the ground, she is very thankful Twilight and the five others cleansed the dark magic that had consumed her, returning her back to her normal self. "We could not be happier. Is that not clear?" She asks loudly making the unicorn winches away from her.

Heavy can see why the other ponies cowered in fear for this alicorn, her yelling reminds him of Soldier and that guy can be very scary for common people. Not that yelling ever has bothered him other than making his ears hurt. "Princess' voice is very loud." He tells this darkly coated alicorn. She turns to him, seemly a bit taken off guard by his words. And explains them almost confused. "But this is the traditional royal Canterlot voice!" Turning away and lifting her hoof as if she is currently standing before a big crowd, probably something she did in the past. "It is tradition to speak using the royal "we", and to use—" her voice gets really loud again which did not help that the wind seems to aid her to carry it further "–this much volume when addressing our subjects!"

Heavy winches slightly by this strong wind of a voice while Medic has to correct his hair and glasses, musing only to Heavy's ears. "Never thought I would meet someone louder than Soldier." Heavy quirks a smile from that remark.

Like Medic, Twilight has to correct her blown askew costume from the wind made by Luna, with her costume back to normal, Twilight is getting the idea why the residents of Ponyville trembled in fear before the princess; that voice is a bit scary. "You know, that might explain why your appearance was met with... mixed results." She says with a weak smile.

"That's an understatement, the ponies were ready to bolt if they weren't frozen in fear." Medic remarks, which earns him a small glare from Twilight. Heavy simply eyes him and although he agrees with the doctor. He knows Twilight is only trying to soften the blow and he can fully agree that this out of time princess does not need tough love at the moment. "Small ponies do not like loud voice. Maybe if princess lower voice they will like you." He suggests, wincing slightly when the princess asks with her loud voice. "Lower my voice?!"

Heavy nods but he do not know how else to say this. "I do not know word." He admits and looks down to Medic for help, the doctor has gotten quite good at helping him with his lack of English words.

"Tune down the volume?" Medic suggests and that seems to what Heavy has been searching for, he nods and says to the frowning princess. "Yes, tune down the volume, do not speak in loud voice."

Luna understands now what these three are getting at, "ohh," but she is unsure if she can do that. "We have been locked away for a thousand years. We are... not sure we can." She admits.

Way longer than Ignis, Heavy can see why she struggles. "Do not worry princess, you not first out of time."

What does this big pony mean about that statement? "We are not the first?" She asks confused, still in her royal voice. The big stallion shakes his head. "No, but he only trapped a hundred years." He explains and all Luna can say is; "oh," not sure how to react on this really. She hasn't been aware there are others dealing with her out of time problem and is somewhat in her situation. "and how did he take it?!" She asks, again in her royal voice.

"Much like dark pony." Heavy tells her.

Correcting his glasses, Medic steps forward with a funny sense of deja vu like when he first got properly acquainted with Heavy. "Fortunately, your problem is easily fixed. Let us start with tuning down the voice."

Luna tries to lower her voice. "How is this?" It is lower but still very much to the royal voice volume.

"A little quieter, princess." Twilight says, smiling of them getting somewhere with Luna here.

So Luna tries again. "How is... this?" The last part sounds way more normal, although still sounding a bit like yelling.

"Better," Heavy nods and dare to suggest her. "try little lower."

"How... about... now?" Luna asks.

Still loud but way better, Twilight thinks. "Now you're getting it."

Tuning down her voice, Luna asks the three a bit nervously "And... how about now?" No longer yelling, in fact, her voice sounds very normal.

"Well, that went faster than this big brute's problem." Medic remarks, smirking up to Heavy there laughs and retorts still chuckling. "Doctor should see Ignis, he has trouble with how new objects work, sometimes set things on fire." And Medic is certain his other has so much fun with that one… "Good thing it is my other who is dealing with that third Pyro, then again; I am dealing with Fauline Pinkie Pie." Heavy chuckles of that last statement.

Well, she can relate to that other pony. "We too had a bit of trouble figuring out what our new equipment was for." Luna admits and is still embarrassed she could not figure out half the kitchen stuff, which did NOT help with her cooking skills. "We still have..."

"You will get used to it, give it time." Twilight ensures her and about to suggest going out and visit some of her friends but before she can, the princess levitates her over and hugs her a tad too strongly— not to mention that royal voice is back. "We thank thee, dear Twilight Sparkle! Our normal speaking voice shall surely win us the hearts of thy fellow villagers!" And only when the princess lets her go, Twilight has the air to say weakly up to her. "You welcome..."

Heavy and Medic are spared for the crushing hug as Heavy is bigger than Luna and Medic is smart enough to stay out of range but she does give them her thanks in which they nod politely back as their response.

Recovering from the hug, Twilight returns back to the suggestion. "Let's meet up with the others, let's go princess." and Luna follows the three back into Ponyville again.

Author's Note

well, this story got a whole bunch of smaller stories in it, but real life is often like that and I didn't think I could delete any of it without making everything confusing, so... yeah.
and just the reminder to everyone reading this: I will change both the FIM and TF2 lore in order to make this story flow better.

I do at times wonder if I should write a prequel to this story with all the nips of background lore I am throwing at you guys.

How to move on

Note: Part two of the episode 'Luna Eclipse' this happens a few moments after the last chapter.

At the edge of town, Twilight hears Sniper's voice. "I don't see what all the ruckus is about." Looking up, she spots him on top of the nearby roof, unlike the others he isn't dressed up for the festivities. The griffin has dropped the bit torn shirt and sunglasses for tonight, his hat is still on, though, as well as the silver bow. Said griffin eyes Luna with his sharp eyes, seemly pondering about something. "I take you're the princess everyone is thinking as this Nightmare Moon."

"Correct, we regret to inform thy but we were once consumed by the darkness and transformed into Nightmare Moon." Luna explains this griffin, recognizing him as the one her sister hired to aid them against the invasion. "But thanks to Twilight Sparkle, we are again back to our former self."

"Good to hear." Sniper simply says and thinks it is fair to warn this out of time princess. "The others have done their best putting the town's people in the right set of mind. But they are still quite jumpy." Glancing over to where he last saw that hoard of scared children. "and Pinkie is not helping."

"Thanks for the warning Sniper." Twilight thanks him and before she takes Luna into the—what Sniper called it, the jumpy town, she asks him for a bit more help. "Any chance you could set Pinkie straight that Princess Luna means nopony any harm?"

"Engie, and Rarity already on it." Sniper replies simply.

That's good to hear, Engineer is very good at calming people and she is sure Rarity can set Pinkie straight that wilding up the kid with fear is not okay at the moment. Twilight smiles happy for the news and turns to the slightly frowning princess. "Come, princess, let me introduce you to my friend Applejack." And leads the princess inside of Ponyville with the two turned humans close behind.
The town's ponies do freezes up when spotting the princess but fortunately didn't cower. The one pony there did get yelled at Soldier. "Do not cower for the vice president maggot!!" and the pony- apparently liking less getting yelled at Soldier than fearing the princess jumps back on her feet and gives the princess of the night a weak, yet still scared smile.
Passing Soldier who is currently dressed up as what the others called a robot salutes Luna. "Welcome to Ponyville miss Vice President! Sorry for the civilians being a bunch of spineless cowards!"

Luna stares at this for once respect paying pony, although not sure why he called her that name. "What is this... vice president thou name us?" She asks him confused, turning to the light grey unicorn when he speaks in a low voice."Don't question it; it will be waste of time anyway. Just see it as Soldier's way addressing royal." Luna is a bit hesitant but she guesses she can look past the different title because he is the only one paying her proper respect, turning back to the saluting pegasus. "We are grateful for the warm welcome of thy Soldier, but we do not wish forced admiration."

"I will try to be less forceful!" Soldier declares and trots over to yell- quieter at another pony thinking he can cower in fear before the vice president on his watch.

Rolling her eyes of Soldier's way of helping out, must admit his tactic does work... sort of. "He means well, although I wish he would follow your example and volume down." Twilight jokes lightly to the princess before bringing the very taken off guard princess from meeting Soldier over to where Applejack has her games sat up. They find her helping the young foal Pipsqueak not from falling into the barrel filled with water when he tried to grab an apple.

"Careful there, partner." Applejack smiles and sends the foal off to do something a bit more suitable for his size. Turning around, Applejack spots the princess of the night, she knows from Demo that the princess means no harm but it's harder to convince her body that this is not Nightmare Moon and jump in fright. "Heh, sorry about that..." She smiles weakly to the princess, clearing her throat and asks the now good princess of the night. "What can I do for you princess?" It is Twilight there answers, however.
"The princess is looking for a little advice on how to fit in around here." Well, that is an understatement, this is the alicorn there once was the source of all fear for peach sake. But Applejack guesses she can try to make this princess look less... well scary. "Fit in you say, well that's easy! All you gotta do is have the right attitude."

"Yeah, let loose and have some fun!" Scout grins, landing beside them from seemly no-where. The princess gives him a look filled with many emotions— all which he is detecting. The biggest of them is confusions and that makes her asks. "Fun? What is this "fun" thou speaks of?
Scout can't help but laugh at how oblivious this one is, but he will grant this weird speaking pony a helping hand of having fun. "It's easy." He trots over to the game where someone has to throw a toy spider into the web. He grabs one of these spiders and hands it to the dark-winged unicorn. "Here ya go."

Luna is still very confused what she is supposed to do with this toy spider. "Pray tell, what purpose do these serve?"

"You throw it at the web over there; like this." Scout grabs a spider and throws it onto the spider web. The winged unicorn copies him, at first she misses, the next spider lands right beside Scout, which does impress him. "Hey, for a beginner that was nice throw." He grins.

"Scout, do not insult the princess." Heavy lectures the speedster, Scout blinks and gives him a startled look. "She's a princess?" Turning wide-eyed to the alicorn there doesn't notice the startled look Scout gives her. "Your princess enjoys this "fun"!" and she turns her attention back to Twilight and Applejack, asking. "In what other ways may we experience it?"
Twilight beams hearing this.

Meanwhile, that group is busy showing princess Luna the meaning of fun. Miss Pauling is trying to get a hold on one of the mercenaries. She finds Demoman and Soldier having some sort of playfight which seems to be a great amusement for the surrounding ponies. Miss Pauling is split of going over and tell the two to stop fraternizing with one another or leave them be as those two have finally made peace with one another again after Helen pitted them against each other when she found out they have become friends.
She decides to look past it this time and moves on.
She finds the BLU Engineer at one of the many cafes and is baffled to see that Demoman and Soldier weren't the only of the mercenaries being on friendly terms to the opposite team. Engineer is sharing a drink and a laugh with RED Sniper, what they are talking about she does not know. She decides to step in on this breach of the rule the two teams aren't supposed to fraternize with one another. "Engie, Sniper, I know this isn't the war games but—" She catches their attention, making both men look at her a bit confused, she inwardly groans at them not seeing what is wrong with this picture. "RED and BLU aren't allowed to fraternize with one another."

The two look once at one another, then Sniper turns back to Miss Pauling, she just has to ruin it huh? "Yeah, and so what?" He asks annoyed.
Engineer nods in agreement with the griffin. "We can't let the war games affect us here, it's not fair for the ponies."
Miss Pauling stares at them in disbelief, but they are not done.
"And with that invasion, it is clear we need to work together." Sniper says, again with Engineer nodding in agreement, adding calmly. "It's not like we know when we will get back."

Good news then, "I spoke with the princess, she said a pathway will open for us to get home this summer." The two blinks, then hum with Engineer saying. "Well, it was fun as long it lasted."
This time Sniper nodding in agreement.
... She did not except them feeling bad for leaving. "Not as excitedly as I hoped." She muses dryly as she cannot see anything fun being stuck here as a pony.

"Don't get us wrong miss, we want to go home but—" Engineer turns his eyes to where the Twilight and friends are currently encouraging that second princess the fun in hurling with pumpkins. Twilight said they share a connection the six mares through the Elements of Harmony, and he is starting to think he knows who he will be partnered with. He just hasn't found shared ground with her and reinforced their link to the element, and it seems like now; it does not really matter. "This place has been awfully welcoming to the bunch of us."

"It's nice really, and bloody weird." Sniper remarks, thinking it is typical they need to leave just when he has gotten used to the ponies welcoming attitude. Just then, lightning strike right above them, making all three jump startled. Sniper is the first to recover and glares up to the rolling in laugher on the thundercloud Rainbow Dash. Usually, he would just throw a wide array of insults at whoever there has pranked him, but he has gotten on quite good terms with this rainbow mane pony plus she has pranked him one too many times. "That's it! I'm gonna tan you bloody hide!" And takes to the sky, chasing the evil laughing Rainbow Dash.

In disbelief that some pony managed to make Sniper— who is one most hard to let loose now is chasing that pony in a game of tag, Quote Miss Pauling doing a face-palm, forgetting she does not have hands. "Ow..." She moans in pain from having hit herself with a harden hoof instead of a softer hand, wondering if they have ended up in Pyro's world. "This place is more insane than I thought..."

"Nah, it's just how they are." Engineer laughs and if she wants to see insanity; she should meet Pinkie. Speaking about pink pony, he has taken notice that she and Scout has become friends really close, then again, that mare makes friends faster than he can put up a dispenser.
His attention returns back to Soldier and Demo, chuckling seeing the two now laughing their asses off from finishing their small playfight.

"Is there a place I can speak in peace with all of you?" Miss Pauling asks, thinking she will prefer telling the mercenaries about them soon coming home at the same time.
Engineer ponders about it for a moment. "Hm, you could always ask Twilight if it's alright we borrow her home."
And she has in mind of doing just that. Miss Pauling trots off to find said purple unicorn and find her along with several others of the mercenaries showing Princess Luna how to have fun with this form of Halloween.
Miss Pauling taps Twilight on the shoulder, asking her. "Could we borrow your home for a while?"
Twilight turns to her with a confused look on her face. "Um sure, but why?"

Miss Pauling answers simply. "I have finally gotten a date when we can get back to our own world. I wish to inform this to... the others all at once."

"You're leaving?" Applejack asks, making Heavy, Medic, and Scout turn around hearing this. Applejack feels quite disappointed that these new friends and one of them her fellow Element bearer soon will leave. She has been enjoying having these stallions around, and it is nice having a fellow bearer of her element around as well. "Aw shucks... I know we haven't known you fellas for long but..."

"We are going to miss you." Twilight finishes for her, the country pony nods in agreement.

Miss Pauling is quite caught off guard hearing that, why would they miss her when they barely know her, it soon shows that the two had been speaking to the mercenaries, which is a surprise as well.

"Yeah, but hey, it was fun while it lasted right?" Scout smiles to the two mares, he must admit that being here has been really fun and interesting. He sure heck is going to miss these wings, but he thinks he can live without this emotion detector inside of him. And besides, "If you going to miss us too much, we can always ask Ignis to transport us here again."

“I wouldn’t mind it, but I would prefer being able coming here on my own accord.” Medic remarks, Heavy chuckles of that very idea.

Miss Pauling on the other hand. "Don't give Ignis any ideas..." It was bad enough he kidnapped her and threw her into this world along with the others. And she can also do without Scout's new ability to sense emotions for him actually being able to draw in his ego without she having to tell him. He hasn't tried to flirt with her once since her arrival to town and that is getting really strange.

Twilight really wants to argue about the turned human leaving now they have realized the connection they share with the Elements of Harmony. But she knows that will just be selfish of her to make them stay in a world they do not belong in the first place. So instead she will ask them. "When the time comes: could we do a small goodbye party?"

Medic is very touched by this gesture, more so when he has realized that he has come to care for these ponies. "We will very much like that." Twilight nods and turns to Miss Pauling, saying: "You can use the library."

She thanks her and asks three here to get the other mercenaries to their meeting spot.
About an hour later, the whole team is gathered inside the Golden Oak Library. Here Miss Pauling informs them that they will be able to return home this summer. Again their reaction isn't as happy as she expected, in fact:

"I must admit that I would like staying here in a longer timespan; this world’s magic is quite fascinating." Medic says disappointed he does not have more time to study up on this new and very interesting topic.

"What about us being connected to the Elements of Harmony?" Demo asks and does think that there must be a reason why they got a twin to some of the elements. "They might need us here in the future."

They have been here too long it seems, Miss Pauling thinks and has to remind, Demo- all of them. "This is not our world, we have no reason helping them out. We need to get back so—"

"We can fight a senseless war against our missing souls over worthless lands." Spy says dryly. Scout sends him a look from sensing his true emotions of sorrow and anger, Spy pretends he doesn't notice.

Miss Pauling blinks of a subtle hint of anger coming from the usual calm and collected Spy. "That was what you were hired to do, yes." She replies and decides to confront him about his sudden anger. "If you have anything to say Spy; say it." but all she gets from him is a grumble. Miss Pauling decides to ignore Spy, he has been acting rather weird ever since that wedding. "The princess said a pathway will open for us this summer, it's quite the wait but until then; we will search for both the pyro's and try not kill everyone." The mercenaries send her an offended stare, taking her a bit by surprise. What? She thinks confused, most of the time when sending one of the teams- mainly RED out on missions, causalities has always been a problem. Well, that's mostly because she and Helen told them not to leave any witnesses behind. Before she can tell them anything else, the screaming of ponies makes the whole group of mercenaries hurry outside and search for whatever is making the whole town go into a wild panic.
It proves to have been the princess, and Miss Pauling is pretty sure that the princess of the night accidentally used her loud voice again.

Luna, horrified watching every pony run away from her and crashing the whole place just to do so finally throws her over the edge, she tried to be nice, tried to have some fun but all of that work crashed down when she got too excited by transfigured the toy spiders into real ones there would crawl over onto the net and by accident used her royal voice again. It seems they will forever fear her and in that case:"BE STILL!!"She bellows out with the royal voice, so loud and demanding that everypony throw themselves onto the ground, but at least they've stopped running.

Twilight is the first to recover and urges the princess to remember not using her royal voice. "Watch the screaming...!"

But Luna will not stop using the royal voice, for her next command needs to be heard and obeyed. "No, Twilight Sparkle! We must use the traditional royal Canterlot voice for what we are about to say!!" She tells the young unicorn, her eyes glowing white in response to her putting magic into her voice. Turning back to the citizens of Ponyville, Luna takes to the sky, yelling out the anger she feels. "Since you choose to fear your princess rather than love her, and dishonor her with this insulting celebration, we decree that Nightmare Night shall be canceled! Forever!!" and with that said, she leaves the town as she refuses to show the common ponies how hurt she truly feels from being treated with fear.

Trotting over to his fellow Element bearer, Demo asks Applejack a bit confused over the princess hash command of canceling this holiday. "Ey, what happened?"
Applejack explains him and the other mercenaries that several of the towns-ponies got really scared when Luna accidentally used her magic on the toy spiders and used her loud voice. The orange mare sighs. "Accidents like that do happens... but, ah shoot. We had everything going so well. Luna was happy, everypony in town was happy, now look at them." Nodding over to many of the foals crying that there won't be a Nightmare Night next year. She too must admit that it is quite sad.

"Aw man, that sucks." Scout muses disappointed, he knows this is not his world but thinking about how it would be in their world without Halloween, which is many people's favorite time- minus Smissmas of course. "Do you think there is a way for us to make her change her mind?" He asks the others.

"She seemed set on keeping it canceled," Sniper remarks and isn't as bummed out about this as most, but he does understand their disappointment in losing this holiday.

Well, it seems like Twilight needs to set the princess straight how important Nightmare Night is. "I am going to speak with her and do what I do best: Lecture her!"

"The princess doesn't stand a chance." Spy remarks to the purple pony, Twilight former determination is replaced with a sheepish laugh.
Medic giggles in agreement to his remark. "oh yes, you, Twilight Sparkle is very good at lecturing others. Well, shall we?" he gestures to where Luna went. Twilight snaps out of her small embarrassment and once again determent, the two head out to find the princess of the night.
Medic and Twilight find Luna walking heartbroken away from town, Twilight stops her but the princess of the night isn’t up to the company. “Leave me be, Twilight Sparkle.” But Twilight won’t, not before she has told Luna how important this night is for everypony. “I'm sorry it hasn't worked out how we wanted. But you have to believe me when I tell you that Nightmare Night is one of the most popular celebrations we have.”

Luna is far from convinced, though. “Yes. I can tell. By all the adoring shrieks of the children as they run away.” Away from her because of her past mistake. She leaves, starting to consider taking up Prince Blueblood suggestion on that spa, at least he isn’t scared of her…

“Princess...” Twilight calls sadly but is at a loss of how to fix this problem. She turns to Medic, noticing that he has the eyes of somepony there can relate. Oh yes, he must have scared a lot of ponies with his twisted sense of humor. She nudges him, asking. “What’s on your mind?” Medic looks away, when he meets her gaze again, it is not a reply on her question, but instead. “What is her story?” So Twilight has to tell him the brief story about that Luna turned evil and had to be banished for a thousand years and when she returned, she and her friends had to defeat her with the newly acquired Elements of Harmony. Medic frowns deeply when she finishes the story. “You can turn people good just like that here?” He asks, sounding quite confused. Twilight is about to answer yes, but when thinking about it, she gets the idea that the Elements doesn’t zap ponies good, instead: “I think the Elements simply removes the darkness tainting a pony.” It does explain Sniper and Spy’s behavior, they were still them just… their worst selves. “Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna’s worst self- her darkness.”

So the Elements only allows the person to get a second chance in reconsidering their actions, that makes more sense than just making them good. Medic sure hell wouldn’t like it if he didn’t have a choice, that’s how he went insane and lost his sympathy for others in the first place. He’s not sure he is currently getting his second chance now- not sure he deserves it, but he can relate with Luna on dealing with mistakes so big from the past that it keeps haunting her. Without a word, Medic follows the princess, not really taking notice that Twilight is following but keeping her distance. Finding the princess at the edge of town, Medic hesitates. It took him a moment, but he has realized how weird this is getting to him. He- an insane doctor who glee over tormenting people on the surgery table- is going to help someone else by giving them advice how to become better. The world truly has gone crazy.
He lets out a sigh, but even though he would like to just leave as that is easier, he tells Luna in a matter of fact. “I know how hard it is by been shunned away from anyone for something you did in the past.” Luna stops and turns to him, blinking a bit confused. She hesitates but after has turned fully to him, she asks; “And how did you solve it?”
Medic looks away, he does not think his past mistake can ever be fixed. His mind is too broken and he honestly doubts that he has enough time in life to ever change that he is a cruel person, less so when he is too curious for his own good and cannot shake off the sense he has too much fun playing with people's body parts. But… well, he has sort of becoming toleratable thanks to the team. But unlike him, this Luna has all time in the world to work on her shortcomings. “I do not have the time to fix my mistakes. But you have, so through hard work and having good pe- ponies around, you should be getting somewhere.” He replies after a moment of silence. She can get better while he... well, now that he thinks about it, Medic must admit that he has become slightly better thanks to a certain brute patience and long talks with him. It reminds him how thankful he is to Heavy for having improved just enough that he only had to worry about the RED’s and people still sour about the war wanting him dead. Brushing those thoughts aside, Medic turns to the dark-colored alicorn. “I won’t deny that ponies will fear you, but over time you should find ponies there can bring the best out from you.”

A bit caught off guard by this unicorn’s advice and having a tone that he truly knows what he is talking about through experience, Luna is willing to endure the common ponies fear a bit longer if the wait will bring her friends. “Thank you.” She nods to him, blinking in wonder when this unicorn looks very awkward from being shown gratitude.

Twilight Sparkle joins them there, giving both a small smile before turning to Luna, asking hopefully. “Ready to try again?” Luna hesitates but agrees that she is willing to give this ‘getting on good terms with Ponnyville’ another go.

After having spoken with her friends of what the best choice of action should be, it does not take Twilight long to make the needed preparations for this second attempt on making Ponyville- the foals mostly to like their princess of the night. Zecora, Derpy, Scout, and Applejack gather all the disappointed and sad children, bringing them to where the statue of Nightmare Moon is with the promise that Nightmare Night is not over just yet. Scout guides the kids to offer the statue some of their own candy, he does take a few snacks from the small pile, not at all afraid the stature or that quite awesome princess to Luna will gobble him up for it.

Pipsqueak offers the stature his candy, sighing sadly, "Goodbye, Nightmare Night. Forever..." But when he turns around to leave, the wind suddenly starts blowing and Nightmare Moon voice boom over them. "Citizens of Ponyville! You were wise to bring this candy to me. I am pleased with your offering!"
Pipsqueak, along with the other foals look around for the source while doing so he notices that even the adults are a bit nervous, turning back to the stature. Pipsqueak finally finds the source and stare scared up to the now alive stature of Nightmare Moon. "So pleased that I may just eat it... instead of eating you!" He and the children scream in fear and take the run for it. When they have gotten decent distance from Nightmare Moon, they stop and realizes it was just Luna in a very cool disguise. Turning to the other foals Pipsqueak tells them. "I wish she could do this again next year." For even though he got really scared, it was really fun too.
Scootaloo, dressed up as a werewolf steps over to him, suggesting. "Well, maybe we should ask her." He thinks that is a good idea and without asking the others if they would speak with her. Pipsqueak trots carefully over to the princess, hearing her asks sadly "—For... for them to scream some more?" He gets her attention by pulling her always flowing mane. "Um... Princess Luna." He quickly lets go of it and asks her carefully as he still hasn't fully recovered from that good scare she gave them. "I know there's not gonna be any more Nightmare Night, but do you suppose maybe you could come back next year and scare us again anyway?" He asks, now voice more certain and happy, for he really wants to be scared like this again next Nightmare Night.

Luna is truly dumbfounded getting such a request from the youngest of all the foals, more so when scanning the area, she sees that all the other foals, although keeping their distance is watching her with hopeful although some of them scared eyes. Did they like she scared them? "Child. Art thou saying that thou... like me to scare you?" The foal nods, telling her. "It's really fun! Scary, but fun!" That does not make much sense for her, how can something scary be fun? The foal continues, "Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year." Well in that case: "We shall have to bring—" and in her excitement hearing this, forgets not to use the royal voice when she declared. "-Nightmare Night back!" The foal got blown a bit away but he quickly recovers, telling her happy "You're my favorite princess ever!" and runs happily back to the others. "She said yes, guys!" and the foals cheers in joy, now happy of the continue of Nightmare Night, they return back to Ponyville. Luna watches them leave, still rather dumbfounded about this turn of event.

Twilight beams from the idea she and her friends made so Luna can get some positive reaction from the town's ponies. "See? They really do like you, princess."

"Can it be true?" Luna asks quietly, realizing the common people do like her, she steers and again forgets not to use the royal voice "Oh, most wonderful of—" then remembers and tune it down. "I mean... Oh, most wonderful of nights." She turns to the adults and the grey cross-eyed pegasus walking over to her. "Come, Princess, let us enjoy the last hours of the festivities in your name." and that Luna is more than happy to agree on and follows them back to Ponyville.

Twilight smiles watching Luna have somewhat finally figured out how to be around the other ponies and get a laugh herself when the princess managed to scare Scout by appearing from the water in the bobbing apple game. He does quickly recover and along with the princess and surrounding ponies laugh of the rather good scare from Luna. Twilight is very happy of this turn of event and decides to write Celestia about how her sister is doing.
Just as she finished, Medic walks up to her, remarking with a grin. "Of all the Halloween's I have been attending on this team, I will admit that this has been the weirdest." He takes a seat beside her. "I think I would prefer fighting against zombie visions of the team over this. A crazy doctor handing out the advice of life lessons is too weird for my taste."
Twilight eyes him, wondering why he found that weird. "I don't see why you find that strange. You have a lot of knowledge on certain subjects, and you are one of the few ponies I know there can keep up with me." And that is saying something when Medic's special talent is not magic and yet he can still cast spells only higher level unicorns can perform.

"I have never been the man stepping back from a good challenge." Medic smiles down at this young pony. "And considering your age, you are a very good teacher." Twilight blushes slightly of the praise.

That's because Medic is an easy student, he is curious and rarely hesitates to learn new spells. Twilight might try to teach other when she is a bit older, but for now, she is just happy teaching this unicorn. Oh right, there was something that Medic said to Luna there caught her attention. "When you spoke to Luna, I noticed you said; you do not have time to fix your past mistakes." Which confuses her a bit, for her Medic does not look much older than her parents and they have plenty of years ahead of them. "How long do humans live?"

He should've known she caught up on that, no matter, better she knows that he and the other mercenaries won't live that long. "A human's life expectancy is around the seventy, but unless we manage to regain a complete soul, then I probably won't live more than three years or so." Medic explains.

Hearing this is very startling, Twilight wasn't aware humans didn't live very long. The humans she and her friends have befriended have even lesser time and yet; "You sound awfully calm about it." She softly remarks.
Medic chuckles, but this time devoted of his usual joy. "If you knew what I have been through, then you would understand why."

"What have you been through?"

"It's best you never know." Medic muses, unlike others, he did not want to scare Twilight away. He will certainly do that if he ever tells her what kind of monster he is because of what happened to him in his youth.

Twilight can't help but fear what kind of dark secret this unicorn holds but she has a feeling that it has something to do with these War Games he and the others at times talk about. And knowing these humans have been stuck in a circle of death and war for years, she can sort of understand his reluctance in talking about it to someone Soldier calls a civilian. "Okay." Twilight muses, wishing she can help but she has no knowledge how to recover from war. All she can is accept that the turned humans are dealing with some heavy stuff and leave it at that.
She did not know how grateful Medic is that she did not push him to explain about his past. What she did notice but didn't really see anything weird that Medic caress his chest from some sort of ache.

Author's Note

in this story, the ponies of Equestria live way longer than a human. how long I yet haven't fully decided.

Return of Trixie

Note: This happens the next day after the last chapter.
part 2 and made from the episode 'Magic Duel'

Scout awakes early and takes a moment to realize what the bit heavy thing on his shoulder is. He is surprised to see that Spy- no his father hasn't left his side after he asked his old man to stay. From how his father is lying, Scout highly doubts he will get anywhere without waking him and—who is that female horse? Scout blinks seeing a mare sleeping beside his father, a very weird mare. She looks kinda like a zebra— hold up, that is the pony named Zecora? This must be how she looks like without her Halloween costume. Why is she here? He winches slightly when this mare opens her eyes and looks straight at him, she smiles gently.

"It is warming to see the young one awake this lovely morning."

"Huh?" Scout blinks, taken by surprise that she speaks like this, he thought she only spoke like that as part of the show. The zebra raises her head, clearly amused by his confusions. "You will in time get used to I prefer speaking in rhymes. What class name does the son of my dear spy reclaim?"
Okay, this is both weird and kinda cool at the same time. "Uh Scout." He introduces himself to the zebra.

Zecora nods in greeting. "I welcome you to my home, it is not much but I am quite comfortable in this humble zone." The colt smiles weakly before both turn their gaze to Spy who mumbles a bit in his sleep. She knows it is rude but from the looks of Scout; he has gotten enough lying around. "Move out your place will make him awake, I am sure he will forgive you for causing his head quite the ache." She muses out loud in her pretend to wonder.

Scout is starting to like this zebra, she has a good sense of humor. And taking her small advice, Scout leaves his spot, making his father's head drop to the floor. The changeling snaps awake and curses out something in French. Scout quickly points at the zebra, he knows how dangerous BLU Spy can be when angry. "She suggested it!" Winching from the small offended stare she sends him.

"Shift the blame my young Scout does not change the guilt you want to shout." Zecora says in a huffy tone, much to her satisfaction the colt shift on his hooves from his embarrassment.

Caressing his sour jaw from hitting the floor and get a very rude awaking, Spy points out to Scout. "Zecora right, she might've suggested it, but you went on with it. So the blame is partly on you too." But that does not make his dear zebra blameless, he turns to her smirking. "And shame on you; how dare you to beguile his questionable mind."

With a smirk on like Spy, Zecora nudges her head against his. "I cannot evade your son is easy to persuade."

"Hm, so true." Spy agrees and would've kissed her if not:

"Hey! I am standing right here!" Scout retorts greatly annoyed these two are teasing him.

Spy eyes the amused Zecora once, before turning to Scout. "You know we're right." He retorts back, Scout blows a raspberry, much to his amusement. Spy gets up and steps over to his son. Pulling him close so he can do something that feels equally nice to him. He lets the love he has transferred over to his son.
Like yesterday, Scout instinctively moves closer to his chest and where this energy is coming from, but this time he cannot do it as long as yesterday. Spy hasn't as much in him at the moment. He stops the transfer and steps away. "That's all I can give you for now." He tells his son.

"Man, it felt sooo good" Scout groans joyfully from getting more of the tasteless and yet delicious energy from his father. It powers his body like nothing else, eyeing his old man curious. "What the hell is it?" For he has no idea what it is.

Zecora gets on her hooves, no need getting explained what Spy have just done to his half changeling son. "Little Changeling cub, your kind feeds on love."

"Love?" Scout blinks, as in real love? He turns to his father and the older changeling nods, saying; "What you felt was the love I have gathered from other ponies. I can't feed you with my own love as I cannot convert it into—"
"Hold the freaking phone." Scout interrupts him for he is still quite startled that creatures in this world can feed on love and he is one of them. "Are you saying I just ate love?"

Spy nods. "Yes."

Throwing up his hooves. "Un-freaking-believable! Now I see why the ponies call you a love sucker! What I have been feeling all this time; is that me draining them?!"

"Of course not." Spy shakes his head and decides it might be best explaining to his son what he has learned about this form. "In my time here I have figured three ways for a changeling to feed. What you are sensing now is the passive form; it works much like a small snack but it won't keep us going for long. The two other ways are much more effective. A changeling can force out the love from other ponies, it steals their energy and not only does that form of feeding hurt but at extreme draining it will put the pony in a small coma." Spy taps on his chest. "and then there is what I did moments ago. Let it be real love or friendship, if a pony willingly shares it with a changeling, they feed the changeling; and the pony won't be harmed."

Oh, well that makes sense he guesses, Scout thinks. Ever since he befriended some of the ponies, he has been pumped with energy and barely needed any real food. Seems like he now lives on friendship, and that is really funny in some weird way. "So simply being someone's friend is enough?" His father nods and says with a thoughtful frown. "However I do think you can draw energy from normal food as well." That comment does surprises Scout a bit. "What?" He chuckles weakly. "You will starve if not around friends?"
Spy eyes him and nods slowly. "Food cannot sustain me in this form." Wow, that is really weird and now that Scout thinks about it; scary as well. Spy has never tried to befriend the rest of the team, but now he needs that friendship in order to stay alive. Getting friends with them is easier said than done and the town's ponies are still scared of Spy after that wedding, so... "How were you able to feed me then?" He asks, for if his conclusion is right, then Spy would be starving at the moment.

Spy turns his gaze to Zecora, giving the zebra a warm smile. "I'm lucky there is someone who loves me."

Hold up, "You're a thing?" Scout asks startled, about to voice how wrong that is since—she is a horse and Spy is—
"Scout, do me the favor and don't go there." His father interrupts him, followed by emotions of sadness but also love— not aimed at him this time but at this zebra.
"What about ma?" Scout asks as he had been hoping his father and ma would get together again, and... well now knowing the truth he is a bit more okay with Spy infinity her.

Of course, his boy would ask that but Spy can't really blame him. "She and I agreed that it was time to go our separate ways."

"But—"

"Scout, I still care a lot for your mother, but the love I once felt for her has faded." Spy says in a tone he does not want to talk about it anymore. It was hard to leave her, but it was for the best and he has gotten better, more so when Zecora came into his life. Spy is now sort of happy Scout can feel his emotions as he got the hint and drops the subject instead of pressing him as most likely would've.

"Scout, isn't my love to your father proof enough?" Zecora asks the colt, finally deciding to speak now the moment between father and son is over. "I know this causes you some distress but forcing your parents together without love is bad to obsess."

Scout drops his head, disappointed in this fact but Zecora has a point. "Yeah... I guess you're right." What right does he have making two people who do not love one another anymore come together? It sucks but from what he is sensing between his father and this Zecora, it is clear they love one another. Still bit weird his father is dating a zebra, though.

Well, that went fast. Zecora is truly a miracle worker. Spy nuzzles his son's head once and steps over to his beloved Zebra, giving her the kiss he forgot to give her earlier. He smirks feeling Scout's small discomfort and decides that perhaps it is best getting his boy back before a certain pink haired pegasus will get a heart attack from the worry he is certain she will feel from not knowing where her houseguest has been all night. "Come, let's get you back to Fluttershy." He says and with a quick kiss on Zecora's cheek, Spy leaves the hut with Scout close behind. On the way back to Ponyville, Spy explains to Scout how important it is that they do not show their relationship with one another when around other ponies nor the team. "And especially not around Miss Pauling, she will report it to the Administrator and that's the last thing we want." He points out firmly

Scout can take all this vigilance if it means they won’t be forced to pretend there is nothing between them. "Got it." Hold up, what if Spy still wants to pretend he isn’t his old man? Scout eyes him, asking hopefully that his worries are nothing but his thoughts. "I can still visit you, right?" A wave of mild amusement followed by Spy chuckle eases his mind.

Oh, how his boy has deflated his spamming mouth and ego simply from being around him for a day, doubts it will stay that way, though. "If you are careful and try not get spotted." Scout smiles with the emotions of joy surrounding him. Again unable to help himself— he blames the effect from kid's constant emotions, Spy stroke his head over Scout's head before snapping into the mask of his class name. "Now, here is what you are going to tell the others if they ask where you have been."

***

(At Fluttershy's cottage)

Twilight takes Medic and Demo over to Fluttershy, wanting to show them how they should do the show with the critters. Fluttershy is quite reluctant to the idea but does agree. The pegasus gather some of the animals and lies down before them, ensuring them although it's more herself there needs it than her animals. "Don't be scared, little friends. Twilight is wonderful with magic." She ensures the animals, adding hard to Twilight as the mere thought her animals friends getting hurt is very distressing. "Anything happens to them, Twilight, so help me...!" Spike steps in between them, telling the nervous pegasus as he leads her a bit away. "Aww, don't worry, Fluttershy, Twilight's magic has gotten a lot better since she accidentally crushed me and Applejack with a giant snowball." Twilight shoots Medic and Demo a glare for laughing at Spike's comment before turning to Fluttershy with a sheepishly smile.

Fluttershy knows Twilight is good with magic, she has seen her friend magical skills several times. "Of course she's good with magic— Twilight's great with magic. I guess I just don't want my little friends to be scared." And goes in straight in PANIC mode. "Look how scared they are!"

Everyone turns to the animals, and only Fluttershy does not see how excited they are about this.

Demo pokes Medic's shoulder, getting the bit taller unicorn's attention. "Oh yes, they are so terrified." He remarks in a mocking tone. Medic smirks as a reply and both returns back to the scene of Twilight ensuring Fluttershy nothing will happen to the animals.

The purple unicorn then walks over to the awaiting animals, calling to the two turned humans. "Now look closely you two." Activating her magic there surrounds the animals. She does not start the small show as Fluttershy panics, eyeing her friend for a moment before she returns her attention back to the animals and starts the levitation show. She makes them fly up to the air and into a circle, then splits them up, making the two groups fly between one another and finishes off by making them fly into an infinity sign.

"Twilight, that looks amazing!" Spike cheers at the sight.

Smiling Twilight puts the chittering in joy animals back onto the ground. They run over to her, jumping up and down in excitement. She gives them a small smile. "That's all for now, little ones. Maybe we can practice again later if Fluttershy says it's alright." And the animals run over to the shivering on the ground Fluttershy, Twilight has a pretty good guess they are asking Fluttershy if it's okay.
She turns to the two stallions who should at week's end be able to do this. She opens her mouth to explain to them how to do it properly, but just then, something reminding Twilight of a strange lightning bolt speed past her. Turing to check what it is, she sees Scout now lying upside down against the nearest tree, the almost adult colt gives them a cheeky smile. "Hey, guys!"

Fluttershy recovers from her panic mode about the animals and asks both worried but also relived her houseguest is alright as Rainbow ensured her last night when Scout went into the Everfree forest after his father. "Scout, you're alright." She jumps over to the colt. "Oh, I was so worried." Scout gets up from the ground, shaking the leaves off him. "I'm fine, nothing can keep up with me after all!" He boasts his chest.

Medic rolls his eyes, not one bit impressed. "Unless you have to dodge obstacles."

"Hey, it's harder than it looks, okay!" Scout snaps, these speed boost he can make when on high enough energy makes him very fast but he yet hasn't figured out how to properly steer. Scout has a feeling it’s because of his tattered wings, that or he’s just going too fast. "You try and see you can do better- oh wait, I forgot; you don't have these babies." Flapping his wings and with a laugh takes to the sky before the two can do some of their weird magic on him. Also so he does not have to explain what he has been all night, Spy's story is good but he doesn't think he can pull the lie properly off.

Fortunately for Scout, the two older stallions are busier either rolling their eyes or throw back a few insults than question where he has been since yesterday, for really; they don't care. However, the three turned humans all forget their small insult contest when Rainbow Dash; now the speedy one, tackles Twilight onto the ground, however not because of a failed practice round.
"Twilight! Come quick! It's an emergency!" She tells the unicorn and drags Twilight with her. "Trixie is back!" Twilight gasps and quickly follows the blue pegasus.
The three mercenaries decide to follow, Fluttershy decides to stay behind, well aware she won't be much help.

Scout lands and gallop beside the two mares, asking as from their emotions, they consider the return of this Trixie seriously. "Whoa, whoa; who is Trixie?"

"She is a fraud unicorn who thought she was better than anypony." Rainbow replies.

"Doesn't that sound familiar." Demo chuckles, both Scout and Rainbow Dash shoots him a glare, Rainbow does quickly shake the bit offending remark off. "Yeah well, she couldn't back up her bragging and when Twilight beat her with magical skills; Trixie left, but now she's back and casting spells on anypony! She has already taken out Soldier and Heavy!" The four gasp, finally realizing how serious this must be if Soldier- who fights the Everfree forest beasts daily and Heavy who is their strongest member cannot handle this unicorn.

***
(Ponyville town square)

A red beam of magic hits Derpy, and a band clams around her eyes, removing her sight. The mare starts to panic in the horrific thought that she has lost her sight permanently, she crashes to the ground, crying of one of her worst fears coming true. Sniper runs over, ensuring her. "It's only a band covering your eyes."
Sobbing, Derpy nods slowly and sits down. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help..." She apologizes and feels like a really lousy element bearer.

Sniper nudges her shoulder. "No worries." Before he turns to the one causing so much havoc, he takes out his silver bow and arrow, aiming at the unicorn currently busy transfigure horrid clothing onto Rarity. "You bloody prancing show pony." He whispers angrily and shoots. Before the sleep-inducing arrow hits its target the unicorn stops it in midflight and with: "Ah ah, it is not yet time to finish up my great and powerful show!" and fires the arrow back, Sniper dodges it thanks to his agility, but poor Engineer isn't that lucky and he drops to the ground fast asleep. "Ah, bugger..." Sniper swears from they have lost one of the team's smarter people. He pulls out another arrow, this time taking flight but before he can make the shot, the unicorn hits him with a beam and he crashes to the ground and god-awful ugly dog collar appears around his neck with a chain attaching itself to the ground. "You bloody piker!" He roars while struggling to get free from this embarrassing dog chain.

The others arrive about there, seeing the scene of Pinkie and Applejack putting a pink sheet around the heartbroken looking Rarity who is in some horrible looking dress. Soldier trapped in a strap-jacket, Heavy trying desperately trying to stand but cannot because of the constant soap forming around his hooves. Derpy has been temporarily blinded by a band clamped around her eyes, Engineer sleeping thanks to a powerful stunning spell and lastly Sniper almost breaking his own neck to get free from the dog chain.
Seeing this made especially Rainbow Dash angry. "I show you not to pick on my friends!" and tackles into Trixie. The unicorn stumbles but even lying on the ground, she still able to cast her spell. Rainbow's right wing turns twice its size, making her flight impossible, she yelps in surprises and although she does a decent attempt recovering, she still crashes to the ground.

Two unicorn colts laugh at that scene. "Oh! She's Rainbow Wobble, now!" The smallest of them exclaims up to his taller friend there agrees with a laugh, turning to Trixie. "Good spell, oh Great and Powerful Trixie!"
But Trixie did not approve of those two praises and with a spell, she fuses their horns together, forcing the first to hang upside down onto the other. The two colts start running around like a pair of headless chickens as if hoping that would put them back to normal.

A certain light grey stallion got quickly enough watching such idiocy and stops them with a freezing spell. "Dummkopf! Stay still already!"

Twilight turns to the unicorn causing all this havoc, demanding Trixie hard. "Stop picking on my friends, Trixie!" But that blue, white-haired unicorn is way more interested in seeing her here than stop tormenting Twilight's friends. "Well, well, well. If it isn't... Twilight Sparkle." Trixie steps forward to the purple unicorn, saying with her usual boastful tone. "You and I have some unfinished business. My magic's gotten better since I was here last. And I'm going to prove it! Me and you, a magic duel." Pointing at the edge of the town" Winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville forever!" The last she cries gleefully and for a moment her eyes light a dim red.
Twilight didn't notice the red glow though, she is too busy being mad over what Trixie has done to her friends. "Forget it! I'd never make a deal like that! Now stop your bullying this instant!" She demands, stomping her hoof in anger.

Trixie chuckles amused over this now ordinary unicorn thinks she can command the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie around, she thinks not! "Your choice." She turns her magic onto Twilight little pet dragon and forces him into a ball shape, Spike yelps in both pain and fear as Trixie bounces him around like a real ball.

Twilight quickly turns her own magic on Spike, releasing him from this very uncomfortable position and pushes the whimpering Spike behind her so Trixie won't use her magic on him again. "Why are you doing this?" She demands the other unicorn.

"Why?" Trixie asks angrily, now her turn to stomp the ground. "Because you humiliated me!" She conjures her own memories onto a screen there reminds the mercenaries about a conjecture, not that she noticed their reaction, she is way busier telling Twilight about her humiliation. "After you showed me up with that Ursa Minor, I became a laughing stock! Everywhere I went I was laughed at and ostracized. I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living! A rock farm!"

Pinkie steps forward very offended how this unicorn cried over have been working on a rock farm. "Hey! You're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!" She cries, blinking when Trixie conjure up an arrow and to her great distress, this arrow pulls off her mouth and throws it into a conjuring trashcan. Now unable to talk, all she can do is mumble how not cool this is.

Medic and Demo stares at her in disbelief, both desperately trying to figure out how to defeat someone who can do stuff like that! It is way beyond their experience fighting each other and giant robots. Hell, this is more they ever had to deal with when fighting Soldier's crazy wizard roommate!

Gleeful she has the power over these fools. "Now I want revenge! And I'll just keep casting spells until you agree." She cast a spell on Twilight's home, making the whole tree library float into the air and turn upside down, making Twilight's beloved books fall out, not even that owl can stop it. "Well? What do you say?"

Looking around, seeing all the horrible things Trixie has already done and know she will keep doing it until she agrees, Twilight reluctantly agrees to Trixie's terms. "Alright, Trixie." She gently pushes Spike away, he runs over to the remaining turned humans for cover. Twilight turns to that arrogant and going over the line unicorn. "Let's duel!"

Trixie smirks. "Excellent." And with a sharp flash of her magic, everypony she has cast spells on is back to normal, well except Pinkie; Trixie does not want to hear on that one. The olive green stallion did not get the hint she is better than anyone as he charges at her again, rolling her eyes, she conjures up a box and throws that annoying pegasus stallion inside. The cross-eyed grey pegasus flies over to the box with a very distressed look on her face, closely followed by a brown unicorn there tries but will fail to get him out. With that nuisance out of the way: "If I lose, I won't set hoof in Ponyville again. But if you lose, you're the one banished from this one-horse town!" Twilight friends' gasps, which Trixie completely ignores. "Draw!" and throws a spell on an applecart, making it fall over to a crowd of ponies.
Twilight catches it before it hits a tripped pony and puts it safely back to the ground.

Sensing this Trixie will use the locals as cannon fodder, Sniper takes flight, "Moves it peo- I mean ponies! You don't want stick around for this!" He commands them and does not has to say that twice. The town's ponies leave the area, stopping to watch at a safer distance. Those staying around are all those connected to the Elements of Harmony. He lands beside Heavy, both now watching Twilight summons a strange insect there easily eats all the pies Trixie throws at her. Both blinks when that one insect throws up another and Twilight dismisses those two with an annoyed grunt; clearly, she has dealt with those before.
Then everyone looks up when Trixie makes a whole cloud of snow and drops it onto the area, covering them all in snow.

Heavy brushes the snow off, grunting. "This is stupid." Watching Twilight use a heat spell to remove the snow. "We should help Twilight." Giving Sniper an annoyed stare when the griffin throws a wave of water on him by shaking. Sniper isn't sorry about it though and asks just as annoyed. "And what do you suggest we do against that?" Pointing at Twilight and Trixie showing off their magical powers. "Throw some rocks at her?"
Heavy grunts again, but he can see Sniper has a point. People like them do not stand a chance against this world's true magic users, doubt even with weapons they would stand a chance.

Of course, Scout did not realize that, before any of the others can stop him; Scout charges at Trixie. A bit to their surprise he does hit her but before any of them can get over and help Twilight defeat this magic user. Trixie traps Scout in a levitation spell.

"Ah good, I could use a volunteer for my next act." Trixie smirks up at this very strange looking colt. "Thanks for volunteering."

"Fuck you!"

Well, this one surely lacks the manner. Trixie is not impressed, so perhaps he should get a do-over. She shoots her magic on him, the colt gasps of the magic surrounding him and in a sharp flash, she drops the now really young colt onto the ground. However unlike most colts, there would cry from that action, this weird looking colt sits up with a huge angry pout on his face, fighting to hold back the tears.

The mercenaries and the mares are all in shock seeing this, Twilight as well. "An age spell? But... how could you do an age spell? That's only for the highest level unicorns!" She exclaims dumbfounded Trixie did it when she proved last time she wasn't that good at magic.

Trixie brushes her necklace smugly. "Well, Twilight? Give up?" She taunts with a sweet smile, well aware Twilight cannot win and enjoys every moment of this ordinary unicorn fighting against the evadible.

"Try Twilight." Heavy says, for he really does not want to explain to Spy why his son has been turned into a small child. He knows how cruel and persistent Spy can be when pissed and he would prefer not having to go through that outside the War Games and without respawn to count on.

Twilight takes a deep breath and turns her magic on full power onto Scout, he gets lifted into the air but no matter how much she pushes her magic, she does not have the training nor skills to do such a spell and the young colt drops to the ground again. The only thing saving him from getting another hard landing is a levitation spell from Demo, Scout lifts his hooves with a huge smile on his face. "Again! Again!" He laughs, not realizing what she has been trying, he only knew that being levitated is fun.

Trixie laughs at her rivals great failure like she knew from the start TRIXIE is the greatest unicorn! "Trixie is the highest level unicorn! And now it's time for you to leave Ponyville! FOREVER!" She shouts, the magic of her amulet makes her eyes shine red. Of course, Twilight's friends do one futile attempt on stopping her exile.

"That's enough, Trixie!" Applejack shouts.

"You proved your point," Rarity says, shaking her head. "But you can't possibly expect Twilight to leave Ponyville!"

Sniper pulls out his weapon, aiming an arrow at the Trixie. "She won't" Heavy, Medic, Demo, and Derpy join, Scout trots over to them too, doing some kind of song and completely ruins their offensive position. Derpy can't help but daaw at this, the four turned humans sends the team speedster an unsure look of what they should do with him, then snaps back to Trixie when she starts laughing.

"She is already gone!"

A red aura surrounds Twilight and hurls the unicorn out from the town. Twilight's friends follow, the mercenaries do as well with Derpy carrying the young foal to Scout.
Twilight lands outside town and before she can return back, a huge fishbowl appears above the town and separates her from her friends.
Heavy tackles into it, but the large crack he made fixed itself up, much to his annoyance.
Twilight puts her hoof onto the spot where Spike has his claws, ensuring all of them. "It's okay, guys. I'll figure something out."

"Perhaps Pyro can break this barrier?" Medic suggests thoughtfully.

It is a good idea but Twilight is unsure it would be wise letting a fire happy dragon near a town filled with houses made out of tree. "I will ask Zecora for help first. If she doesn't have anything, well, I'll get a hold on our second dragon." The group nods, Twilight takes one step, then turns her gaze back to her trapped friends. "Take care of each other. And keep an eye on Trixie. There's something strange about her." And with that, she runs off.

"Twilight?" Spike calls after her, feeling lost watching her leave. Blinking he looks up from a very young child voice whimpers. "It hurt..." noticing it is the foal turned Scout.

Medic titles his head of what the now turned child has said. "Does age spell hurts?" Not sure what to think about it, for in one hand it is possible the body and partly the mind is aware he shouldn't be in that age, but on the other hand, would a child like Scout even be aware?

But Heavy knows better of why Scout is feeling distressed. "Scout can sense emotions." He explains, eyeing the wimping kid in Derpy's hooves. "That what hurt baby Scout."

"Me no baby." Scout grumbles, and yet he still clings to Derpy like a child his age would. For him, he does not know this form isn't normal. His mind and body are completely in the age of the age he has been forced into.

Sniper somehow finds that amusing. "Heh, even in that age, he tries to be such a tough little bastard." But now to the big question. "What should we do with him? I doubt miss Show pony is going to turn him back."

"I can take care of him." Derpy says, throwing this young colt gently up and down in her hooves, making him giggle madly. "I love children."

That's one problem solved, so now to the one who caused all this mess. "We better keep an eye out for Trixie." Applejack suggests.

"And perhaps inform Miss Pauling what has happened." Medic points out and speaking of her. "Where is she anyway?" He hasn't seen much of her the time she has been here.

"Oh, she was inside Twilight's library the last time I saw her." Rainbow Dash replies. Two seconds later everyone realizes that if Miss Pauling had been in there then she would've been thrown around when Trixie cast that anti-gravity spell on it. Rainbow winches of the thought and yet; "I gotta see this." She grins and flies off.
The others follow at a slower pace.

Author's Note

the person who inspired me to make this fanfiction (KnightMysterio's "Waking Nightmares") made Trixie one of the Element bearers and I sort of can see why, I mean Trixie is a very popular character in the mlp universe, but I am not one of them. in fact I can't take Trixie, even when she is one of the good guys, her boastful behavior just ticks me off.
of course I won't get angry if you guys like her, as I said; I can see why. this is just my view on her.

Mind over Matter.

Notes: I have said it before but will do it again in case some of you are going to rage over I am not following the canon story of the show. I will change both mlp and tf2 canon story in order to make this story flow better. I will go in further details in the End Notes.

This happens an hour later after the last chapter.

enjoy.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Pyro's cave)

"I can set the big fishbowl on fire." Pyro suggests after have heard what has happened to the others. "My friends do not deserve being trapped with the mean pony."

"Yes, Protector will burn fishbowl." Rover nods in agreement along with the few other Diamond Dogs.

"... I think your flames might do more harm than good." Twilight declines with a weak smile, the dragoness pouts disappointed but fortunately does not argue. It does make Twilight's real reason coming here a tad easier. "But I would like to teach you how to send letters with your fire breath, you want to learn that?"

Pyro claps her claws excitedly. "Yes, yes! Please teach me!"

So Twilight teaches Pyro the trick and when sure this fire happy dragoness got it right and won't burn the paper but instead transfer it. Twilight writes the letter to Celestia about the problems she is currently dealing with and requests a good advice or perhaps a helping hoof as she cannot defeat Trixie on her own.
With the letter done, she gives it to Pyro and with a giggle, the dragoness transfers the letter. When the magical fire is gone. "Now we wait."

(human world)

Ignis had been about to destroy a fast approaching army of Soldier-bots but instead when something lands on his head, he, in his startle blows up the whole sector. Sure he got the robots, but the mercenaries were in that area as well."Sorry! My bad!" He calls out to the fortunately still alive humans.

"You are worse than Pyro and Soldier combined!!" Sniper shouts greatly irritated as he digs himself out from the rubble there used to be his sniping nest and grumbling moves out to find another perk to snipe from.

After have checked if his sentry can be salvaged, Engineer leaves the clearly dead machine, walking over to the chuckling in embarrassing fire user. "It at times like these I am glad Merrasmus put a protective spell on us." Otherwise, all Ignis explosion would've killed them a lot more. Well, at least the respawn is up again.

"Sorry, I thought another sticky bomb landed on my head." Ignis chuckles embarrassed.

Engineer joins him lightly, yeah, he knows the feeling being paranoid, dealing with the same thing when it comes to spies. And even though Ignis cannot die of old age, he can still get killed: it's just very hard thanks to Ignis rapid healing. Looking down, Engineer notices something there doesn't belong to this picture. "What's this?" He picks up a bit burned scroll and opens it.

'Dear princess Celestia.
I am so sorry to say this, but perhaps it is best you postpone the delegate visit at Ponyville. You see, a unicorn is causing a lot of trouble at the moment, she is using magic such as an age spell–something she could not do last time we met. I tried to defeat her in a magic duel but ended up failing and she exiled me from Ponyvile and in turn, separated me from all of my friends. Do you know what I can do to fix this?
Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle'

"Huh, so that place is real." Engineer muses, remembering from his dreams about a pony with that name. Weird they got a letter from that place. He hands it to Ignis. "Does this ring any bell to you?"
Ignis gasp surprised before he starts reading the letter intensely before he does some kind of spell on it.
"Well?" Engineer asks.

This is the best news he has gotten these last one thousand years, Merasmus did tell him that Celestia and Luna were still alive but never told that his little sunshine has decided to become a teacher in magic. It brings him such pride knowing that his oldest daughter has taken after their mother. Anyway, back to this misplaced letter. "I recognize this form of magic. It comes from a Drake; way more magical compared to other dragon species." Ignis explains the short man and is a bit surprised one of those wingless dragons still has his magic signature in their memory. He wasn't aware Drakes lived that long, he only thought they could be around those six hundred or so. He would very much like to write back on this letter, perhaps hear how it is going in his home world but first: destroy robots. "I would very much like return this letter to the Drake there send it, perhaps it's an old friend of mine." Ignis says.

"Alrighty then, could you also ask if that Drake happens to know our clones?" Engineer requests, since he did recognize that name from his dreams. Ignis nods and with a new wave of robots approaching they run out to meet them.
Both unaware that a certain unicorn would be very confused and disappointed she did not get any reply.

(An hour later, Zecora' hut)

"She did WHAT?!" Spy sneers in fury of what Twilight told this Trixie did to his son. Twilight flinches away while Zecora sits at her table with her specially made herb tea, calmly telling the upset changeling. "Calm yourself, all your cries does is ruin my good shells." Spy takes a deep breath and with his anger a bit more under control he asks Twilight. "Could this Trixie do this before?"

"No, only the most skilled unicorns should be able doing this!" Twilight cries and starts to pace back and forward. "Ugh... I don't know what to do. I feel like I've abandoned my friends. But I can't take her on horn-to-horn."

"There are other ways defeating your enemy Twilight Sparkle." Spy says, again back to his collected demeanor. He grabs a stick and after a bit playing around with it in his hoof, it disappears from sight, much to Twilight's surprise. He smirks reaches his hoof over to her mane and pulls out the stick there. "You simply have to play a little bit smart."

Zecora puts her teacup on the table and tells the unicorn so caught up in the power of pony magic that she does not see other ways. "We'll show you the way to make sure she won't stay."

Twilight accidentally hits the table, making the tea pour out but she is just too excited learning new magic. "When do we start?" Winching sheepishly from the stare the zebra sends her from ruining her tea. Zecora sights. "Let the three of us begin as it seems you will not let me finish my drink." and the two bearer of Guidance brings her to a small lake. At Zecora's request, Twilight uses her magic to walk on her surface and levitates three bubbles around her. Listing to Zecora's calming voice. "Ah, no noise, no sound, no din, no fuss must interfere with your focus. Unlearn what you have learned. Only then can victory be earned." But Twilight cannot concentrate properly, she keeps hearing Trixie's taunts and that makes her break the levitation spell, splashing into the water.

Both Spy and Zecora open their eyes, looking at the now neck deep in water unicorn, Spy shakes his head; like Zecora he clearly sees that her mind is not truly in the game. "You won't learn if you keep worrying about what you cannot do."

Sighting, Twilight leaves the water. "I'm sorry, Spy. I'm trying my best, but... I can't stop thinking about Trixie."

"Taunting the opponent is useful as it makes them think about the words and loses concentration." Spy says. He knows that fact a bit too well as he is using his words as much his knives when out fighting. "A strategy you have to learn to ignore. Don't let her words get to you." Zecora nods in agreement, giving her own advice "It is Trixie great satisfaction her words is causing you so much distraction."

Twilight can now truly see why Spy and Zecora have been chosen to carry the two Elements of Guidance. "I know, but... there was something different about her. It's like she's gone from high and mighty to mean and nasty." She explains the two.

Zecora points back to the lake. "Your thinking needs a readjust. Total concentration is a must." And Twilight returns back to her concentration training. Zecora eyes Spy, quietly wondering if Twilight can take their teachings to heart with how much she is distracted with the current situation, in fact, Spy too looks a bit distracted from the news of his son but he does have the advantages in having years of training as an infiltrator.

***

(Ponyville)

After two days of having dealt with Trixie ridicules commands and those who have tried to refuse her commands would be forced to do something embarrassed or be tormented until they would give in. Those who did not give in would end up like Soldier, still trapped in that box and become a sort of warning for everypony passing the town square.
The element bearers have managed to get away from Trixie and all snuck into Twilight's library in hope to find anything to stop this madness.

Miss Pauling has joined them, annoyed but also quite scared that Trixie's magic had forced her into a birdcage for not doing her job right and only got out when Engineer unlocked the cage after that mad pony left to roam her new 'kingdom'.
"How do we fight something like that?!" She exclaims, no longer able to hold it back. This whole world is utter madness, she would really like go back to just keeping a bunch of crazy mercenaries in check, sneak into Saxton Hale's secret weapon stash once and a while and kill a few people to keep Helen safe. That is nothing compared to a small month here!
And the said mercenaries take the situation rather calmly all things considered. Caressing her hurting head, she cannot help but remark dryly to Medic who has three books levitated before him. "You guys are taking this awfully calmly."

Medic eyes her once before turning his attention back to the books in search for any clue how to defeat that unicorn. "Actually, I find this sort of refreshing." He smiles and put down the books. "There's no real threat of death, only a battle of wits- it's quite exciting!" He grins of a refreshing change on how to fight a battle.

"I'm glad at least one of us is enjoying himself." Rainbow Dash remarks dryly down to the light grey unicorn, Medic chuckles and replies up to her. "I thought you liked a good challenge frauline Rainbow." She shrugs in return. "Sure, but I don't see any way to defeat Trixie."

Rarity sighs as she flips through the book pages she is holding with her magic. "I would agree with Rainbow Dash, this search really doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere." Looking over to her fellow Generosity bearer there remarks his own thoughts on this situation. "And I would like if we could even out this battle of wits Medic speaks about."

Pinkie mumbles something and apparently all Southern can understand the language of mumbling since Applejack clearly understands her. "I hear you, Pinkie. I don't know about you guys." Looking at the searching members. "But I can't find anything that describes the kind of magic Trixie's doing."

"Ugh, there must be something!" Spike groans, after all this is Twilight's library. "Twilight has every magic book there is!"

Flying up to one of the top shelf's Fluttershy picks a book and find a picture looking very much like the one Trixie has around her neck. She turns to her friends, saying awfully quietly. "I think I may have found something." but the others did not hear her.

Rarity makes a dramatic pose beside Engineer. "Yes, it's time for us to consider our futures in this new Trixie-led Ponyville."

"Let's keep trying just a bit longer." Engineer smiles weakly, Rarity sighs but must agree with him. "Then endure Trixi's tyranny, so we shall."

Fluttershy flies a bit forward but does fly back when that huge stallion turns to her. He scares her, so she flies upward, trying to show the others the book with the picture in. "Um, this sounds an awful lot like Trixie's magic–" but again the others didn't hear her quiet voice.

"She wants me to grow apples with no peels! Now, how the hay am I supposed to do that?" Applejack complains loudly.

Rolling his eyes that the shy pony cannot get her voice in, Heavy decides to lend his to her. "Little shy pony found something." Heavy says with his deep rumbling voice, one no one in this room can talk over.
Everyone in the room first turns to him, then up to the now very nervous Fluttershy.

"Well, what is it? Show us, darling." Rarity urges the yellow pegasus.

Slowly Fluttershy flies down and hands Spike the book there reads up for them. "It's called the Alicorn Amulet, and whoever wears it is blessed with magic equal to an alicorn, but it also corrupts the user in the progress."

"Hm, I do wonder what would happen is an already corrupt per- I mean pony takes it on then?" Medic ponders out loud, noticing that Miss Pauling is giving him a 'don't you dare' look. He smirks. "I am allowed to hypothesis." She rolls her eyes but let the subject drop.

Returning back to the book, Spike reads. "It says here you can't just force the Alicorn Amulet off, it has some sort of magical lock. Trixie's the only pony who can take it off!"

"Too bad I can't chop her bloody head off." Demo whispers to Sniper who snorts back in amusement before the griffin voices his thoughts on this new discovery. "Unless you remaining unicorns can match up with Trixie, then I suggest we get this information to Twilight."

"Aye" Demo nods, tapping his horn. "All I am good at with this is minor transfigure and adept levitation magic. No match for that mad pony."

"Oh, don't flatter me." Medic smirks, it does fade into a surprised stare when Rarity tells him. "Oh darling, you're only half-mad, nothing compared to that wretched Trixie." That comment did catch Medic a bit off guard, this is the first time someone has told him such things. It's touching, really. "Danke miss Rarity. Unfortunately, even with my higher magical level. I doubt even I can defeat Trixie."

Pushing aside the shock someone didn't think Medic mad, Miss Pauling asks the ponies and whatever Engie and Sniper are. "Alright, we need to get this to Twilight. So now the question: how?"

"Good question," Rarity muses "if any of us try to leave, Trixie's magical force field will tell her!"

"It at times like these I wish Spy was around..." Engineer grumbles. After all, that man can get past his sentry gun sensor. "He could get past it, somehow."

Rainbow Dash flies into the middle of the room, shouting "I've got it! Trying to sneak past the force field would be impossible without help, but I know who's got the goods to get into those woods!" She flies down and lifts up Fluttershy, declaring her name.

"Whaat?!" Said pink haired pegasus cries and forgets for a moment she has wings, dropping to the floor. She pulls a book over her head as cover, shaking like a leaf.

Heavy frowns at this. "Little shy pony too scared for such things."

She fully agrees with him. "Yes! I'll crack under the pressure! I'll snap like a twig!" Fluttershy cries fearfully, hugging the book tightly. Rainbow Dash grasps her again, beaming. "Perfect! Fluttershy will sneak out of Ponyville and find Twilight." And again poor Fluttershy drops to the floor with her trying but cannot even utter an objection because she is so scared.

Miss Pauling face-hoof. "For goodness sake... she can't do it!" Pointing at the trembling in fear pony. "Just look at her, stealth missions require calm nerves and I am sorry to say it but you have none."

"I know...!" Fluttershy agrees in a quite but panicking voice.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes of this unicorn. "She's perfect, Fluttershy can make her animals friends get her out, it's easy!" She flies down to this deeply frowning unicorn. "Unless one of you can speak with animals and hide inside a log or whatever we find."

Miss Pauling raises a brow. "She can speak with animals?" Everyone in the room nod, well one more thing on the list of what she did not except in this place. Sighting Miss Pauling must admit. "I cannot speak with animals, but I think someone other than her is the better choice."

"I'll go." Sniper declares from his spot on the second floor, pointing at himself. "I'm the better choice over Fluttershy. Spook's not the only one able do stealth missions."
But he would still need certain critters help to get out. "Still need your ability talking with animals, though."

"You can help us with that, right lass?" Demo asks the trembling Fluttershy softly, making her look slowly up to him. She gives him a small nod, looking a little bit more sure about herself.

Smiling Rarity takes her hoof out, Pinkie swiftly joins her and puts her on top. Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Applejack soon join in. Demo then moves over and does the same with a chuckling Heavy close behind. Engineer exchanges look with Fluttershy and they too join in, Sniper leaps down from his spot and does the same, moving aside so Medic can join this team fist bump.
They do all jump when a light surrounds Rainbow's hoof which makes Sniper light up for a moment and when it fades, a silver necklace with a red gem in form of a scope is around his neck. Said rainbow haired pegasi cheers seeing that object around his neck. "Oh yeah! I knew there was something cool about you!" Sniper rolls his eyes but cannot stop grinning as well, more so when Miss Pauling looks the more confused about this new event.

"Alright! Leeet's do it, lass and laddies!!" Demo cheers, the others quickly follow through and turning into a laugh with Rarity's words. "I know just the design for a dangerous mission outfit!- one there should suit that necklace nicely." Followed by a dumbfounded Sniper. "We bloody hell don't have time for costume change lady!" She, of course, didn't listen.

The plan did almost end in catastrophe when Trixie suddenly came over and demanded Heavy to be the one pulling her wheel missing carat. "I will keep her away as long I can." Heavy says and walks over to get the gear put on him and drags the caret away. Thankfully it is not as hard as many would fear thanks to his normal human mixed up with the earth pony strength, so pulling this caret with Trixie cracking her whip over his head is more a nuisance than anything.

With Heavy keeping Trixie away, the others find several beavers, letting Fluttershy asks them for help and with Sniper hiding inside the log and having a levitation spell from Demo to ensure the beavers can carry him without awaking suspicious. Rainbow Dash flies over to sign Heavy that the plan is set. So when Trixie senses the set off the magic force field, Heavy does not need to slow her down and endure embarrassing punishments.

But apparently, it did not get fast enough for this crazy unicorn. "Hurry you big oaf!" She cracks her whip awfully close to his ear, Heavy shoots her a glare but she does not notice in her madness. "Somepony set off the magic force field, and Trixie intends to punish them!"

"Go faster with wheels." He remarks. She brushes his suggestion off with a completely paranoid and yet arrogant. "The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't trust wheels. Now pull faster!" and this time the whip hits him over the shoulder. For a second throwing Heavy back to the gulag where he watched his father getting whipped to death and he had to rescue his family by murdering every guard standing his way. It took a lot of willpower not to kick the carat, knowing that will just end up badly for him. Instead, he lets out a long groan and pulls the caret towards the spot.
As expected, Fluttershy beavers are slapping the barrier with their tails, demanding with all their chitter to get their log outside the barrier.
Trixie did of course not understand the critters in voice but even with her madden mind, she got the hint and with rolling eyes of annoyance, she lets the beavers out.

Standing in cover, the group is watching the log being dragged away, Applejack looks up to her fellow Element of Honesty there struggles to keep the levitation magic up from this increasingly long distance. "A little further Demo." She tells him.

"Heavy better hurry..." Demo groans, he can feel he is reaching his breaking point.
Getting Trixie away did get slower than getting her here as she has transfigured her wooden caret into a bigger one, now made out of gold and that one Heavy struggles with.

"Coast clear." Rainbow Dash says and Demo can finally dismiss his magic, the unicorn drops to the ground, groaning from magical exhausting. Fortunately Medic is there to ease a bit up his headache from the magical drain.

Outside the forcefield, the beavers help a black dressed and very annoyed Sniper out from the log. Correcting his suit and really feeling like a bloody spook, Sniper gives those still trapped inside a thumbs up before he turns to the three beavers. "Thanks for the help." He tells them, they chitter something in return he can only guess and the beavers leave with their log. Sniper trots towards the Everfree forest and fairly easy find Zecora's hut where not only Twilight is but Spy as well.
Said zebra serves him some tea which he drinks as he explains the three about their findings.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize the Alicorn Amulet!" Twilight exclaims, pacing back and forward inside the hut, stopping to asks both zebra and changeling. "But how am I supposed to beat that amulet? My magic's not good enough!"

"Too bad these are bloody useless." Sniper remarks, tapping on his new trinket there shows his own virtue of loyalty, it is nice knowing he was chosen for that element.

Spy chuckles lightly of both Sniper's remark and the quite stressed out unicorn. "There are other ways to defeat an enemy, brute force will only get you this far; isn't that right Sniper?" The griffin frowns lightly in his mild confusions what Spy means. When he gets it Sniper nods, telling Twilight. "Right, you will have to play smart with this one."
Like he and Sniper had to figure each other out in order to keep up with their game, Spy thinks almost fondly. Sniper here has been giving him some worthwhile matches, he admits that. Turning back to Twilight. "Use your wits Twilight, if the game does not suit you; change the rules."

Twilight has to ponder what the changeling meant and when she got it she gasps and exclaims joyfully. "Spy you're a genius!"

"I have my moment." Spy smirks, turning to Sniper's dry remark: "At least this time it doesn't involve you going on a killing spree in RED’s base.” The changeling smirks widen, he remembers that stealth mission and is very proud he managed to kill half of RED team and get the intel as well.

Twilight did not hear Sniper's remark, she is busier writing down her plan to her friends before running over to Pyro's cave, this time the scroll ends up at the right place.

***
(Two hours later)

Twilight and Zecora head over to the barrier. A small spell and the alarm goes off. Trixie arrives with a soon to collapse of exhausting Heavy, the mad mare gasps seeing Twilight but just can't stop herself from taunting the exiled unicorn. "What's the matter, Twilight Sparkle? Not enjoying your exile?" Thanks to her training, Twilight easily brushes it off, pointing out the fact that Trixie hasn't been playing fair. "I know about the Alicorn Amulet. I know you cheated."

"Cheated? Moi?" Trixie denies innocently.

Again Twilight does not let this bother her, she is confident of what is going to happen. "Yeah. And I thought you might wanna see what a real magical amulet looks like." She levitates out a gold amulet with a green gem with circle engravings into it, explaining the other unicorn. "Zecora gave it to me. It's from beyond the Everfree Forest, and it's way more powerful than your measly little Alicorn Amulet!" She points out confidently, at her side Zecora nods in agreement.

Trixie laughs hearing that statement. "Nothing's more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet! And nopony's more powerful than the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Care to put your amulet where your mouth is?" Twilight asks her calmly. "How about another duel?"

Trixie snorts. "Why should I? I already beat you." But do reconsider when Twilight starts to leave with; "That's up to you! But I guess you'll never see the totally awesome magic from beyond the Everfree Forest." The opportunity for greater magic is too much for her, Trixie dismisses the barrier and teleports right before the leaving Twilight. "Okay, okay, you're on! A second duel."
Still smiling confidently Twilight nods.

***

(Town square)

The two unicorns, with only one of them having friends behind her walk to their chosen battleground. Trixie's magic makes the dark thundercloud above them strike out lightning, and while Twilight did not do such a thing, she still is very confident in her amulet. Did not put Trixie down one bit, after all; she can do magic nopony can. "Let's start with a simple age spell, shall we?" She asks and Twilight agrees.

"Perhaps turn this one back to normal?" Demo says with the not really surprisingly chipper Scout on his back, but of course, Trixie refuses to do them such a favor.

"Snips, Snails." Trixie calls and the two scared foal unicorns step forward, she turns them into even younger foals than that weird pegasus. Both now baby foals burst out crying. "An oldie, but a goodie." She brags and demands Twilight and her so-called more powerful amulet. "Now, let's see what your little charm can do!"

Twilight smirks. "No problem. Um, Applejack, Rarity? Could you help me, please?" She calls two of her friends, confused the two steps forward. Twilight shoots her magic at them, making a magical cloud surrounds them for a moment, when it fades, Applejack and Rarity are both left as foals.

Trixie who has barely paid attention flabbergasted gasps at the sight, she quickly brushes it off as if it's no big deal. "So you can do an age spell, big deal." But Twilight is not done, with another magic spell, her two friends are adults, another spell and only Rarity is a foal, standing like a queen on young adult Applejack, another spell and Rarity is back to normal but Applejack old, and then they are both back to normal with a quick spell from Twilight. Trixie does, however, brush that off, she might not be able to do it that quickly, but she can do age spells just fine. "Pff, you have to do better than that!"

"With pleasure." Twilight smirks and turns her magic on Rainbow Dash, at first her friend looks to be normal, then another pair of wings and a clone of her appears, much to Rainbow and Trixie's surprise.

Trixie is shocked, but with her amulet doing a quick shine of red, she turns her horn over to a random pony and does the same, that poor pony stares dumbfounded at their own clone who does the same.

Twilight's smile falters for a moment but is quickly back on again. "What about this? Can you turn a mare into a stallion?" and shoots a beam at Applejack, turning her into a stallion, she- now he smiles nervously at the sudden change before Twilight turns Applejack back to normal. Before Trixie can try though, Twilight takes the stage again. "Oh or what about turning a pegasus into a unicorn?" She releases Soldier from his box and with a flash of magic, the before confused pegasus Soldier now sits a dumbfounded unicorn Soldier.
Trixie drops her jaws, but Twilight is not done. "And best for last; with this amulet, I can turn a pony into other species." She shoots her magic at the startled Zecora and when the smoke clears, everyone takes the run for it as now there stand a growling Timberwolf in her place. Twilight quickly turns the zebra back but before Zecora can recover, another spell and a white griffin with black stripes sit in her place. Smirking Twilight thinks that should do it. "Well, Trixie looks like my amulet is more powerful than yours–" A levitation spell tears off her amulet. "Hey! Give it back!" Twilight cries annoyed, but too late. Trixie got the amulet now.

Laughing Trixie says to the scared crowd and Twilight. "With this amulet, I shall now rule all of Equestria!" She tears off the Alicorn Amulet, dismissing it's hold on her and she puts on the way more powerful amulet around her neck, with it on she declares to the town's ponies. "Witness, my subjects. Gaze upon an ever greater and 'powerful-er' Trixie!" One of the Rainbow's dives down and snatches the Alicorn Amulet from her, Trixie she scoffs at this for a moment but quickly brushes it off, after all; "I don't need that old Alicorn Amulet. I have this!" And shoots a beam of lightning at that Rainbow Dash, but instead of harming that blue pegasus, Rainbow instead convulse in laugher.

"Stop it! That tickles!" Rainbow laughs.

Trixie blinks in disbelief. "That was supposed to make you writhe in agony! This amulet is defective!" She tries to reclaim the Alicorn Amulet from Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus is too fast for her. "Give mine back!"

"Sorry. This is going back into hiding where it belongs." Rainbow Dash says and flies over to the zebra Zecora who awaits with a box for the amulet.

Trixie stares dumbfounded at the zebra, for shouldn't she still be a griffin. Twilight is suddenly by her side, one hoof over her neck. "By the way, Trixie, the amulet around your neck? It's one of Zecora's doorstops." Twilight gives the green stone one hard tap and it falls off, breaking on impact to the ground. But if this amulet is fake then... " But... how did you do those spells?" Trixie demands from this revelation. "Nopony can do those spells!"

And Twilight whole heartily agrees. "You're right. Not even me. Zecora and Spy taught me so much about magic while I was in exile. They even taught me when not to use it."
The Apple family, all looking like Applejack with Rarity's younger sister right beside them appears behind a statue, joining the two mares. "My magic alone wasn't powerful enough to take on the Alicorn Amulet horn to horn, so I needed to use a different kind of magic." The unicorn Soldier correct his hair and with a quick spell gets the green paint off his brown pelt, the real Soldier jumps out from a bush after Medic has let him go with his magic. "The magic of friendship." The second Rainbow Dash takes off the wig, revealing pink hair, she lands beside the painted Sniper who smirking brushes off the fake colors.
"I also knew that the only pony who could get the amulet off your neck was you." Twilight explains the other and very confused unicorn.

Trixie is still confused though. "B-But what about you turning Zecora into a Timberwolf?"

Twilight grins, turning over to Sniper where a now blue pegasus hides in the crowd. "That's not magic, well not unicorn magic at least." Spy takes his real form, startling several ponies but the changeling has just too much fun watching the look on Trixie's face as Twilight explains. "Changeling magic is shape-shifting, so with my performance; he could've turned into anything." And Spy shows that by turning into a perfect copy of Trixie, giving the real one a very smug look before turning back into that blue and quite handsome looking pegasus.

The town's ponies cheer over this victory and awesome show. The split up pony hugs their clone and in a flash of their own magic is back to normal. In the mass of the cheering crowd, Trixie embarrassingly draws back and disappears from town with few noticing.

"That was fun!" Medic says from his spot with an almost mad grin on his face and tells Spy now with a better understanding. "I can see why you like disguise yourself all the time." Spy returns it with a smirk and both turn their gaze to Sniper there snorts as if annoyed. Medic rolls his eyes. "Oh don't be such a baby. You had fun too herr Sniper." And with a quick spell, the paint is off the griffin. Sniper mutters a small thanks but does not voice his thoughts about this show they did.

***

(Few days later)

While Demo and Medic did their levitation show for the Saddle Arabian Delegates, Twilight walks over to Spy, currently lying with a very cute looking Scout sleeping up against his chest. Eyeing the adorable sight for a moment, Twilight decides it's best telling him with what Celestia has told her about the spells still in effect from Trixie's rampage. "The princess told me she can fix most of the thing but..."

"Not Scout."

She nods sadly. "I'm sorry, he will be like that for a while." Quickly adding. "But don't worry, Princess Celestia said the effect would wear off in time. He will be back to normal before you know it." Blinking when the disguised changeling suddenly starts laughing "Spy?"

Still chuckling of how big irony this is. "I was never around in his life, never watched him grow up-" Eyeing the young child sleeping peacefully between his hooves, seeing once again the child there reminded him that life is worth living. "Now I get the chance: all thanks to a crazy unicorn there wanted to show off; perhaps I should thank her."

Ah, she now sees why he found this funny. "Maybe." But there is one thing there worries her a bit, Spy made it so clear that he did not want to reveal his relation to Scout. "But won't the others ask questions if they see Scout around you all the time?"

Yeah about that. "I would need to ask a favor if I could take different shapes to be around him."

"It would be easier if you just told them." Twilight points out, once again feeling safe around this Changeling.

"It would but I just can't take the chance." Spy muses and although reluctant, he returns Scout to Twilight. He has exposed himself far too much already.

Twilight levitates the still sleeping colt onto her back, watching this bit strange changeling. Of someone seems to thrive on giving pieces of advice and be around ponies, he sure does a good job refusing to let anyone inside. "It's your choice." She sighs and leaves Spy with: "but I think you can trust them with this."
She heads over to Derpy who has agreed on taking care of Scout as long he is stuck in this young age. She is about to tell the pegasus that she might visit from time to time, thinking that is a good excuse for Spy to disguise himself as her so he can visit his son. But before she can, a Diamond Dog comes running over to them. She recognizes that as one of Pyro's and is curious why the dragoness has sent one of her doggy's to her.
"Protector wants pony have this." The Diamond Dog says and hands Twilight an envelope, blinking she takes the envelope with her magic, opens and reads the letter inside.

'Greetings Twilight Sparkle, I am Ignis; Soldier of the Solar family.
Do not worry if you do not recognizes the family.
My reason writing you is that it has come to my attention you tried to use a Drake to send a letter to Princess Celestia about a bit out of control unicorn but instead that particular letter came to me. I apologize I did not respond earlier but I have been busy keeping a threading army at bay with a few fellow soldiers of the species called human. I am hopeful you recognize that name since some of your own comrades should once have been that species, and this letter will reach you. The Drake who brought you this has my magical signature, so they should be able to send more letters if you wish.
Sincerely Ignis.'

Twilight had to read this letter twice, just to comprehend that Pyro has the magical signature of that unicorn the turned human sometimes mention. The humans stuck here better see this! "Thank you." She tells the Diamond Dog, blinking when it points out expectantly. "Protector said pony give Rover gems."
Oh right, guess he deserves one. Twilight brings this Diamond Dog to Rarity's home and gives it one of the gems from her chest. The Diamond Dog returns back to the cave very satisfied.
Twilight then, asks all the turned humans to gather at her home "I got this from Pyro." She tells them and lets Engineer read it.

Engineer did not recognize the name but; "Seems like this Ignis is fighting alongside our clones." He remarks.

"Let Heavy see." Heavy requests and Engineer shows him the letter, yes that is indeed their immortal comrade. "I know Ignis, he brought us here."

"How?" Twilight asks curious, such a transportation spell requires a lot of energy, she voices this to the turned humans and Heavy replies.

"Ignis say he is alicorn."

"WHAT?!" Twilight cannot help but scream in utter shock. "He is an alicorn?!" She thought Luna, Celestia, and Cadence are the only ones.

Engineer looks at the letter again, getting an idea. "I don't know much about this alicorn business. But I do see an opportunity with this. We now have a direct line of communication with our world; we can know what is going on and visa versa!"

"We can hear how our families are doing." Demo says happily they have gotten this unexpected but very welcome line of communication. Turning to the still flabbergasted Twilight. "What dragon did you use for this?"

"Pyro."

"Makes sense." Sniper muses from his spot, that guy did, after all, transport Pyro here, so she must've gotten this magical signature the letter speaks about. "We should respond."
The others nod in agreement.

"Alright." Twilight levitates a scroll and a quill, wondering for a moment before she begins writing.

Author's Note

okay, bit lore of what world I am making in this fanfiction. Spike and Pyro is part of a species called the Drakes, they are wingless but have powerful magic in their fire breaths and are skilled diggers.
-Sea Dragons are the biggest, they are mostly herbivore and more friendly than most other dragon species but has an uncanny power over the water, so provoking one is a very bad idea.
-the dragons we have seen in Dragon Quest are the Sky Dragons, they are incredibly powerful, they have very little magic but has no need thanks to their brute strength.
-lastly, there is the Wyvern, they are the smallest of the dragon species but their venous fire and their fast adaptability sure make up for it.

this is how I will write the dragons in future chapters, so you bet I will change a lot when we will get to 'Gauntlet of Fire'

Waves of Letters

Note: This starts just after the last chapter.
It is quite different from the other chapters as most of the text here will be letter sending, but I thought it worked best for this part of the story.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

'Greeting Ignis.

I am both surprised and relieved of this unexpected contact. The humans stuck here said you were the cause of their arrival here and you happen to be an alicorn. I wasn't aware there existed more alicorns than Equestria three princesses, if you don't mind I would like to hear more about it as there aren't any books about alicorns and my mentor Celestia's knowledge about the subject is very limited.
The humans trapped here has families in their world are all worried about their well being and would like hear how they are faring. Perhaps we can give each a chance speaking with their clone about this very private matter?
Sincerely Twilight Sparkle'

'Dear Twilight.
The humans on my side have agreed on a few private letters between their other. To ensure no one besides the reader gets it, they suggested to put their class logo on.
The humans know what I am talking about.
I suggest you do the same with your destiny mark if you do not wish others read what I will send you in the future. The mark chosen to me is a flaming dragonhead.

As for your confusion about alicorn; there were more of us once but the war with the Dark Forces has eliminated the alicorn clan. That was two thousand years ago, give or take a few hundred, my sense of time is, unfortunately, a bit lacking. Luna does not remember all of this because she was only a baby when the war against the dark forces was at its final. Celestia might, she was young but had earned her mark and old enough to understand why they had to leave. They weren't supposed to be the rulers just yet as the once current queen of the Stella family was taking them and the other youngsters to safety in the land the ponies now call home. Unfortunately and to my great sorrow, Astral and the others did not survive the trip. So Celestia and Luna won't have any knowledge of the alicorn history or what magic resides inside our kind.

If you wouldn't mind, could you send this extra letter to them? It is what little I know about alicorn special magic, hopefully, it will help them understand their roles in this world a bit better.

It has come to my attention that you and several common ponies have become the new bearers of the Pillars of Virtue- or Elements of Harmony as this ancient magic now has been named. It's not much of a surprise ponies has been chosen, what does is that according to the humans on my side; says their clone has become other species such as a changeling. I wasn't aware other species could tap into that ancient magic, but I presume our Goddess has her reason.

Sincerely Ignis'

'Dear Ignis.
What you wrote, and what Celestia told me. That was a lot to take in. My head is spinning with questions, something I much rather would like spoken than written but I guess I will have to settle with letters for now.
I send the letter you requested to the princesses and Celestia confirmed your story, she also asked if I could return these two letters to you. I know it's not my place to ask such questions, but it seems you, Celestia and Luna share a history with one another.
and what are these Dark forces you speak about? Spy mentioned he was possessed by a Shadow Pony which made him and Sniper turn into their worst selves before my brother and the third alicorn- now his wife cleansed them both from it.
Since you were the one who brought them here, can you please tell me why and why all of them seems to become the twin element of both new and old elements? You sound to know a lot about the elements and although I and my friends are using them, we do not know anything about their story.

Sincerely Twilight.'

'Dear Twilight.
My knowledge about the Dark Forces is rather limited. I only know this sentient darkness has been around just as long the Elements of Harmony have. Like the Elements, the Dark Forces cannot be destroyed, only weaken or locked away by the Elements of Harmony. You and your fellow bearers are destined to fight this darkness as long you carry the Elements, it is a daunting and never-ending task but the Goddess chose you to ensure Harmony in our world. I do not know why the Elements of Harmony now has a twin to their Element, that has never happened before nor why humans from another world have been carrying the lost Elements.
That is why I had sent those you have to our world. Two thousand years ago, the Dark Forces threw several of the Elements into a dimensional portal in order to weaken us (I fear that was the cause of the alicorn demise) I was tasked by Queen Astral to throw myself into the same portal and search for the missing Elements in whatever world the Dark Forces threw them into. I admit I simply thought the humans task would be over when a pony reclaimed the Element sleeping inside of them, but if what you say them bearing this twin element, then I have a strong feeling that their destiny is greatly intervened with you and your fellow bearers.
However, the humans on your side will have to return to their world. They are all suffering from a powerful spell there has split their souls in half, which not only cuts their lives greatly but also have split up their powers and if they are chosen to be fellow Element bearers then they cannot activate this twin element before they are at their full strength.
Best of luck, Twilight.'

*Scroll with a sun*

'Ignis— father. You have no idea how much relief and joy I felt when my faithful student Twilight Sparkle brought me and Luna your letters. Mother believed you would still be alive and return the moment your mission was over, she believed that until the very end. I wish I can remember your face, but I was so young when you disappeared. All I remember is your hair of the calm flames and the golden armor you so proudly wore- only took it off once around me and Luna. Other than bringing me joy we are not alone, your letter wasn't much help for me, but I figure I should know most of it now that I am reaching the age of one thousand seven hundred.
Still, I wish you would be here, and if your mission mother gave you is over, then please return back to us. A portal between the two worlds will open this summer. When the three stars surround the moon. I do not know what the portal looks like at your side, so I will send somepony from my side to yours when the time comes.

Love, your little Sunshine.'

*Scroll with a crescent moon*

'Sister told me about your mission and you are our long-lost father. I wish I could remember you like she can but…. Thanks for bringing me this letter. I wasn't aware there existed two kinds of alicorns and I happens to have magic over the sleeping realm. I will try and tap into that world and see what I can do as my own duty as the crown on my head demands. Some of the other world ponies mentioned you and you are dealing with the same problem as me of being out of time. I rather not talk about to why I am in this situation, only that I am glad I am not the only one.

Luna.'

'My dear daughter of the night.
I sense in your letter that something troubles you but as circumstances are now, all I can do is send you this letter. Yes being a princess is hard but know you are not alone. Celestia will be there if you ever need someone to speak with. If you cannot speak with her, then I will gladly lend you an ear. If what worries you is being out of time, do not worry; you will get used to it faster than you know and if you mess up, know that your father probably messed up more than you. I do have the interesting tendency in blowing stuff up in the most inappropriate of times, something the people I fight alongside with are quite annoyed over.
As for your duty in the dream realm; don't overwork yourself, unlike when I was last back home, there were hundred of alicorns to protect the dream realm. You are only one, still young, not to mention this is new territory. Take it easy at first, visit the foals dreams. What I got from the alicorns of the night, foals dreams might be intense but their problems way simpler because of their still simplistic way of thinking. When you feel more confident in your magic of dreams, then you can go to the adults.

By all the love in my heart and let the moon always shine your way my beloved Moonbeam.'

*A few days later*

'Father, I did as you asked and it felt good to see how the foal I helped get over her bit childish nightmare.
I need another advice from you. When I watched over the dreams of the ponies. I noticed something strange. Several creatures made of a blue starry smoke of some sort, they were everywhere. I followed one of them and found it causing such hideous dreams to those it visited. Several of them were infected by these powerful nightmares are the ponies of the other world— or whatever they are. I wish to help them, those dreams some of them have, I sense they are damaging their minds.
What should I do?

Your daughter, Luna.'

'I should've known those pests have gained numbers without the alicorns to keep them in check. What you saw is called a Tantabus. They are the infant vision of the Dark Forces and when gaining enough strength by feeding on ponies nightmares, the Tantabus will leave the dream realm and become a Shadow pony. When a Shadow pony is destroyed, it will be cast back into the dream realm. Usually, a Tantabus is annoying but usually harmless, but with so many of them… you have to leave them alone, engaging them will only cause them to gang up and infect your dreams into nightmares, something you don't want to happen. For now, you should simply try and ease up ponies dreams. As for the humans, I figured their dreams would attach the Tantabus, they have all a dark past. Try talking to them, ease up their troubled minds and if that doesn't work. Well, you can always remove them from the Tantabus by putting them into an alicorn made dream bubble. Your mother at times did that when she wanted some "me time" in the dream realm. Something about removing the worst dreamers and the Tantabus main source for growth will be out of reach.
I hope that will help. Best of luck my beloved Moonbeam.'

*Scroll with a rocket and writing unbearable hard to read*

'Hello other me!
I am now friends with your Demoman again, we fought a dragon.
I am now a royal guard for the president and keep civilians safe.
I have been better around civilians thanks to Miss Derpy, she is a true American: she makes wonderful apple muffins and her daughter is a very good cadet.'

*Pyro burb up a box filled with robot heads and parts, giving her a stomach ache. In the box, all of the robot heads have words written on them on who RED Soldier befriended when he reclaimed the part. On a giant robot Heavy's head are the words: 'friends with BLU Demo.' Inside a jar is a small bread monster with the letters: to Cadet.
The others gave the bread monster to Pyro's Diamond Dogs when Soldier wasn't looking.*

*Scroll with a wrench on after Pyro felt better again.*

'Howdy other me, or clone, you know what I mean. Sorry, this is weird writing to you knowing you are the other half of my soul and not just a clone made from a lab.
Well, I just get to the point. How are things going with Logan? Did you happen to get to the trial I was lettered to come to? Otherwise, things are going to get a lot harder for the both of us.'

'Howdy back, and you're not the only one finding this strange. It throws all logic out of the window now does it?
About Logan, I have both good and bad news. The good news is I heard about the trial and got to it in last moment and managed to keep the rights visiting Logan every second weekend. The bad news is that Irene has decided to leave Texas just to make sure I won't be able to get those rare visits. I hate to say this but unless there is some magic on your side there can help... Logan will be out of my reach at end of summer.'

*a few days later*

'Sorry for the long response but I needed to speak with the ruler of this land about this problem of ours. Like with you, I both have good and bad news. The good is that she has agreed to allow both me and Logan to live here as citizens, the bad news is however that you cannot follow. According to Miss Pauling; if we get too close to one another, we will try and murder the other for some unknown reason and I am sure you'll agree that is not what our boy deserves. It is not optimal for you, but at least Logan can get a proper life here.'

'Don't worry about me. I will see Logan when we figure out how to put our souls back together as one and if we can never become whole, then I can live the rest of my shortened life happy knowing Logan is out from her reach and will get a normal life for once— so to speak. The moment I get the chance, I will take Logan and make Ignis bring him to you. Might take a while, the Administrator is being a heartless bitch again and refusing us to see our families until you guys return.
By the way, am I the only one who dreams what you see or do you dream and at times feels what I am going through? It is weird, more so knowing you aren't exactly human this moment. Which reminds me: what in tarnation are you?'

'I am sure we will become one again partner. I don't know about you but I am not planning to die early because of this crap. Things are set here on my end when you get Logan.
As for you see what I am doing. No, I don't get any dreams what is going on at your side, the reason why this letter sending is such a godsend. It is strange only you sees and feels what I am seeing. I would like to know more about why this is only one-sided.
and what I have become: no idea!
All I know that I am a horse with bird features such as talons so I can still work as I can as human. My hair has become a bit too pompous my taste, blue plumage mane, and tail, but a certain Miss Rarity loves that part of me and would kill me if I cut it.'

*letter with a knife on. Written in French*

'How much do you know?'

'Enough, I know about your new sweetheart and your great wish in staying. I know what you have become and it forces you to show our softer side in order to survive.
I know you and Jeremy has made peace— I and this Jeremy here haven't. Not that it matters much at the moment: Jeremy has been respawned into a three-year-old. I presume you told Sniper at some point or he figured it out himself, whatever the case, he knows and wants I take responsibility for him. Your emotions against the boy are not making it easy keeping the cover. But I know you cannot deny your feelings, it will be the death of you if you push people away while in that form.'

'Correct, I am quite in the dilemma on that part. And so far the excuse that this world is affecting me has put the others off my trail for now. But I must admit I am starting to consider letting them know the real me.
With the ponies still afraid of me. Zecora's love towards me kept me alive but now I feel it is not enough, I need more energy. I need their friendship to stay at my strongest as forcing the love out will simply make history repeat itself and I cannot risk having them as my enemies. And don't try to lecture me I shouldn't do this, trust me; I have already been going through that mental fight already and I do not need the other part of my soul lecturing me as well.
Whatever you like it or not, I am going to reclaim your soul as my own and when complete I will go back, I am sick and tired being trapped in war. I want to live the rest of my life in peace.'

'I always had the suspicious you were the softer side of us and now I can see I stand corrected. That world is affecting you, enough it is affecting me and when you come. I begrudgingly will not fight when you reclaim my soul and do whatever the hell you want afterward. You have gone soft and it is your fault if this softness of yours will get us both killed.'

*scroll with fist on, letters on Russian*

'How are family and team doing other me? Are you taking good care of them?'

'Yes, the family is doing fine, they miss me but Administrator won't let us see our families before you are back. Her revenge for what Ignis did to Miss Pauling I am sure. The team is doing fine, wary at first but like your team, we have settled rivalry and now working together against the robot army. Do not know you do, but I see what you are doing in my dreams, sometimes feel what you feel too.'

'No big surprise Administrator did that, she always finds loved one as a weakness.
I do not see or feel what you do other me, it is very strange only you do and not me. I do have the suspicion that the magic in this world is the cause of it, has to ask Doctor about it. (do not worry, I won't harm him) the magic here is very strong and affecting everything in this world. Affected me too, I have become a horse, stronger than horses back home. I could drag a very big caret out of pure gold and only get tired like when I have run around with Sasha for days. Ponies here says it is Earth pony magic, you will like it other me. Not only am I strong, but fast too. I do miss Sasha and meat, though.'

'You will be fine other me, and yes I have seen your new form in my dreams, it is a very good form. Strong and powerful to protect the team. Doctor not so much, your dreams shows he has gotten very good with magic and won't surprise me if he can tear others apart with it. HA! Do not worry about your doctor here, he and I have come to the same agreement as the two of you, he is a bit bored tearing robots apart, though. If anyone in that world needs your protection, it will be that little shy winged pony, or a very good shove to become strong herself. You should help that little pony.'

'I will, might take some time, Fluttershy is very scared of me. This is the last letter so I have a question about you and BLU Medic, do you love each other? I love my Medic and knowing BLU is other half of RED, I want to treat him like RED but I do not want to make it weird.'

'I was worried you and your Joesef haven't confessed to one another like I and BLU Medic, we have. If you treat Josef on your side like I would, I will do the same.'

*scroll with a sticky bomb on*

'Ey still human Tavish, how's mom doing? Oh and Heavy mention you guys dream what is going one on my side, so; you probably already know I have been fighting a bloody big ass dragon along with your team Soldier. We are friends now again. Do wish I had Eyelander with me. Could you hold onto it for me?'

'Sure unicorn me, I will swing Eyelander around for ya.
I found it stuck in the ground; crying for heads, poor thing. Good to hear you and my team Soldier are friends again, it was such a pity you got into a fight in the first place. Soldier was so heartbroken he didn't even feel like training the rest of us. So that is good to hear he's back to his old self. By the way, I and your team Soldier have become pals too. We didn't have a dragon (I envy you) but we did have a big ass Heavy robot with three Medic robots behind. I think Solly send the head over to you, for I can't find it lately. Mother is fine, still nagging me to get more jobs last time I saw her. I can't visit her at the moment though, bitchy lady from the speakers has refused us to see our families before you guys get back. If that crazy wizard keeps his words, he should summon you back around Christmas.'

'I am sure Miss Pauling would be happy hearing about that, she can't seem to relax here, it's funny watching her walking around like a lost puppy. She is so caught up in her thoughts getting home she hasn't even tried using her horn, that or she really does not like magic. I am sure you already know this but I LOVE MAGIC! I can move stuff with my mind and transfigure simple things! It is awesome as hell! You better hope you'll end up here, one day or whoever us takes the other's soul. If you take mine, do me the favor and return here, not only for the magic but also because I have found myself a very sweet girl.'

'I told the others about Miss Pauling, they got a good laugh about it. And if I happen to be the one taking your soul, don't worry, I will make sure this girl of yours won't misses this hunk of stallion. I think you need to hear this, I managed to call mom and tell her about your girl I see in my dreams. I had to call her Cheery though. But mom was really happy when I told her, and for once not nagging me about jobs. Now she is sending letters with suggestions how to properly propose a girl. Take that as you want, pal.'

*letters with a scope on*

'Alright, let me get this out of the way before we start: this is bloody weird and I never thought you would be the other part of my soul which does not help to figure out which one of us is the real Lawrence. Right now with that said: I hear you got affected when Spook attacked me, you better not have killed anyone for that would be bloody embarrassing. I fortunately only made a fool out of myself being all moral lacking, crazy as shit and scared Twilight rigorously.
I won't ask about mom and dad, knowing them; they are doing fine like they always have. But what I would like to know: how is your Scout doing? Ours got into deep trouble. Some bloody unicorn off her bonkers turned him into a kid, but we are lucky there are lots of ponies willing to help us out with that problem.'

'You did embarrass yourself more than I did wanker, I was unconscious most of the time during that episode. Were you knocked out without an explanation a few days past? If not then only I am affected and that must mean I am the fake one. But even if I am, you still need me and you better come back and take my soul. I am not planning on living with only a half soul or be outlived by my parents.
Engineer will be happy knowing it wasn't the respawn there screwed us over when Scout respawned as a kid. I am currently taking care of him since spook hasn't gotten that stick out from his ass and done bloody his duty for the boy.'

'What do you mean by you are making Spook take care of Scout? Are you insane?
Spy hates Scout with a passion, he hates the kid more than he hates me. But lately, Spook has changed; he is, in fact, bearable to be around now and has managed get out a few laughs out of me.
I can't figure out he's under some magic spell or he's just faking it?
Whatever it is, Miss Pauling has asked me to keep an eye on him and make sure he stays away from Scout as long the kid cannot defend himself in this state, but I have a feeling her biggest reason is that she finds his friendlier attitude strange as well.'

'It seems RED Spy never told you. Don't tell this to the others, especially not Miss Pauling. Spook is Scout's father, he told me after I confronted him with the whole snagging Scout's mother scandal. I was quite surprised, so it was good knowing it was still Spook when he threatened to kill me if this ever got out. Believe it or not but Spy is, in fact, not so bad if you manage to get past all that spite and self-hatred he is throwing around. The only reason he is an asshole against Scout and the rest of us is to throw the Administrator off. Something about she will use the kid against Spook if she ever knows. I figure the Spook on your side has gotten more relaxed with his pretend because he is in a place with none of the people he pissed off during the war constantly threading his life.
Don't poke him too much about this though. You don't have respawn like I had to count on.
Sweet form by the way, better than a bloody pony.'

'Thanks. I will be sure thread carefully around Spook. And I will come for you, that's a promise.'

*letters with a medical sign, written in German*

'Misha told me about you are seeing what we are seeing and sometimes feeling our emotions. How affected are you on what happens to me? I am not dealing with such effects whatsoever, so it must be a one-way side effect, I do have many ideas what is causing this such as this world's magic affecting us more than thought, Ignis made the link when he teleported me or you might be the clone.
All of them very interesting and one mystery I am sure you would like to join me in.
I am unsure you too have a dove named Archimedes, for my own is here with me. He really likes my new form; often roost on my back or on my horn. This world has turned me into a unicorn, which means I can do magic, and as much fascinating that entire subject is, there is one thing there catches my eye the most and that is these Elements of Harmony.
According to a unicorn, a good friend (which is a surprise as she could've easily been my daughter) and my magical teacher; Twilight Sparkle, all us humans are connected to these powerful artifacts. I will admit I denied the idea I would be connected to anything having to do with harmony, the thought itself is absurd. But it has come to my notice that the longer I am here, getting closer to both the team and these ponies, the stronger this— let's say feeling inside of me is getting. I do not know what it means. What do you make of this?'

'It is interesting only I am affected by you, it does make me turn to the option that I am the fake one and your soul is calling for mine. Ignis did mention such things with split souls would happen. We are all very strongly affected by what is going one on your side. Sniper and Spy both turned into a darker form of their selves, which I must admit was quite disturbing, but luckily we had them restrained during the episode so we escaped with only minor scrapes. And I presume your Scout has been turned into a child, for our respawned back as on not long ago. Soldier once started acting weirder than usual by saying he was a unicorn and I couldn't do much since I was dealing with a huge migraine and the painkillers didn't work. Ever since your departure to that land, all my dreams have been about what has stood out for you, it is very strange waking up thinking you have hooves instead of hands and I have more than once caught myself trying doing magic without anything happening.
I too am starting to sense this feeling you are talking about, I first thought it was a tumor but I found no such things when I checked. My nightmares haven't gotten affected just yet, but I am sure it is only in a matter of time. Do you still have the nightmares? I am curious if those I have comes from you as well.
As for Archimedes, the one I had did not return the day after Ignis first rampage. For quite some time I feared he had killed Archimedes, but now I can breathe out in relief knowing he is safe and sound with you. Do not worry about the others. I have them all over at me.
p.s. You wouldn't mind I treat BLU Heavy as my Heavy? This passive relationship we have going is starting to get on my nerves.'

'I wouldn't mind, after all; like with us, Misha on both our sides are the same person just... separated.
Thanks for letting me know I don't has to worry about the rest of my doves.
And now that you mentioned it, I haven't any nightmares for quite a while. It is very strange, but I'm not complaining. It's nice getting proper rest for once.
Anyway, this link you share to my mind is quite fascinating. I would like if you can send reports what you are experiencing so we perhaps can figure out what is truly causing it; we might figure out a way to unite our souls again. That does remind me, I have learned that the ponies in this world can live three hundred years and is curious if being here is affecting us or if we age like any other human.'

*a week later and a lot of notes sending*

'I and Engineer did some investigating on the respawn machine and according to it and your medical notes about some of you seemly has begun getting stronger; well, it seems that the respawn is the cause of it as you theorized. Engineer really looked into the data of respawn and according to him even with a half soul, we should get about a few decades older than normal human age but with a whole soul. That is the interesting part; if we get whole again and continually connected to respawn, we will be able to become as old as a pony- perhaps older all thanks to respawn keep on repairing our bodies as long we're connected to it. This is very exciting, but only you in Equestria will be getting this interesting perk for some reason. We here won't live much longer than perhaps a decade, Soldier and Demoman barely and I doubt Spy will live longer than a year with him getting weaker by each day. I haven't told Spy this yet, he has been harder to find lately. I suggest you keep a sharp eye on the Spy on your side.

'Again this is only one-sided. The spy on my side shows no signs of getting weaker. In fact, he is getting healthier and if I didn't know any better; younger, need to do a few more tests to be sure. He is, however, starting to forget minor things which do worry me. I will keep a sharp eye on any further changes.
You should've seen the others faces when I told them this new fact of our prolonged lives if we succeed becoming whole again. Spy especially looked quite relieved compared to the others being more than dumbfounded.
I do not have answers for our soul reunion problem, but I will continually study this world's magic; as there is a great chance it might help us in the near future.'

***
Deep inside Everfree forest, a cluster of black gems grows up from the ground before shaping into a black pegasus stallion without a cutiemark and eyes poison green. He walks towards the glade not far away and doesn't at all seem to notice the pack of Timberwolves blocking his way. The Timberwolves growl and one of them charge at him, only there he looks up and when his same colored eyes meet the beast, the attacking timberwolf stops. It stares at him for a few seconds, then backs away, allowing him to pass. The other Timberwolves, sensing like the first that this pony is part of what gave them life also allows him to pass. The pegasus walks slowly but steadily into the glade, where he finds a creature made out of metal there has rusted from being stuck out in the wild for this long.
The Spy-bot is barely functional anymore, the weather and running out on the money there is its fuel is the cause of a soon permanently shut down. Before that happens though. The pegasus needs to speak with the Master of this thing. "Us on your side of the barrier can sense the darkness in your heart, hear us human and listen."

The robot twitches slowly back to life from the pony before it speaking, but since it cannot make such decisions on its own, it sends out a signal to All-Maker, asking him for the next course of action with the one before it.

_command?

Several moments later, the All-Maker response.

_ hear what this pegasus has to say.

_ affinitive.
The robot nods to the pony, saying with one of the voice-lines gotten from the real Spy. "Let's hear what you have."

"There are three beings stuck in your world, their song causes conflict and distrust when heard. We want you to aid them to spread their song." The pegasus explains the owner of this metal human.

The man on the other side scratches his chin in thoughts of what this being would get out from this, better yet: He activates the robot's voice-box system so he can talk directly to this talking horse."What would I get out from aiding one of your lackeys?"He asks the pony.

The pegasus smirks. "What do you want?"

"I want Mann Co. and the respawn machine."

"Then that is what you get."

The man on the other side raises a brow how easily this pony agreed to his terms, to be honest, it does put up several red flags."What's the catch? What do you get in return for this agreement."

The pegasus throws his head lightly back with a small evil laughter. "The Disharmony you will create if you do what we ask is more than enough. Do we have a deal, maker of robots?"

So this pony- or whatever it really just wants to see the world burn? Grey admits that dealing with someone like that can get dangerously really quickly, guess he could say he is pretty much making a deal with the devil. But what that pegasus is offering him is something he just cannot refuse."Deal, where can I find your singers of war?"
The pony on the screen smirks widen.

Author's Note

well, now you know that I won't ship Ignis with Luna and Celestia. that will be wrong on so many levels.

three of the mercenaries does reveal they have a love life. just don't expect graphics scenes of those; I am not the person you want to write such things.

till next time

Childcare

Note: Happens four days after last chapter.
and part of it made after the episode "Baby Cakes"

Been unable to get the thoughts out what his other told him. Sniper flies over to Zecora's hut, knocks twice on the door before he walks inside, as hoped he finds Spook there, and it seems he has interrupted the man's meditation. Didn't know Spook did such things, then again, it is clear there is a lot he did not know about this one. "I know." He simply says.
Spy right away tenses up, Sniper notices that Zecora looks worried too. It seems he told her, must mean he really trusts Zecora.

"And?" Spy asks, dreading he might have to kill Sniper for knowing this secret.

"And I think you should drop the act and be there for him." Sniper tells the Changeling, he turns around to leave; for as his other warned him: he should not push this without respawn to count on; Spy looks ready to attack him already. However, he will say this. "You're not as bad as I thought."

"Wait." Spy calls before he can stop himself, Sniper does and Spy walks over to him, close enough so he can feel the griffin's emotions that he has been serious about this. Spy hesitates for a moment, then asks something there has been bothering him ever since his other lectured him about it. "Do you think I can trust the team with this?"

Okay, he did NOT expect this, Spook has really changed, a good chance but still baffling. "You're the one with the emotion detector." Sniper points out and scratches his neck. "I can only tell you what I have seen."

"And that is?"

"They might not keep their mouth shut about it, but they sure hell will keep Scout safe. He may be an annoying little shit from time to time, but he is still part of the team and works just as hard as the rest of us." Sniper steps so he can look at Spy without having to bend his head like an owl, he's not one even if he has a beak. "You have been too busy hiding and act spitefully to see it, but we all do our best protecting one another; yes even you Spook."

And that is what is confusing him. "Why? I have done nothing to earn this. Surely it can't be from doing my job." Spy points out, frowning.

Sniper only shrugs, saying. "As I said; you're not so bad when you get that stick out from your ass."

Spy shoots him a glare and is happy Sniper cannot sense emotions as that comment did for some reason amuses him. Perhaps he can trust the team with this, it will be nice having someone to share this burden with. "Alright, perhaps I should give this trust thing a try."

Sniper smirks and senses he won't get stabbed for asking the question about the small change in Spy appearance. "Say, what's with the sparkle wings?"

Spy turns to look at his now shiny blue and very sparkly wings, he shrugs. "The hell if I know, maybe a sign I don't need to eat?" He wonders out loud for he hasn't been so hungry he usually would be ever since his wings turned like that. Not that he complains, both hiding his true feelings and still being friendly enough to get fed has been a pain in the neck-- and it has nothing to do with the wound he received from Chrysalis.

*An hour later. Golden Oak Library*

The turned humans and the mares are all gathered in Twilight's home, a spell over the library ensures nopony can walk inside as Spy made it clear he did not wish this. Twilight nods to Spy and with a sigh, the Changeling nods over to the playing with Spike foal. "Scout is my son. I was so cruel to him to ensure the Administrator did not figure out the relationship we share and use him against me." He blinks when only a few minor gasps appear for his revelation.

Noticing Spy’s confusions, Medic tells him with a shrug. "I'm a doctor, of course, I could see the resembles. I just thought you picked on him because you were one of those 'I never wanted you' types."

"I figure over time." Heavy says with his rumbling voice. "I know you did not hate Scout, saw cracks."

Soldier didn't care about this revelation as only thing matters in his head. "You are part of this team and soldiers keep each other back!" With Demo simply shrugging with a 'what Soldier said' smile, also didn't really didn't seems to care much about this revelation.

Engineer, being pretty much the only startled hearing this takes off his hard hat, stroking his talons through his mane plumage. "Well darn, never thought you had a caring side." Giving the Changeling a weak smile. "Good knowing I was wrong on that part– You don't happen to dislike stalking people as well?"

"No, I still enjoy doing that very much." Spy smirks, it fades when Pyro asks in a worried tone. "So you are not a cruel parent?" He hesitates a bit there, musing uncomfortably. "... What I did was to protect him, but it does not excuse such behavior..."

"But you will try and do better?" She presses on, for if there is one thing she hates more than anything; it is bad parents. Especially her own, but she rather not think about it. "You will be a good parent right?"

"I will try." Spy says and everyone sends the adult dragon a worried look when she says smiling. "Oh good, I don't want to break Engie's promise of not using my flames while in town."

Spy gives Engineer a thankful look he made their dragon make that promise, otherwise, he probably would’ve ended up as a very crispy Changeling. The half bird horse simply nods in return. Spy then turns his gaze over to his son and hesitates.
"Wanker." Sniper shoves him over to the foal, saying. "Go over to him already." Followed by almost everyone chuckle of his awkwardness.
Again Spy hesitates, but not wanting to be shoved about by the Bushman again, he steps over to Scout and nudges the kid's shoulder lightly.

Sensing this wonderful feeling again, Scout stops his game with Spike and turns around, beaming up to the only one who can give him the feeling. Giggling madly he leaps around this bit scary looking pony, but he is not afraid, he can't with the wonderful feeling this one is giving out. Speaking of feeling. "Want love." He demands and tackles into this pony's chest.

Derpy lands beside Soldier, been the one who was taking care of Scout, this is not the first time she hears those two words. "I don't know why he keeps saying that. I think he means he wants hugs." She hypostasis to the others.

"No, he literarily means he wants love." Twilight says, turning to Spy, now lying down with the foal to Scout clinging to his chest. "Changelings feeds on love."

And knowing Scout is Spy's son also explains that Bonk effect the kid can get from time to time. "I figure that is why he's got so easily hyped around us." Sniper remarks.

Spy nods and must admit he does find that ability very strange himself. "I can't do that though, I figured the mix of Changeling and pony magic gave him that ability." Turning his gaze up to Rainbow Dash. "His charge attack does remind me when you fly around at full speed, plus he can walk on clouds."

Rainbow blinks. "You can't?"

"No, but I can crawl on walls."

Heavy chuckles at this. "Spy is spider pony." yet does find that thought a bit creepy too. Shaking off that thought, Heavy asks while watching Scout cling to Spy with a very satisfied look on his face. "You give little Scout love?"

Spy nods and is happy he has gathered a lot these past days, for Scout is quite the small glutton. And being able to be around his boy without having to worry about who is watching. Everything is so much easier with the team's acceptance and protection; for that, he is eternally grateful, he voices this to the team.

"Perhaps now you stop distrusting us so bloody darn much." Sniper says and with; "Take good care of that kid, spook." He leaves the library.

Soldier and Demo does as well with Demo saying. "He may be annoying at times, but he's a good kid."

One by one the other leave, and lastly Spy gently bite Scout around the chest, using his long fangs to hold the foal in place. He gives Twilight and Spike a thankful nod which Twilight returns with her 'you welcome' and feeling way lighter, he carries his son back to Zecora.
She welcomes him back by nuzzling him above his horn, follows him over to the bed and after Spy has placed his son back before his chest, she lies down beside him. Letting her beloved changeling uses her love towards him to feed the foal.
Spy kisses her. "Je vous aime." to then turn his attention back to his son there is now crawling on his back to check out this new pony beside him.

*Human world*

Sniper looks up from his small nap when someone walks into the room, watching Spy hesitatingly picks up the sleeping Scout and awkwardly holds the boy in his arms. Without a long almost defeating sigh, he sits down beside Sniper, stroking Scout's messy brown hair. It wakes the kid and Scout stare confused up to Spy, then still a bit confused but also now thoughtful, Scout gets up– Sniper has to bite his lips not to laugh of the boy pulling Spy’s mask in wonder. More so when the usual so uptight man is letting him. "How affected are you?" Sniper asks, no need going deeper as Spy knows what he is talking about.

Spy sighs again, leaning his head against the curious boy. "My body doesn't feel like mine anymore." He replies, for he cannot see where his emotions start and where BLU Spy's ends. This very moment, he feels so much like his other there must be letting out his love to Scout and this Zecora. He cannot fight it, his soul doesn't want to fight it and the darker part of his mind there hates his other is nothing compared to what he is feeling now. "I wish I could say my mind still is my own, but his thoughts are invading mine every night." Eyeing the young child before him there for once doesn't look at him with hatred in his eyes. "…Invading my waking hours too."

"Is it really that bad?" Sniper asks, for Spook sure makes it sounds like he hates it.

With another sigh, Spy makes his son sits down on his lap, wrapping his shaking arms around the boy. "I don't know... how would you feel if you were losing control of yourself like this?"

Sniper straightens up, allowing himself to ponder about that question. He is pretty sure he would hate it if it has been someone else, but being controlled by the other part of his soul? "I don't think I would mind if it were the other me who did it." He replies Spy and thinks it is okay to share this to him. "He and I have sort of agreed that I am the fake one."

"You sound alright with it." Spy points out, pushing Scout's hand away when the boy is trying to pull his tie off, Scout pouts at this.

"It's not that bad really." Sniper shrugs, in fact, he found it quite nice as it for him settles the years-long question. "He still needs me, and he knows it. And it's not like I will die when he comes for my soul, he merely puts me into his body and whatever happens next; I will be right there alongside with him."

Spy snorts as he hands Scout his turned off Disguise kit. "Should've known you do an awful lot of thinking with all the sitting around you do." He has to remove the cigarettes when Scout found it fun breaking them like sticks. The boy didn't find the device that interesting so instead he wants a ride.

Sniper whacks him lightly over the head for that remark, but Spook is sort of right. He does a lot of thinking when there is nothing in his scope. "Shut up and play horsy as you boy wants, wanker." Both eyeing said kid lifting his arms up, repeating the word up.

Rolling his eyes, but not wanting to give into that command fully, Spy pulls the boy up and holds him in a bit awkward hug. Scout didn't seem to find it weird and with a giggle hugs Spy around the neck, not seeing it makes the masked man stiff up.

Sniper smiles at the sight, but it drops when he notices something different. "Hey Spy, look at me." Frowning over the command Spy looks at him, and reveals that Sniper did indeed not see wrong. "Bloody hell, your eyes."

"What's wrong with them?" Spy asks, reaching up to his eyes worried what has happened to them there is making Sniper this shocked.

"They have changed color." Sniper says and is quite surprised seeing cedar brown instead of grey eyes they all– except Demo have. It's weird see Spy with different colored eyes. "They are turning brown."
Spy touches near his changed eyes. Mask hiding most of it, but even that piece of fabric cannot hide his utter surprise. Sniper is too and does wonder what is causing it. "What have you been doing to cause such a change?"

But Spy has no idea. "I- I don't know." He admits, worried what his change of eye color might be forewarned him about. Could this be the first stage of the longing? God, he hopes not, but in case he is going to lose it before Merasmus finish the spell. "If I suddenly lose my sanity and respawn cannot fix it. Can... can you look after Scout?"

Sniper simply nods he will but he would prefer Spy did this himself, now that Scout and Spy finally have made peace with one another– well sort of. He smirks when Scout, unaware of his father's worries starts to pull the man's mask, much to Spy's annoyance but it does snap him out from his worries about his changed eye color.

***
(Next day, Ponyville)

Yawning from a very good night, Demo stretched his hooves out and let them wrap around Berry Punch, he must say it is nice having time to date again. Even though he has to force his mind not to think too much about it as it would just put his mind on the complications that he isn’t really a pony even though everything points him being one while being in this world. Demo shakes his head lightly, brushing his starting to wandering mind. He kisses Berry’s forehead lightly, before leaving bed. He may not have a war to fight and can take things rather easily, but that does not mean he can slack off. Still has a job and Demo would very much prefer not wasting the great hospitality the Cakes has given not only him but the whole team.
He takes a quick shower and when done he is taken a bit by surprise when someone suddenly snatches his towel out from his levitation magic. Turning around, he smiles weakly to the perpetrator in form of Berry Punch. “Morning darling.” He greets her, more than happy return the kiss she is giving him. The kiss is sort of rudely interrupted when she throws the towel over his head and starts drying his mane. He doesn't really mind though, he likes it when she teases him. “I think I have dried it enough.”

"Perhaps you should get your eye checked then.” She retorts teasingly while continually drying Demo off. “You are still soaked in water.” On purpose messing up his mane, Berry really likes it as it’s not often she sees ponies with this kind of thick hair. “It’s such a pity you cover your head all the time, I would understand it if you had a giant bald spot, but last I checked; you don’t." She remarks.

Demo chuckles at this. "I really like wearing hats." Berry wraps the towel around his head like some weird turban, declaring proudly. "I got you a new hat!" Before she bursts in laughter of the look he gives her. Demo rolls his eye, but does soon joins her, still chuckling, he pulls the towel off and gives her a small kiss on her the cheek. "Have to go now."

"Come again tonight?" Berry asks, almost teasingly learns up against Demo’s left shoulder with the best doe eyes she can make.

How can he say no to such a face? "I bring the oat-cakes and you the zap-apple cider."

"Deal"

And with one last kiss, Demo dresses up (he did for a second reconsider not putting on his hat) and heads over to the Cakes. He finds the pair in the back, keeping their now month foals in check. Seeing the baby Cakes, Demo cannot help but think about himself having a foal he should lecture. The thought is surprisingly appealing, more so when that foal in his thoughts would look like Berry Punch. He has to shake his head to dismiss that sudden daydream, he has been here too long that's for sure.
Suddenly Mrs. Cakes gasps.

"Big cinnamon sticks, I completely forgot!" She says almost horrified, turning to Pinkie there says completely oblivious. "No, you just fed them bottles, remember?" Mrs. Cake shakes her head. "Not the baby's food!" and just then Mr. Cake remembers too what they have forgotten about. "The food for the huge catering reservation we are going to deliver today!"

Ah, that, Demo remembers they spoke about it a while ago. "I can handle it for you." He tells the two. The Cake pair eye one another, with Mrs. Cake turning back to him asking. "Actually, could you instead perhaps keep an eye on the twins?"
Oh the irony, he was thinking about himself taking care of a kid and gets tasked to do it. Well, speak about fate kicking him for thinking about such things. If fate is this nice to him, could it perhaps grant him the knowledge to unite his souls so he can get a pony long lifespan? That sure would be nice. Anyway, back to the Cakes. "Uh sure, but I have never tried to babysit before." The Cakes eye one another worried, more so when Pinkie declares excited. "Oh, oh! I can babysit them!" Jumping up and down. Demo probably shares the same thoughts as the Cakes that Pinkie is the worst choice for this task as she is very much like a kid herself.
Mr. Cake turns back to Demo with an almost begging look. Well, now he can put babysitting onto the list of jobs he never thought he would try out. "Give me a list what they need." The Cakes breathe out a sigh of relief and while Mr. Cake ready the food they need to deliver, Mrs. Cake writes down a list. When done Demo takes it with his magic and reads it through, well, that is everything he figured a baby need— oh he didn't know they needed to be patted on the back after dinner. Good god, he is glad they wrote that down. Folding the paper, he nods he got it.
Moments later the Cakes leaves with Mrs. Cake telling Demo and the self-proclaimed fellow babysitter to Pinkie. "Take good care of our two precious little ginger snaps!"

Demo nods with Pinkie, being all excited wave's goodbye to them. With the Cakes gone, Pinkie trots back inside and beams down to the babies, ready to play with them but that thought is quickly out from her head when the babies start to cry. Pinkie sends Demo one panicking look before she runs over to the shop's door, doing a peek-a-boo, but that did not work on calming the two babies down.

Now happy the Cakes left a list, Demo levitates it up and skim through it, he finds the answer and feels a bit stupid not realizing that of course the babies would feel lost without their parents. Okay, so he and Pinkie need to distract them from this lack of parents, well Pinkie usual antics aren't working. Perhaps a small ride would do it. He levitates both babies onto his back and still holding with his magic, he trots steadily around the house. Slowly the babies start to calm them, it takes a while but slowly they stop crying, much to both his and Pinkie's relief. And Pinkie can play around with them as she most wanted.

Around midday it is time for their food, while Demo reads the notes left by the Cakes, Pinkie puts the two babies into their stools and offers them their bowls of food. "Okie-Dokie! Eat up!" But of course, the babies did not know how to eat on their own and gives Pinkie some cute frowns. Pinkie takes Pumpkin's bowl. "Like this!" She pretends to be eating the food with almost the same sound Heavy makes when he eats his sandvich.
The babies blink, then Pumpkin moves to copy her, but just then sees something way more interesting which is in form of the tablecloth and starts chewing on it.
Demo abandon the list and moves over to stop the baby. "Pumpkin Cake, we do not eat tablecloths." and with his unicorn magic, pulls the tablecloth out from her mouth. But the baby did not like that and starts crying loudly. Demo and Pinkie look at one another, no idea how to stop this. Did not make it better that Pumpkin's brother Pound Cake got angry they made his sister cry and shows his anger by throwing his food up in the air– and it lands right on his head. His angry frown fades into a whimper and next second Demo and Pinkie are dealing with two crying foals.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Cake I was— what are you two doing?" Engineer asks from the door, frowning at the scene of two foals crying with Pinkie doing faces in hope to calm them and Demo desperately reading a long notepaper.
Demo looks up from his reading with; "The Cakes are doing a delivery and asked me and Pinkie take care of the twins but—" He looks back to the crying foals. "They won't stop crying..."
Engineer blinks, then chuckle shakes his head. "I see, first time taking care of a kid?" Demo nods, well then it is a good thing he came. "Alright, let's get this problem fixed. Tell me why they started crying."

"I lectured the girl not to eat the tablecloth, her brother started not long after." Demo explains.

Engineer walks over to the still crying children, looking down he sees what should've been their food, now ruined and on the floor. Well, doesn't this bring back memories? "One thing first, let's clean up this mess and make them some new food."

"Shouldn't we calm them first?" Demo asks, eyeing the crying babies worried.

Engineer brushes it off by waving his right talon. "They'll stop when they get some food."

"Baby food coming right up!" Pinkie salutes and hurries to the kitchen.

Eyeing Engineer who looks like he knows what he is doing, Demo fetches a cloth and cleans the mess.
When Pinkie returns with two new bowls of food, she puts them before the crying babies. "Here you go! Eat up."

Yup, clearly not done that before, Engineer thinks somewhat amused. "They aren't old enough to eat on their own Pinkie. I need two spoons." Pinkie fetches the spoons and hands them to Engineer, he takes both and hands one of them to Demo. "Now watch closely." He pours up a small spoonful of the food and offers it to the crying Pumpkin Cake, when she does not notice, he does a plane sound, rocking the spoon up and down. That gets both babies attention, at first curious they watch the moving spoon, then giggles and Engineer makes the spoon approach Pumpkin Cakes mouth with his own open. She copies him and he gently put the food in, making her copy him closing the mouth. The next spoonful goes way easier.
"Now you do it." Engineer tells Demo.

"You have been doing this before, haven't you?" Demo asks and with his magic moves his spoon around like a plane and does the whole opening and closing mouth thing Engineer did to this baby. Pound Cake did spit out some of the food but did, fortunately, eat the next spoon of food.

Engineer chuckles. "Yeah, I have done this before. Was tasked with most of the child caring since the wife was too busy doing some other stuff."

"What did she do?" Pinkie asks curious, her smile drops when this half bird horse shrugs. "Most of it was business, but I doubt it was more important than taking care of her own son."

Engineer shakes his head. "It does not matter anymore. Here," he hands Pinkie the spoon. "you feed the girl— be careful though."
Pinkie nods and as if in deep concentration offers Pumpkin the next spoon of food, the foal eats it but the next she decides to kick the spoon, making the food land on Pinkie's face. Both babies go into a fit of giggles.
They do stop slightly when Engineer tells Pinkie and Demo to return back to spoon feed them. When done with the food, Engineer then shows them the proper way how to make them burp.

Seeing that Engie here really knows how to handle children, Demo just has to ask. "If you're not too busy, could you stick around and help us with this?"

Putting down Pound Cake. "Well, I am doing a few tweaks to the Apples new cider machine..." Engineer muses, but thinks that can wait for a day since these two clearly are in deep water with this babysitting task. "But I'm sure they wouldn't mind a day's delay. Alright, let me show you two how to do this."

"Thanks mate!"

"Aw it's nothing." Engineer brushes Demo off, and looking at the two messy babies, he smiles weakly. "Time for a bath."
Bringing the children to the bathroom, Engineer shows Pinkie how to prepare a bath properly for a baby while Demo plays a bit with the children by levitating a towel around like a flying snake.
With the water ready. "Alright, Demo; you can bring them over now."
Demo nods and about to grab them, but just there, the two babies decide they much rather want to play tag and runs laughing off. Engineer only laughs at this. "After them you two!" He urges Pinkie and Demo, both starting to chase the laughing babies around, not only entertaining the babies but Engineer as well.
Demo catches Pumpkin Cake with his magic and Pinkie gets her brother in an epic jump, and with that chase over, Pinkie and Demo drops the babies into the water. And Pumpkin and Pound start to cry.
The two turn to Engineer, the bigger creature calmly sticks his claw into the water, waves so the bubbles start to move, catching the babies eyes and they stop crying from this new fascinating thing going on.
With them no longer crying, Engineer asks. "Do this house has some rubber toys?" Jumping a bit when Pinkie shows him a rubber duck there has appeared out from seemly nowhere. He decides not to question it. "Thanks, Pinkie." and puts the rubber duck into the water, letting the babies play with it. He has to stop Pinkie when she brings more stuff for them to play with. "The duck and ball are enough." and grabs some soap, warning the two. "They probably start to cry over this." and starts to washes them. They did cry a bit, but with Engineer humming some country melody, they are way more interested in the song than the soap getting into their pelts.

Pinkie takes over with the singing and when she is done, Engineer has washed out the soap and lets them play around in the water for a bit before he asks Demo to take them out.
The unicorn is about to use his magic to dry them off but stops when Engineer lifts his claws and shakes his head, explaining. "Babies needs to feel an adult's touch." Demo nods slowly and although very unsure with his hooves, he does manage to dry off Pound Cake with Pinkie doing a way better job with Pumpkin.
When they are dry, Pinkie is allowed to play a bit with them.

Engineer takes a seat and plays a bit on the guitar he bought from the bits he had earned from working on repairs around Ponyville. "I am starting getting used to having talons instead of hands." He remarks to Demo, strumming the strings before playing some country melody. "Had to cut the claws though, kept ruining the strings."

Chuckling a bit at that last comment, Demo asks. "What would've you have said if you got turned into a unicorn?" Thinking Engineer could've put a unicorn magic to very good use.

Engineer hums thoughtfully for a moment. "Hm, I must admit I do at time wish I could do the same things you and Medic can do. Building would be so much easier, but—" He changes the melody. "I do not think it would be the same letting magic do all my work. I like feeling my work taking shape under my hands— you don't feel that with magic do you?"
Demo shakes his head. Yeah, he thought so. "I figure that is why this world gave me this form. It is a bit pompous for my taste but I can deal with the plumage hair and tail as the benefit is higher than the annoyance."

"I figure one of these benefits is you gotten taller than most of us." Demo grins, like the others he was quite surprised seeing the smallest of them suddenly has become the tallest.

"Heck yeah!" Engineer laughs which turn into a winch of the smell he is catching."Ugh... this is the only thing I do not miss..." But it has to be done. At least this time there is someone who can do the job for him. "Come on Demo, time for me to teach you how to change diapers." Engineer can't help but laugh at the face the unicorn has.
Again the babies would much rather play around, and starts crying with Engineer catches them. He completely ignores them this time, telling Pinkie who tries to cheer them up with her funny antics. "You can do that after we are done, Demo." He calls and pulls the reluctant unicorn over. Like with the babies, Engineer ignores Demo reluctance and explains how to do this properly; at least he's not cruel to tell Demo he should use his hooves for this. Pinkie is not that lucky, but she is fortunately very good using her hooves from being an earth pony and with both diaper changed and the dirty ones are thrown out. It is time for the babies to sleep, that part goes rather easy, bit of music and dim light and those two are out cold quickly.

The Cakes returns just when the moon is up, both quite surprised finding a third member in form of Engineer sitting on a chair, playing a soft tune on his guitar while Demo and Pinkie clean up for the babies.
"How did everything goes?" Mr. Cake asks carefully.

Putting down the cloth, Demo must admit. "Babysitting is harder than I and Pinkie thought, but with a little help from Engie; I say we did a fine job."

Pinkie nods in agreement. "Yeah, we would've been lost without him." And with a small sigh explains everypony in the room. "I've thought babysitting meant just more playtime, but oh how wrong I was! Being a caregiver is way more responsibility than just being a playmate. And today, I learned that sometimes our desire for responsibility can outrun our actual ability to handle it."

Engineer chuckles lightly of what both these two has learned out from this. "But it never hurts asking others for help."

"So right you are, Engie." Demo fully agrees and is very relieved that someone from the team knows about child care.

The Cakes smiles and seeing how nicely they all handled this, Mr. Cake asks. "Will it be okay if we asked you to do more babysitting in the future?"

Pinkie and Demo look at one another, Demo turning to the Cakes with. "Uh, sure, but do us the favor and make sure Engie won't be too busy when you ask us."

"At least until we get this whole babysitting thing straight." Pinkie says, glancing at the smiling Engineer.

Author's Note

I did at first consider naming this chapter something else, but decided on this title since this chapter is mostly about children.

Skattering Demise

This happens two weeks after the last chapter and for once based on an mlp episode.
it's my own continuity of what is going to happen to the mercenaries if being separated for too long.

*human world*

It’s middle of the night, all but one is sleeping after a whole day of waves of fighting robots.
Spy has not been in the fight for a whole week now, he has gotten too weak and no matter what Medic does, Spy keeps getting weaker.
But as his body gets weakens, his mind is getting sharper. Spy stares at his own reflection in the bathroom, one of the few times he has the mask off and that reveals how weak he has become. He is pale, has signs of weight loss and breathing is getting hard, but his eyes, now closer to red are showing how sharp his mind has become, how suddenly aware he has gotten these past weeks. Spy is not only starting to see what BLU Spy is doing in his waking hours, but also remembering things he before has forgotten. One of them is something he saw a month before he became the spy for Mann co.
He would’ve gone there to check up on this faint memory there might give them some answers, but he can’t. His body has gotten too weak. Spy puts the mask on again and walks slowly out from the room, it is humiliating that even walking takes a lot out from him, asking for help has gotten less so. He— BLU Spy trusted them with one of his biggest secrets, so he knows he can trust them with this information too.
Spy knocks on one of the doors, it takes a few attempts but Engineer does emerge and is understandable quite annoyed from this early wake. “You better have a good reason for this Spy.” The short man grumbles.
“I do.” Spy says but before he can explain Engineer— or Dell Conagher as he now remembers the man's true name is thanks to his sharpened mind. “Can I sit down?” He asks.

That question takes Engineer a bit off guard, takes him a moment but he soon realizes that Spy does not look so good. “Of course.” He lets the man of espionage inside and Spy almost collapses on the nearest chair, seeing that Medic wasn’t joking that Spy needed to be taken off battle duty. “Should I get doc?”

“He can’t fix it.” Spy brushes the offer away but would appreciate something else. “Would like a glass of water.” Engineer gets that for him and with his throat not so dry, Spy tells the man why he woke him this late. “I know where we can find information to this whole soul-split business.”

Engineer takes a seat, frowning lightly at Spy’s statement. “Why haven’t you revealed this sooner?” Sure would've helped them a lot before they got all this dimension separation problem.

“I just remembered.” Spy replies, taking a sip of the glass, wondering for a moment when he started to remember things so much clearer. He comes to the conclusion it began when he eyes started to change color. “And I was sort of debating if I could trust you with this information. Those files will have a lot of personal data.”

Ah, Engineer can now see why Spy is indirectly asking him to do this fetch mission. “So you figured I might get there?”

“Not on your own, with Sniper you might.” Spy points out, very relieved he doesn't have to explain everything. One of the reasons why he chose Engineer; that man is no fool. “I will guide you the best I can.”

Engineer nods and without a word leaves to get Sniper, like with him, Sniper was quite annoyed to get waken this late but quickly brushes those feelings aside when Engineer explains him the deal. The two return back to Engineer’s room where Spy explains them in better details. “The building is disguised as one of Mann Co research facilities but is, in reality, the archives of every mercenary there has been fighting this worthless war. Engineer do you have paper lying around?”
Engineer fetches some of his blueprint papers along with a piece of chalk, giving it to Spy who starts to draw a rough sketch of a building. Seeing this does catch him by surprise. “I didn’t know you had a photographic memory.”

“I didn’t have it a month ago.” Spy admits, he too is a bit surprised how sharp his mind has gotten, he even knows every name of this team— well, except Pyro, those files only revealed her gender, not that info matters anymore. Finishing the rough sketch, Spy hands it to Engineer. “It’s not the whole building, only the path I used.“ He coughs before returning back to this quick plan. “Hopefully they haven’t changed the building layout from my latest visit.” He turns to Sniper— Lawrence Mundy; the tracker of this team. “The entrance is an old sewer, located near the river. It’s hidden but that shouldn't be an issue with your sharp eyes.”

Well, seems like Spook is really done being an asshole towards them. Sniper most appreciate it and nods, reminding himself to not start a fistfight with S1pook the next time the man mocks his choice of coffee. And now that Spy is on the subject. “Speaking of eyes—“

Spy brushes the obvious statement of what has happened to his eyes, Sniper does not need to remind him. “Check your fuel, can’t have you run dry halfway.”

Sensing Spy doesn’t want to talk about the change, Sniper leaves the room, letting Spy discuss the last things with Engineer. He puts extra fuel and takes an extra tank just in case to the camper. When checking his ammunition, Engineer joins him, asking curiously. “Why the sudden interest in his eyes?”
“Haven’t you noticed they aren’t grey anymore?” Sniper asks back.

Engineer blinks, he must admit he hasn’t been looking in Spy’s eye lately. “It’s not like he and I see each other eye to eye.” Figurely and literally speaking.

Figures, Sniper muses to himself and after both have gotten into the camper, he explains Engineer. "About two weeks ago, Spook’s eyes started changing. They started out cedar brown, but now they have a reddish tone and I can’t figure out why they have changed.”

“That is quite strange.” Engineer muses in agreement, it also does makes him wonder. “You think that is his true eye color?” Sniper shrugs, which leads to Engineer’s second question. “Do you think you were born with your current eye color?”

“I never have done much thought about it.” Sniper admits and turns to Engineer. “Have you?”

“Can’t say I have.” Engineer muses.
The rest of the drive happens in more or less in silence, Engineer only speaks when guiding Sniper to their location, around an hour later, they both find themselves at one of Mann Co, many facilities. Engineer eyes Sniper who is watching the building with a stoic expression which stays one even when the Aussie gestures him to follow. Engineer does, knowing far too well that Sniper knows a lot more about stealth missions than he ever does, so he follows Sniper’s lead without question.

It takes him a moment but Sniper does find the entrance Spy spoke about, strapping his rifle tightly to his back and suggesting Engineer in doing the same with his shotgun and pistol, the two carefully head into the water and through the rust off bars there should’ve been blocking this sewer system. Engineer does turn on a flashlight but Sniper quickly tells him to turn it off. “It's going to give us away.” He starts walking deeper into this underground system. “Your eyes will get used to the dark.”

Engineer hesitates but does as Sniper said, he did not feel comfortable walking in almost pitch darkness but he guesses he rather wants that than being the one causing them to get spotted. At a crossroad of the sewers, Sniper tells him to contact Spy since they cannot see the map in this darkness. Engineer turns on the walkie-talkie and asks the man on the other side. “We’re at a split path down in the servers.”

“Go right, stay close the left side of the walls, there is an old door hidden in the darkness.” Spy replies with a somewhat stained voice as if struggling.

Trying his best not to think about Spy condition Sniper follows Spy lead and about halfway down the hallway, he finds the door and carefully opens it. The door makes what sounds like a painfully loud creaking sound, all they can hope is no one heard it. Sniper doesn't dare to close the door again and when sure Engineer is right behind him, he follows Spy’s drawing of the building. They have to make a few stops as guards are patrolling but fortunately, they did not have to fight and does eventually get to the place. “There a way more files than I expected.” Sniper can’t help but remark when stepping into this room. He only thought this Gravel war has been going for four to seven but all these files indicate that it either has been going longer or a lot of people have died.

Agreeing with Sniper’s remark, Engineer walks over and pulls out a file from the first of the many shelves holding files of former mercenaries of the Gravel war. This one was to a former Demoman, from the looks of it their current Demoman took over this one when the respawn failed. Not surprising, what is surprising, however, is how long he was hired: barely a year before failure. Must’ve been one of the unlucky ones, like them this former Demoman too had a clone and that one died three days later. Engineer returns the files and takes another, this one belonged to a Heavy. He was hired about six years ago, and… he died after six months his enrollment. He grabs another file, this one an Engineer, again with a clone and again the two died before a year has passed. “Sniper.” He calls as loud he dared, walking over to where the man stands, also reading a few files. “All of them I read only lived a year before respawn failure.”

“Same here with me.” Sniper muses worried, showing Engineer the five files he quickly checked, one of them happens to be their former Scout files. “All have a clone, all died in less than a year.” Which leads to: “How long have you been working for Mann co?”

Engineer has to stop and think for a moment. “About four years.” Eyeing Sniper. “You?”

“Two.” and that leads to another very important question: “Why did we live longer than the others?” Engineer doesn’t answer him by voice, instead, the man grabs a handful of the former men hired by Mann Co, searches for a bit and find one of the current team, the one he found is the files of Soldier.
Sniper does a quick glance to Soldier’s file, noticing that whoever wrote this knows his true name which is Cade Jarred and although no military wanted him, the man still went to war where he earned a medal for courage but also got sent to jail after he recklessly broke a line of the Nazi’s during the attack on Normandy at D-day. Sounds like Soldier alright. According to the file, Soldier began calling himself Jane Doe after the soul split which screwed up with his already unhinged mental state. “Did you find something?” Sniper asks Engineer who has been reading the deceased and Soldier’s files in great detail.

“I need the rest of our files to be certain.” Engineer muses and heads back to the archive to find them. Sniper joins him not long after. Engineer finds Heavy, Demoman and Scout, Sniper finds the rest and when lying down the files, the Aussie grabs his own files and seems relieved of what he finds in them. “Care to share?” Engineer asks.

“Latest report simply states my genetic code haven’t shown signs of corruption.” Sniper says, quite happy he isn’t dealing with any nasty after effects like Soldier, but there is, however, something there catches him off guard; his profile description. He has no Australium in him, very odd since all Australians are pumped with that stuff but does explain why he is a runt. The second thing he voices to Engineer. “Seems like Spook did get his original eye color. My eyes were brown before the soul split.” He puts down the file while trying to imagine himself with brown instead of grey eyes, it is strangely enough very easy. Turning to Engineer he notices the man has a large frown on his face when reading his own file. “Bad news?”

Engineer nods slowly, like Soldier, he too is dealing with genetic corruption. Something went wrong during the procedure and it has caused a bit decay to his brain, it does explain why he couldn’t come up with new inventions ever since he began working for Redmond. Why he was struggling with certain things he once only had minor issues with. It’s not good and hopefully this decay of his mind will disappear when becoming whole. Well, better check on— voices snap both to the door, reminding them they are not safe here. “Let’s bring the files back to the base.” Engineer suggests, grabs all the files, including those there died and stuffed them into his bag and after Sniper has made the all clear, they both return back to base.

***
(three hours later)

Opening his eyes, Spy blinks when he finds himself inside the dimmed room at the base. How did he return back to the human world? Surely it couldn't be that simple than just waking up and be back with no explanation. Spy sits up and is startled how much it takes from him doing just that, Medic did warn him that his health is for some reason declining but he didn’t feel this bad yesterday— hold up, Medic didn’t say that. He only voiced his worries how he seems to forget simple things— no, that’s not it, Medic did— Spy has to stop himself there, something is wrong with him, more so than ever. He does not like this one bit, better get a hold on Medic and tell that his conditions have turned to the worse. Oh and he somehow has returned from the pony world, which is quite weird too. He wonders if RED Spy is around.
Spy struggles to get up on his feet and when finally back on his feet, Spy stagger out from the room and stops when he notices that this is not BLU's base, this is RED. Part of him question why he is here, while another finds nothing wrong as this is his base— wait what?
Spy freezes up from having those two kinds of thoughts being inside RED base. Searching his mind, he realizes that he has gotten memories of both being in BLU and RED, he— he has both memories! Spy snaps his reddish eyes down to his suit, this one is RED so does that means he is the RED Spy? He can honestly not tell with his memories anymore. But if he is dressed up as the RED Spy but has BLU's memories... does that mean he is whole? Is this how it feels becoming complete again? Well, if that's the case then he figures he can understand with the mess of memories from both, but that does not explain why he feels so weak he can barely stand up. He needs to speak with Medic about this. Spy heads towards the infirmary but collapsed halfway, he is much weaker than he anticipated. Spy is pretty sure he passed out, for when he comes around again he finds himself on Medic's table with the doctor looking at him.
"Ah good, you're awake." Medic smiles but Spy notices right away that it is stained. Something is wrong and Spy bet it is about him. "Just tell me already, what is wrong with me?" He asks tiredly.
Medic hesitates does reply him. "You're dying."
Spy's reddish colored eyes snap to him, startled hearing this, and yet he is not, the RED side of him remembers that Medic did warn him about this. Not that it matters anymore, the world is truly cruel to him. He going to die not long after he has become whole. "How long do I have?" He asks, void of emotions, he’s not really afraid, rather he is numb to the thought he soon will meet his end. But unlike other times when he has been close to death, this time he feels a great deal of sadness, for now, he had something worth to live for.

"I hadn't been expected your health would dwindle this fast." Medic admits, but ever since Spy's eyes began to change, his health has faded rapidly. "I thought I at least had a couple of weeks in figuring out what is causing it." and must ask. "Any changes lately?"

"You ask me, weren’t you suppose to be the doctor here,” Spy snaps angrily, then realizes his mistake. “...Sorry, I... didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“I’m used to it.” Medic brushes it off, not really offended by it. He’s actually more surprised that Spy apologized for it.

Spy sighs, he fears Medic can do nothing for him but at least the doctor can save the others from this fate... still wish he could’ve lived longer now that things finally had started to look bright for him... "I don't know how, but I somehow have all of the BLU Spy's memories— I have more than once caught myself thinking I am BLU Spy."

Medic blinks hearing this. "You mean other than those about him being in Equestria?" Spy eyes him with a somewhat hard gleam in his now almost red eyes. "I remember everything that happened to him, including what you did to my— his head."
Medic stares at him for a few seconds, then, without meaning to, he laughs. Spy shoots him a glare, grumbling as he struggles to sit up. "Consider yourself lucky I have the RED Spy memories and too weak at the moment to send you through respawn." Okay, okay, Medic gets it, but still, it is quite the surprise that the RED Spy is grumpy about the whole head thing; as if it happened to him and not the BLU Spy. If he now has the BLU Spy's memories, then yes, he has been through it. So Spy has both BLU and RED's memories but is greatly weakened in the progress. Where does that leave Spy in Equestria? "I wonder how BLU Spy is doing?" He wonders out loud to the bedridden spy besides him.

"You think he's still there?" Spy asks, for if thinking about it, he feels like he was there, enduring his son waterfall of chatter out in the Everfree forest. "I was there last night, patrolling the Everfree forest."

"It wasn't you, but the BLU Spy." Medic corrects him and if Spy survives this deadly fatigue then the man might deal with this mix of memories for a while. Figure they all would when becoming whole, but that is to be expected from how long they have been separated. Spy turns away, musing with a hint of confusions. "I remember it so clearly... could've sworn it was me." Medic doesn't say anything, but he can see that BLU Spy memories really are inside of the one beside him and has a very strong grip on his mind. It makes the question how the BLU Spy is faring. "I need to letter them." He says and tells Spy hard as this team's doctor. "If I see you leave bed I am going to strap you to it again." He gets only an annoyed grunt as the response.
After having written the letter about what was going on with Spy, Medic finds Ignis who is currently watching the sunrise outside. "I need you to send this right away." Medic requests him.
Ignis nods, takes the letter with the medical seal on and with a burst of magic, the letter is sent. Medic can only hope the BLU Spy is doing better than the one they have here.

*Equastria.*

The Diamond Dog tasked being the messenger happily runs towards Ponyville, about ten minutes later, Medic is reading the letter sent by his other while Rarity levitates the Diamond Dog a treat for bringing them the letter. With the dog running back to Pyro, Rarity asks the other unicorn. "What does the letter say?"

What his other is saying about Spy's condition is troubling indeed, more so when Medic did take notice that Spy was acting quite... off last time he saw him. Folding the letter, he informs the confused Rarity. "I need to see how Spy is doing" and leaves the boutique in haste.
When he arrives at Zecora's hut, he knocks on the door and moments later Zecora, having a still small child shaped but surprisingly freaked out Scout on her back.

Zecora blinks seeing him here. "Medic, what do I owe you for this early visit?" and lets the doctor pony inside.

"How is Herr Spy doing?" Medic asks, he did not have to look for long to find the changeling, still sleeping in the bed.

"His responses have been slow, of why I do not know." Zecora replies and must admit that these few days Spy has become less responsive to her and anything. Last night he barely spoke but she merely thought it was because Scout got too chatty.

Medic walks over to Spy, pokes him and the changeling opens his eyes, he notices that Spy's eyes are unfocused. "Spy, how are you feeling?" He asks but gets no answer, the changeling doesn't even seem to notice him as Spy turns his unfocused gaze to where Zecora and the now whimpering Scout are. Medic does not like how Scout is responding to Spy. "Scout, what do you feel?" He asks the child stuck speedster.

"…Nothing." Scout whispers, he can't sense any emotions from his father like he usually can and that terrifies him.

That's doesn't sound good at all. If Scout can't pick up any emotions from him then that means Spy have none this very moment. Turning back to Spy, Medic asks again, however, this time with his horn glowing in case Spy will get dangerous. "Spy, do you know who we are?" But again he gets no response. Spy slowly and clumsy leaves the bed. Completely ignores Medic and walks over to Zecora there steps away, she too senses something is horribly wrong with him.
Medic is quick to action and restrains Spy with his magic, it stops the changeling but from how even now tries to walk, it seems he isn't aware he is restrained. "This is bad." He muses, more so that he has no idea how to fix this. Is this the Longing? Is becoming a mindless husk their ultimate fate if they do not become whole again?

"Please help him recover from this horror." Zecora begs him, wrapping her hoof over the whimpering Scout.

Medic nods somberly and drags Spy with him back to Twilight's home. When Spy is fully restrained inside the library, Medic gathers every one of the mercenaries, including Miss Pauling as he is very aware they cannot keep this hidden and also thinks they all need to know what will happen to them all if they do not figure out how to mend their split souls together.

"Bloody hell..." Sniper gasps hearing what has happened to Spy, turning his gaze to where the guy is standing; changeling seems completely unaware of them. He walks over to Spy and gives him a hard push, Spy falls, gets up and again just stands there like a living statue, completely unaware that Sniper had pushed him. Turning away from Spy. "How long before this happens to us?" Sniper asks, seeing Spy has become a mindless husk is scary but the thought he would become one too straight out terrifies him.

"If we count how long Spy has been stuck here, then I say Demo and Soldier have about four months, I, you and Engineer about five and Heavy and Scout more or less six." Medic replies after a few calculations.

"How do we stop it?" Heavy asks and sort of answers his own question. "We go back home and we will be fine?"

Medic shrugs, before he can answer, Miss Pauling does in an awfully quiet voice “… This is what I tried to avoid…” Everyone looks at her, she doesn't seem to notice. “It’s not the first time I have seen this. Back when the respawn was in its infancy; the soul split people would over time turn like this if leaving the range of the respawn for too long.”

“If we return to human world, we will be fine?” Heavy asks her.

Miss Pauling nods. “Yes, the system will reboot both of you into equal strength.” The sole reason why the company started on this whole soul split business.

"Can we still save Slim?" Engineer asks. Spy has gotten a lot more likable in their time here and now he knows the relation between him and Scout, Engineer would hate to see Scout lose his father like this.

Miss Pauling hates to say this but... "I think it is too late for Spy." Eyeing the zombie-like Spy, she feels a tight squeeze in her chest watching him like this.

Noticing the distressed look on her face, Demo asks carefully. “You alright lassie?” She refuses to meet his eyes when she answers. “I’m fine, just frustrated about this situation.” But Demo gets the feeling there’s more to it, but for now, will keep his tongue.

Turning to the Administrator's assistance, Sniper asks. “Should we finish him off, miss?”

Miss Pauling knows it might be for the best, but… she can't stop clinging to the thought there might be a way to save one of the oldest members of the countless mercenaries she has dealt with over the years. Unlike the others there died under a year, Spy has stayed long enough to give her a chance to get to know him better. She still remembers the day where he gave her a surprisingly good advice how to deal with the constant workload Helen gave her, made her see past his cold demeanor and a person instead of an asset she began seeing all the mercenaries of Mann Co. “Is RED Spy still alive?”

“Weak but alive.” Medic replies.

“Until he dies, we will keep Spy on our end alive.” She commands and for once since coming here, the mercenaries obeys her without questions.
Medic writes back to his other about what has happened to the Spy on his side.

The human Medic finally understood why the spy on his side has both BLU and RED's memories. and when Sniper and Engineer returned from their side mission, things got a lot clearer but also way more confusing.

That night, Medic reads up on what his counterpart in the human world and him came up with in theory to why this was happening to them. "Sniper and Engineer’s counterparts went to a facility holding all former employees of Mann co- including our personal information.” He stops for a moment when noticing the deep frown on Miss Pauling’s face but she does not voice he disapproval for those in the human world pulling such a stunt. Turning back to the letter. ”According to my other, he theorizes that the fluid used to connect us to respawn was the shards of the lost Elements.”

“Explains why we had them in the first place.” Engineer muses.

“But it doesn't explain why it would cause early respawn failure on most of Mann Co mercenaries.” Miss Pauling points out, that part has always confused her and that has made her extra careful not to get hurt for even though she too is connected to the machine, the respawn will not revive her if she dies.

Medic nods and reads what his other has come up with on these new founds. “My other spoke to Ignis what would happen if someone not chosen by the elements would wear it. According to him: the elements would reject people it does not consider worthy as a bearer.”

“So if someone not chosen got this fluid Element shards in them, they would die?” Demo asks a bit confused and also horrified.

“Well not directly, if my study of the Elements of Harmony holds any truth; it cannot kill. Instead, the rejection of the Element shards would show in form of a respawn failure.” Medic eyes Miss Pauling. ”According to the files our counterparts got, this rejection would happen in before a year has passed, is that correct?”

She nods. “The technicians never understood why but the fluid used to bind your whole genetic code to the respawn machine would suddenly stop working in between the span of a year.” She glances to the zombie acting Spy. “He was the first who never dealt with this problem— none of you ever dealt with it like the others.” She remarks but cannot hide the relief as she has sort of come to appreciate this bunch of crazy mercenaries.

Heavy is not so sure about one of them. “What about Scout?” He got hired about a year ago but is he chosen by the Elements or will he get rejected like the others before them?
The others eye one another worried, none of them daring to voice their fear if Scout might not be chosen as an Element bearer like the rest of them. However, Miss Pauling spares them from this worry. “Before Ignis kidnapped me, I updated your records and I can ensure you; Scout is out from harm of a rejection.”

“Still, I would suggest our counterparts back home to keep him from respawning, just to be sure.” Engineer muses, which shouldn’t be that hard since Scout in the human world is also stuck as a small kid. Turning his attention back to Medic. “What else did you and RED Medic come up with about this whole mess?”

Returning back to the notes of his other.
“Oh, right, well this is still only a theory, but the theory goes that us transported to Equestria could've caused a magical reaction on the link to respawn thanks to the Elements microscopic shards bond to our very bones. At first, none of us would feel any difference but over time it seems the magic in this world and respawn back our world are having a power struggle. The magic here would try and 'reform' us to the strength needed to use the Elements which will explain why we here are getting stronger but ends up robbing those in our world bodies physical bodies. While the respawn are using this link between us to transfer our memories to those back home; thus why they see our memories and feels our emotions. The respawn ‘thinks’ that is where they belong in the first place. Over time us here in Equestria will be at our full strength but have lost our entire mind while them back home will have both sides memories but their bodies won't be able to support their complete mind for long."

***
"So how do we fix it?" BLU Demoman asks back in the human world, like those in Equestria are gathered for this crucial meeting.

Unlike the one in Equestria, Spy here can attend the meeting but can't really do much else as his body is deteriorating fast and is starting to have trouble breathing. Still, he does have enough strength to say this. "I think... it's too... late... for... me..." He wheezes weakly, doubting he will last the night.

Medic fetches his medigun and turns it on Spy, it helps enough that he shake back to life and look less weak but from the readings, this is only temporally. Spy's body will soon dwindle faster than the medigun can heal him. But it should give him at least a few more days. "Don't give up just yet herr Spy."

Spy nods slowly, really wishing there was someone who could help them with his rapidly shorten time here. Hang on, Pyro managed to become whole, maybe she has something. "Ask Pyro."

Medic quickly writes a letter to the only female on the team, about some painful fifteen minutes later. A letter returns and Medic reads her answer and frowns of what she is saying. "She says she and 'other her' made peace, before the other her suddenly disappeared — which made her very sad, but she is also sort of happy for when the other her was around, they kept burning the pretty forest."

"They made... peace?" Heavy repeats confused about what Pyro meant.

Spy knows exactly what she meant. "She made peace with whatever demon was hunting her mind." and if that was the case then this makes him becoming whole straight out impossible. How in the world can he ever forgive himself what he did towards all those people? His own family? He sights, already accepting his demise. It does sound fitting now he knows what has kept him from becoming whole. "Our own self-loath is making us kill our other, keeping us separated." Explains why he never could stand two meters from his other and why Engineer could for a short time after he— BLU Spy got transported to Equestria.

Everyone in the room is dead silence, some of them startled to hear that they hate who they are, others— like Spy aren't really that surprised hearing this. The first there recovers is Demoman, he gets on his feet with a determent: "I will take Spy to Equestria." Everyone, especially Spy gives him a shocked stare.

"Your other is going to kill you." Sniper points out, begrudgingly has to say that he does have quite the self-hate against himself. All thanks to he is not considered a ‘true’ Australian, not to mention that he does at times believes that his old man is right in calling him a crazed gunman from what horrible things he has done when lost his cool out on the battlefield.

But Demo is steadfast in his choice, for now that he really thinks about it; he has a few times passed the RED Demo without nothing happening. And when they would come to blows outside of battle was when they shared drinks for too long. Demo always thought it was because they got too drunk and remembered they were enemies. Now he knows why, but he finds solace in the fact that those beer-bottle fights rarely ended with a trip through respawn. "Maybe, but not right away." He pulls the very reluctant but too weak to resist Spy on his feet and with the barely able to stand Spy's arm over his shoulder. Demo tells the mildly surprised Ignis. "Fire away." and before the others can stop him. Ignis fire surrounds them.
When the flames disappear, Demo crashes onto a grassy field, seconds later a very sick looking changeling lands not far from him.

"...You fool..." Spy sneers weakly to the same colored as the one here Demoman, the only differences is the cutiremark. The BLU Demoman has an explosion instead of a sword on his flank.

Demo gets on his hooves, stagger but does somewhat get the hang on how to walk on four hooves. "Yeah, I get that a lot." It takes him a moment to figure out how to use his new horn, when he does he levitates Spy onto his back— now he sees what his other meant, magic is awesome! "Come, we better get you to your other before you die." He muses and starts walking towards what he hopes is Ponyville. Glancing back to the changeling when Spy says weakly and devoted of any hope. "...I can...never... make peace of... what I have... done..." Demo sure hopes that won't be the case, otherwise, this would've been for nothing.

*Ponyville.*

Mostly just to get his mind off from the dreadful news of Spook and possibly their soon to be fate, Sniper observes the area outside Ponyville, somewhat wishing the pegasi would've made it rain today. It would suit his mood a lot better than this sunny day.
Noticing movement on the hills surrounding the town, Sniper turns his gaze to check what it is and frowns seeing Demo carrying... Spy?
Sniper blinks, pretty sure that Spook is still restrained inside Twilight's home— unless this isn't their spy. "Bloody hell." He muses and flies over to warn the others especially— Demoman that his other is coming with Spy's other.
When BLU Demoman arrives, those there has been here for a while all awaits him. RED Demoman too, although keeping his distance.

"Where is your Spy?" BLU Demoman asks the awaiting group. His team's Engineer shows him where. Inside this oak tree of a library. Demo would've put down Spy right besides his mindless body, but before he can; BLU Spy very suddenly lashes out and jag his long canine into his right foreleg, sucking out what Demo can only guess is his love.

Engineer quickly tries to get Spy off his team’s Demo, bit tricky for Spy also wants a bite out from him. But fortunately, it greatly helps to have a brain so he forces the hissing like a crazed animal changeling down, allowing Demo to drag the other Spy a safe distance away from his counterpart. When sure no one is in the mindless Spy’s reach, he lets go, admitting as he stares at the now very hostile BLU Spy. "This is the first time he has lashed out like that."

Demo opens his mouth to speak his mind, but is interrupted by RED Spy saying weakly. "...He's hungry... changeling... instincts..." Well that's just typical, so they are dealing with practically a zombie, but instead of brains, this zombie wants to devour love. Using his magic, Demo puts down RED Spy as close he can without BLU can bite him. This is really all he can do for him. "Rest up to you."

It won't work, Spy thinks, looking up to his body— his vessel, he can feel the self-loath of all the horrible things he has done. If he hasn't been so weak, he would've attacked but all he can do it lie there and wait to die.
BLU Demo and Engineer watches the two changelings before turning to the door when Miss Pauling walks inside, requesting them to leave, they hesitates but sensing she does not want to argue. They reluctantly leave. When them out, Miss Pauling turns to the weak but aware RED Spy, musing. “I guess... this is the end for you…”

Spy nods slowly, eyeing this young woman when he senses distress from her. It takes him a bit by surprise. “You care… about me...” He muses weakly back and has to ask. “Why?...”

“I don’t know...” Miss Pauling replies back in barely a whisper. “… I think it’s because you were the first who didn’t die after a year of employment.”
Spy hums in thoughts for a moment before he speaks. “…I was the only… person besides… Helen.” She nods slowly, feeling angry at herself for shedding tears for one of the mercenaries. She should’ve gotten used to it by now. “It’s going to be a pain finding someone just as good as you.” She says with a small but pathetic chuckle. Spy doesn't answer her, looking down she realizes it’s because he has passed out. Miss Pauling dries away the few tears, musing weakly. “I’m going to miss you…” and with that, she leaves, unable to bear the thought of having to watch Spy life fade away.

Author's Note

well darn, it doesn't look good for Spy.
do you guys remember what Ignis told them way back when he introduced himself? well, this is the Longing Ignis spoke about. and if they don't figure out how to mend their souls, well... then there won't be anymore Spy in this story.

Mended Souls

Note: This happens a half hour after the last chapter.

"What in tarnation are you doing here?"

Spy blinks a few times but is unable to remove his now blurry vision. Still, he does quickly get aware there soon will be a bloodbath when he sees shapes of two brown unicorns are in the room.

Engineer and the BLU Demo, both have stayed by Spy’s side as a sort of comfort in his last moments, both get on their hooves after the RED Demoman walked inside. Engineer walks over to shove that one out, not wanting a fight to happen around their dying member. "You know what will happen." He lectures the unicorn but RED refuses to leave, instead giving Engineer a calm but firm look. "Yeah, but I need to do this."

Realizing what his other wants, BLU Demo fully agrees, especially when they finally have a legit chance. "Same here." He chuckles weakly. "It might be our chance." RED nods in agreement.

Engineer hesitates, he eyes the now awake but deadly weak RED Spy. “I would prefer you did this somewhere else but… alright.” He lets RED step inside, adding firmly to the two unicorns. "But I am throwing either of you out if you try to kill one another."

"That's fair." Both Demoman says at the same time, they look at each other, chuckles weakly before BLU slowly walks over to RED, explaining. "Self-loath is what keeps us separated, Pyro said that forgiveness—" and his words get rudely interrupted when RED suddenly throws him to the ground with his stronger and way more trained magic. Engineer steps over to throw RED out but that one managed to snap out from this sudden rage on his own and ends the spell. "Shit, I'm sorry mate." He apologizes to his other. This is harder than he thought for that rage came very suddenly and gave him no real clear sense what the root of this anger was.
BLU nods and gets back on his hooves, waiting.
RED, preparing himself if another rage attack would come over him walks slowly over to BLU. He feels anger but something he can control. Not sure what else to do, he nudges his other lightly on the shoulder. Nothing happened at first but after about a moment just standing there, BLU Demoman suddenly attacks by tackling into him and pointing his horn at his throat like a sword. At that very moment, both are happy that none of them has any real weapon lying around.
It took a lot out from RED not to give into his own rage pushing on his mind. In fact, both didn't want to fight the other. "No dammit!" RED growls and BLU forces himself to back away, also struggling against whatever rage there wants him to hurt the other. "I don't want to kill myself!" BLU cries, desperately trying to figure out what is causing this.

Engineer and the weaken Spy watches with a mix of pity and admiration the two Demoman struggling against this ever-present urge to murder the other.

RED Demo tackles into BLU, forcing him up against a bookshelf with his horn glowing in a sign of attack but it never comes. Searching deep in his mind, Tavish finds the source, the reason why he is so angry at himself. It is because he was the one —out of recklessness killed his adoptive parents. He could've easily avoided it, if he had listened just a bit more to them, heard their warnings and not be so set on making such a big explosion. Because of that action, he got thrown to the worst orphanage ever made and when his real parents reclaimed him. Tavish never felt the same warmth his adoptive parents gave him. He often found himself wishing he could return back to them, then remember he couldn't because he killed them.
"I was just a child..." He whispers, knowing that because of this horrible mistake, he learned to be careful, it taught him to never take people for granted and without that skill. He never would've become friends with Solly.
Slowly, Tavish's anger against that old mistake fades, he is still upset but he allows himself to let go of that old regret. Opening his eyes, BLU Demo gaze meet his other and blinks of what he is seeing.
"Why do I see myself?" BLU asks, unable keeping his trembling voice in check of the realization he is looking through the RED's eyes. RED too is dumbfounded and quite freaked out by this, he steps away from BLU but it doesn't stop. Instead, it gets worse, now he cannot say if he is inside his body or BLU's and that really screws up his balance. Both drops to the floor, eyes wide of what is happening and both must admit they are a bit scared. That fear gets washed away by a wave of memories, Tavish whole life flashes over his eye, and when coming to where he became Demoman, he is shocked to find both RED and BLU's memories, very quickly he cannot say which one he is.

"Demo!" Engineer calls when the two suddenly collapses, however before he can run over and check what is going on, a strong orange light appears around both, they disappear in it and when the light meet in the middle, only one Demoman stands, this one with a pelt in dark brown along with his eye, his hair black and the cutiemark now shows a sword having an explosion behind it. Demo falter on his hooves before crashing back onto the floor, breathing heavily with his eye wide open. Engineer hesitates, then slowly walks over to the unicorn. "You alright?"

It takes a moment for Demo to intercept what Engineer have said, thanks to his tangled memories and his body feeling like he has been thrown into a tub of hot water after having been outside in the cold for too long. At first, it hurts but slowly, exactly like when a cold body gets warmed up, his start to relax of what feels like years of being trapped out in the snow. Slowly the pain is replaced with a sense of ease as if he has just gotten rid of aches he did not know he had. "Y-Yeah." Demo nods up to Engineer, still quite shaky after this intense experience, but good god was it worth it. He feels stronger and clearer in the head than he has for years, must say that being whole again feels really good. Getting back on his hooves, Demo notices his pelt has become stronger in color, must say he like this better than the former. "That was intense." He smiles up to the bird/horse. "And boy could I need a drink right now!" He laughs, more so when Engineer rolls his eyes yet unable to smile.
Turning to Spy, Demo's grin fades seeing an aggravated look on the RED Spy's face. Now knowing the trick to this, Demo tells him; for honestly, he did not fully forgive himself for what he did to his adoptive parents. "If you cannot forgive whatever you did to cause you this self-hatred, then at least try and see the better in yourself."

Spy turns his head away, still looking quite sullen that Demo succeeds becoming whole. Demo and Engineer eye one another, worried that Spy won't give himself a break in time.

***

When the others— except Miss Pauling came both to check on Spy but also say their goodbyes, Medic notices right away the changes in Demo, so the one-eyed unicorn explains everyone that he managed to become whole. That gives Medic an idea. "Recall that whole experience, bitte."
Demo raises a brow but does as asked, Medic activates the tracer spell on him and gets the data he so desperately needed for how to fix Spy rapidly fading health. He must admit the emotions is quite intense, but nothing a memory spell can't handle. However, there is something about what the spell is telling him he does not understand. "Making peace with yourself was the trigger." He explains Demo and everyone else in the room, turning to Applejack he asks as he has an idea what truly caused the union of the two Demoman. "Did you feel anything unusual lately?"

Applejack blinks but does answer him honestly. "Yeah, it was weird alright. It felt like when we activate the Elements of Harmony." And from the gleam in Medic's eyes, it seems he has expected this which does confuse her a bit, "Don't leave us out, doc."

"What you felt proves my theory correct!" Medic laughs, turning to the other mercenaries. "The Elements of Harmony is the key to our problem! With us connected to it, we can use its magic to become whole again!"

"Darn," Engineer says, turning to Demo who can't help but stare dumbfounded at Applejack. "That explains the light when Demo became whole. It was orange like the Element of Honesty."

Twilight is happy they have come one step further to the human's split soul problem, but that can wait for unlike some, they still have time. "Don't get me wrong, but can we think about this late when Spy isn't... well..." She turns to the more comatose than conscious Spy. She fears he doesn't have much time.

"Oh right." Medic shakes his head as if getting rid of the excitement he got from the news. He walks over to Spy and with; "A memory spell should fix this." He taps Spy's head with his blue glowing horn. For a moment nothing happens, then Spy's eyes spring open and to everyone's shock, he starts to whimpering of what can easily be mistaken for pain. Medic stops the spell, giving the still pain-struck changeling a startled look. "Well, um... okay this is pretty bad."

"What's wrong?" Twilight asks worriedly.

Medic turns to her, shocked of what the memory spell told him. "He has too many bad memories. I need to go deeper into his mind to find his happier moments but I highly doubt Spy would like I invade his mind like that." The spell he did only makes the one casted on to relive their memories. But because Spy has so many nightmare inducing, then this spell will not work. Medic will need to see Spy's memories but even for his loose sense of morality, Medic thinks that is stepping the line. He wouldn't like anyone see his own memories, so he very sure Spy— who loves his privacy would get quite pissed if he did it.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Applejack asks, it isn't Medic there answer her, instead it is Twilight. "Well, if we can't use Spy's own memories, then we can try and uses our own memories to remind him the good in himself."

Why didn't he think of that? Medic gasps and must tell this very smart and talented unicorn. "Twilight, you are a genius!" She blushes at the praise, Medic turns to Sniper, thinking he can get her fastest. "Sniper, I need you to get Zecora." He doesn't have to explain further, from the look in Sniper's eyes, he too has figured out that if anyone has the best memories of the best in Spy it is her. Meanwhile, Sniper does that, Medic turns to the others. "I would need the rest of you think about some good moments with Spy."
The mercenaries hesitate, Medic does understand why as Spy never tried to make friends with them and was quite hard to like, he only got better when he came here.
To Medic's surprise, the first who steps forward is Soldier. "I have several proud memories about my team's spy!" He declares.
Medic decides just to go with it and since he hasn't tried such an advanced spell, he asks Twilight to aid him. "Could you extract the memories?"

She steps over, taps Soldiers head with her glowing horn and after several moments she steps away from the bit dazed pegasus and turns her horn and the memories over to the once again comatose Spy. The magic holding Soldier's memories does not cause much reaction from Spy, only a bit twitching but that is a sign the spell worked.
When done, she shows Medic how to do the spell and he steps over to the turned humans while she walks over to her friends. Rarity is the first to share some good memories to Spy. Stepping away from her bit dazed friend, Twilight turns to Medic as he finishing his memory spell on Demo. Without a word, they both give these memories to Spy, this time he twitches as if dreaming a very intense dream. "This is to be expected." Twilight tells Medic. "His mind knows they aren't his."
"Will they fade?" Medic asks her curiously and she nods, explaining. "They will in a minute or so, only leaving behind the emotions."

"I wonder if he can feed on those?" Medic wonders out loud but there Twilight cannot answers as she has no idea. They continually giving Spy the others happy memories about him, when Sniper returns with Zecora and Scout. Spy seems to have gotten stronger, but still not able get out from his comatose state.
While Twilight explains Zecora what they are doing, Medic draws out Sniper's memories to Spy. When done, he turns to Zecora, admitting. "If your memories won't do it, then there is no hope for him."

Zecora nods slowly and walks over to Medic with Twilight by her side. "It is my greatest concern my aid won't help him to return."

"Only one way to find out." Applejack says, glancing to Scout nudging the comatose Spy and does wonder if he can sense that something is not right? They have done what they could for Spy, now everything depends on Zecora.

The zebra nods to the two unicorns that she is ready. They both do the memory spell as Twilight suspected that she would have a lot more than a single unicorn can hold. It seems she was right for both unicorns begin to struggle to keep up the spell, Medic mostly but the support from Twilight gives him the aid to keep up the spell there can be Spy's only hope.

Barely able to contain what feels like an ocean of happy memories, only able because of Twilight. The feeling he has been sensing for quite a while finally gets free and he almost loses the spell when he feels a surge of some powerful magic, for a moment he feels the others before it is over and a silver necklace, bigger than the others forms around his neck, a magenta colored gem in form of medical cross appears. He eyes the just formed Element of Harmony around his neck, the color of the gem and how fast they became friends is a clear sign that he has become Twilight's partner.
Eyeing Twilight, she gives him a weak smile which he returns before both turn their full attention back to this spell there hopefully will save Spy's life.
"This has to be enough." Twilight says, like him struggling to contain all the memories Zecora has about Spy. With a nod to each other, Medic and Twilight touch their horns onto RED Spy's head. Demo has to pull Scout away when he got a bit too close to the two’s spell. The changeling starts to moves, at first he seems to struggle against the memories, then, slowly his body starts to relax.

Just as the group feared the spell has failed an ocean blue light surrounds him and the zombie acting changeling and the two lights meet in the middle. When it fades, only a single Spy stand there, having a blissful look all over his face.

"How are you feeling Spy?" Medic asks him, jumping startled when Spy very suddenly collapses onto the floor and his wings starts to glow stronger than before. Medic is quickly by his side, turning a healing spell on him, but Spy doesn't want to be healed.

"N-No, I- my body...!" Spy cries from the burning sensation crushing through his entire body from all of the light magic he has gotten. By mere instinct, his body releases the overload of magic, sending a small shockwave out from him, startling the others but none more than Spy when this released energy now forms around him and before Spy can comprehend what is going on, the magic wraps around him and everything goes black.
When he returns back to conscious, he feels... weird.
Stronger, calmer, but also very different. He can't explain how, though, only he feels like he has become another person. Spy groans and slowly opens his eyes, it takes a moment to get his sight straight, when he does he notices that everyone in the room is staring at him. "Please don't tell me I look as weird as I feel..." He muses, shaking his head in hope to get this strange sense of lightheaded away.

Hate to break it to him, but; "You look as weird as you feel." Sniper says, like the rest barely able to comprehend what just happened to Spy. One moment he was trembling on the floor and the next he got wrapped into a magical cocoon and came out like... this. He still looks bug-like, but his colors and body shape have changed. His hooves no longer have holes nor are his body black, now it is royal blue, with the underside of his body darker blue- almost black while the back is a warm orange. His before puny bug wings have become bigger and looks like they belong to the wings of a dragonfly in their golden and sparkly color, his tail looks very much like the wings. The same golden color is around the base of his neck. His horn has gotten bigger and has a smaller spike in the front. Spy turns to him, showing his eyes no longer are that ghostly blue, but red and darken where the white should've been in a human’s eyes.

Almost fearing the worst Spy looks down at himself and realizes his own changes. "The hell?" He muses, turning around himself and stops to stare at his now bigger wings. He's not complaining though, he looks way better— his thoughts get rudely interrupted when Scout suddenly tackles into him, crying his eyes out. Not only seeing it but also feeling how scared his boy was from this whole ordeal and how relieved he now is. Spy smiles weakly and nuzzles his head against the crying kid. "I'm alright now." He ensures Scout softly. His boy hugs his neck tightly, as if afraid to let go; Spy doesn’t judge him, it must’ve been scary for his young mind.

He sure is, Sniper thinks and has a feeling that this form is just how a whole Spy looks in this world. Although: "Compared to Demo's simple pelt change, yours are bloody ridiculous." Sniper remarks to the way more colorful Spy.
The new in form changeling shoots him a glare, Sniper notices that there isn't much anger behind them. "I'll try not go overboard the next time you morons decides to overload my body." Sniper chuckles of that combat, it's good to know Spy is back to normal—although the new form needs some time getting used to.

The overload was not fun but in all honesty, that pain was all worth it. "Thank you." Spy tells everyone in the room, if it hasn't been for them, he would've died. "You saved my life, and for that; I am forever in your debt." Something he hates to be but Spy thinks he can deal with these people and ponies who gave him a second chance in life. A life he is certain he can enjoy now.

Engineer just can't help but roll his eyes of Spy's last words. "You're not in our dept. We're a team and that's what a good team does." Heavy besides him nods in agreement, saying with his deep rumbling voice. "Not in dept, but you forever stuck with us." Spy rolls his eyes but does say with a small shrug. "Figures I need to be a bit nicer from now on."

"Don't strain yourself." Medic grins, which earns him a glare from Spy, but all that does is making everyone, including the mares, laugh.

Spy groans loudly but does quirk a smile, it does drop slightly when his red eyes find Zecora. He hesitates for a second, then walks over and she strokes her head up against his now royal blue neck. He smiles, more so when both RED and BLU Spy in his mind agrees on this choice. He kisses her once before he turns to the now very cheerful chatting crowd. He gets the attention and must tell his team of a choice he made some time ago. "I won't return back with you."
Several of them give him a confused and startled stare.

Demo is one of them not surprised hearing this from Spy. He has seen how much he loves that zebra and figured this would happen, hell he too is highly considering staying but he needs to look after his mother. "I figured you would say that." Turning his eye to the pair. "Maybe we should tell Miss Pauling you didn't survive."

Sniper thinks that is best if Spook really wants to stay here and also give them the chance see their families again. "It will be easy making her think you died. And save us the trouble with the Administrator why you didn't return."

"I'll be sure staying off the radar until your departure." Spy replies, once again greatly grateful for the others support.

"What about Scout?" Engineer asks, eyeing the child now chattering happy random at Spy's hooves. The changeling eyes Scout, his eyes pained. "...Hopefully, this age spell will be gone before your departure. I would like to explain him properly." Engineer and the others nod they understand.

Author's Note

and there you have it! the way for the mercenaries to become whole again. about time this would happen huh?

before I leave you, I would like to know if any of you readers happens to be good making song text. I made a quick lyric in a future chapter but I must admit that I am not that good making songs. so any help on that department would be nice.

Song of War

sorry for the wait, I needed to get some random story out of my head before I could return back to this one.

This happens a week later after the last chapter.
this chapter is partly made from the tf2 comic "Ring of Fired"

Like those in Equestria, the mercenaries in the human world rejoice over the news that not only did they manage to save Spy's life, but by working together they have discovered a way to become whole again. Also, Scout has finally returned back to normal, he is quite confused as his memories were quite fuzzy in his days as a child, so the others have to explain him of what happened. However even though all of them knows about Spy relation with Scout- all thanks to the memories they got from their other. By Sniper request, none of them would tell Scout about it other than him. "We can't have she knows about it." He tells them in a spot he knows doesn't have any cameras. Like Spy, Sniper knows the cameras blind spots around the base and battlefield, although he hasn't been using them as much as Spy. He will now though, for he can't risk the Administrator knows that Scout is the son of Spy and thus the ticket to make Spy share whatever secrets she wants from him.
Sniper takes Scout over to one of these blind spots, when sure the coast is clear, he asks the still bit confused young man. "How much do you remember?"

Scout hesitates with the answer for quite a while, the new memories of a second childhood is not only mixed up with the Scout in the horse place but also mixed with his real childhood, and he is not sure if those memories about his father are true or just his imagination. He shakes his head. "I don't know, my memories all messed up, man." Scout finally replies Sniper, scratching the base of his head. "I... I remember my old man, but he was never around for me or ma." He turns to Sniper, voicing his idea for this mess of his memories. "I might've imaged one of you as my father when I was a kid, I mean, how old was I? Three?"

"Around that age, yes." Sniper simply nods, wondering how Scout will react when he hears who took care of him most of the time besides from himself.

"So, which one of you had to deal with me?" Scout asks sheepishly. According to his mother, he wasn't an easy child to raise. Didn't make it better his brothers were a bad influence on him either.

"Engineer might've been the better choice but he was needed out in the field, so the childcare came down to me." Sniper explains and must say that taking care of a small child in form of Scout wasn't fun. "And you were a bigger pain in the ass as an impatience kid than you are now. At least now I can kill you if you piss me off."

Yeah, he thought that was the case. So Sniper is the one his childish mind mistook as his father, could've been worse he guess. Sniper might be one hell of a loner but he does have his cool moments. "That explains my messed up memories." Scout grins, it does fade when Sniper sends him a really seriously glance. "What?"

Scout is going to blow, Sniper just knows it. "You never called me daddy. But I did hear you call Spook it." Scout's eyes wide, but before he can go in a rant about the man, Sniper thinks it is best getting all the facts out on the table. "Before you start cursing his name. Scout, Spy is your father."

"The hell he is!" Scout sneers, he refuses to believe that as fact, no matter how much the memories from RED Scout says otherwise.

"Whatever you like it or not, you are his son." Sniper tells the sputtering Scout plainly, doubting it will make any difference if he explains how Spy really tried to be a father in those few weeks. He was bad at it but the attempt was touching. "You can hate him all you like, I figure he expects it since his way of keeping you safe wasn't exactly the best way for you."
Scout fists his hands but does fortunately not speak, allowing Sniper to explains this new development about their youngest member and Spy. "Scout, what I am about to tell you is deadly serious. When we leave this spot, you can never speak about your relationship between you and Spy. If you do, then not only are you putting him at risk but your own life as well."

Scout blinks and gives Sniper a confused stare. "Why am I in danger of being his..." He stops himself, turning his gaze back down to the dusty ground. "You know."

Yeah, Sniper knows what he means and Scout better takes this to heart. "Spy has a lot of dangerous information in that head of his. The Administrator wants that information and if she hears you are his son, then she will use you to get to him."

"Then why does he stay here?" Scout asks confused, more so when what Sniper explains him feels like deja vu, like he has heard this before. "I guess working for her is better than the alternative." Sniper shrugs and his tone harden with his next words. "Never reveal this to anyone."
Scout only nods, he is so confused right now. Spy— the man who has been cruel to him since day one— is his father. According to Sniper, Spy did that in order to protect them both, but... shit couldn't he have done it differently? The few times ma spoke about his father, she always said he was a man to be proud off even if he has done some terrible things.
No matter how many times he asked she never told him what terrible things his father has done. Guess now he knows: being cruel to him. Scout can't forgive him for that... and yet it feels like he already has. It doesn't make any sense.
A clap on his shoulder snaps Scout out from his troubled and confused thoughts, making him turn to the sharpshooter there simply sign him it's time to return back to base. He follows the man, all the way thinking about what Sniper told him.

Back at base a bit odd sight meets them in form of that crazy wizard Marasmus is having what seems to be a very intense but for once quiet argument with Ignis.
Brushing his thoughts about Spy off to this scene, Scout asks Soldier. "The hell is with those two?"

"Ignis had a bad dream." Soldier snorts, like the others he did not see the big deal, but both magic users, especially Merasmus did.

Scout and Sniper blink hearing that and Sniper ask a bit confused. "And?"

"And Merasmus wants Ignis to tell us about it." Soldier replies, adding quite annoyed since Merasmus has threatened to stop making the summon spell if they leave the building. "If we leave, he won't make the summon spell. Marasmus has completely lost it I tell you!"

"I have not!" Said wizard exclaims annoyed, turning to the watching and clearly not seeing how serious this is mercenaries. "What Ignis got was not an ordinary nightmare! It was a vision of what is about to come!" The mercenaries blink, forcing Merasmus to explain for Ignis won't as he believes telling common people about the vision will make it worse. "Ignis kind has an ability to see warnings in form of visions in their dreams." Turning to the crossed arms fire user. "Tell them." He almost commands Ignis.

The alicorn narrows his eyes and tells Merasmus for the sixth time. "Common people are not allowed to hear the future about to come. It will only cause disaster— don't you remember what happens when you told everyone about the volcano and they made it worse?" He demands, for he sure heck remembers that and it could've been avoided if the common people didn't know and instead just got hinted that the volcano they lived up again was about to blow. Instead, Merrasmus made them go into a frenzy, something about the god was angry at them and caused deaths there could've been avoided.

"This is different!" Merasmus exclaims, still annoyed Ignis keep bringing that great mistake on his part up. "These men might be idiots—" the mercenaries shoot him a glare "but they are connected to that ancient magic! They can fight the darkness!"

"This isn't the darkness!" Ignis retorts, his anger made the nearby newspaper blow up in flames.

Heavy quickly extinguish the flames eating the newspaper, about to put the paper back onto the table but stops when he notices the frontline text. "Read this." He requests Engineer and hands the paper to the man. Engineer gasp of what he is reading. "Russia has place missiles on Cuba!"

"Maggot communists!" Soldier shouts enraged and declares they better do something about it.

Sniper rolls his eyes at Soldier. "Do what? We can't leave, remember?"

Merasmus turns back to Ignis, urging him angrily. "Tell them...!" Ignis shoots him a glare. "This better not be another volcano incident." He turns to the mercenaries and tells them what he saw in his vision.
"I was standing on an island, having several metal pillars- a weapon of some sort standing. A song could be heard and everyone who heard it became hostile, they began to yell at one another, then fight and the song got louder. Then... countless of explosions." Ignis hesitates about that last part, the vision made it clear those explosions have to be avoided by all cost but he doesn't know what it is. He explains this to the mercenaries. "According to the vision, not even I would be able to survive those explosions."

"How did those explosions look like?" Soldier asks, for even though he thrives in war, there is one thing he does not want to be unleashed by full force. If that happens then there will be nothing left. His and the others fear of what bomb Ignis spoke about comes true when the alicorn shows the iconic mushroom cloud by his magic. "My god..." Soldier gasps, are America and Russia really going to throw their Atomic bombs at one another?

Heavy turns his eyes back to the paper telling about the missiles on Cuba, the island filled metal pillars. "If they start fight, they will fire the bombs." He tells the others and from the look in their eyes, it is clear that they have realized that too.

"H-How do we stop it?" Scout asks with a trembling voice, he has seen videos of what destruction the two bombs did to those to Japanese cities. He would like that didn't happen to his home.

Engineer fold the newspaper and put it under his arm, giving them a simple answer. "We have to play the peacekeepers." But knows that is easier said than done. None of them are really the bunch known to hold the peace. Hell, they can't even make peace with their other half of their souls.

"Easier said than done." Medic grumbles.

"We have to do something!" Scout exclaims.

"You gentlemen won't be doing anything."
Everyone look up by the voice of the Administrator and she tells them hard. "You weren't hired to keep the peace but to make war. If the bombs do get fired, then it won't be the fault of you."

"Should've known you don't give a shit about an atomic war." Sniper growls.

Helen chuckles, she may be cruel and evil but even she will prefer avoiding getting thrown to a defiled stone age through an atomic war. "Believe it or not, but even I do not wish the two sides throw their toys of mass destruction at one another. There is no profit in a world after the bombs." She trashes her smoke and reclaims yet another, explaining the remaining mercenaries. "If you want to ensure this won't happen, then I suggest you stay away from Cuba and instead make sure the atomic missiles here in America won't be able to fire." That get their full attention, she thought it would. The Mann brothers will get at her throat for not waging their pointless war, but she can handle them just fine and they can return to this war when the Third World War has been avoided. "Since we are lacking over half of the teams, I must, unfortunately, inform you will have to endure working together a bit longer."

The mercenaries roll their eyes of how she voices their ceasefire towards the opposite team, but all silently agree to give her a break as she does want to avoid another world war just as much as them.

"I want you to go to an underground facility, there is the main cache of America's missiles. If they are defused, the President's war council will be less trigger happy. Don't leave any eyewitness."

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone says and with the coordinates, the mercenaries head out.

Although refusing to say it out loud, Ignis is grateful that woman's meddling has spared them for another volcano incident since she did keep these humans from going to Cuba and try play peacekeepers.
Ignis leaves the base as well, but not to aid the mercenaries in defusing the missiles. "I will see if I can find whoever is making that song to cause aggression in people." He explains them and takes off before they can stop him.

*45 hours later*

After having driven for a painfully long time in tense silence none are used to with this bunch, the mercenaries reach their destination. When they find the somewhat hidden base, they try but pretty much fail to make a proper plan when Soldier throws the plan out of the window and charges at the base, blasting the guards to smithereens. The others groan but decide to follow the crazy patriotic. Heavy starts firing his minigun at everything there moves, protecting Medic and Engineer with his large frame. Sniper and Scout run up ahead, picking off those trying to call for backup and also making sure Soldier won't die on them. Sure he will respawn but it will take forever for Soldier to get back to them since Engineer yet hasn't found a good spot for the teleporter.

When Engineer does find a good spot for the machine, he hurries as fast he possibly can since they have just lost Soldier and Scout to the army residing in this place. With it finally up and running, Soldier appears and with a loud: "MAGGOTS!" He fires a rocket at the army there unlike them won't respawn. Scout appears a minutes later, speeding over to destroy the computer used to launch the missiles.
Engineer puts up a sentry gun and dispenser before he returns back to upgrading the teleporter, only stopping to step away when a mildly annoyed Heavy steps off the teleporter. "I hate snipers." He grumbles, Engineer can't help but chuckle at this and neither can Medic there has run over to the sentry nest when Heavy got shot. "Let's get some payback mein freund." Medic grins maniacally, showing Heavy he has an ubercharge ready. Heavy smirks and they both run off to get a big chunk of vengeance on the sniper there thought he could get rid of Heavy that easy.
Not long after Engineer can hear the minigun and Heavy's booming laugher. Chuckling, Engineer finishes up upgrading his buildings before running over to the computer able to launch the missiles, here he finds Scout busy bashing the machine with his bat. Engineer must admit that he does not fancy the thought, but Scout does have the right idea, so Engineer pulls out his wrench and destroys the computer, ensuring that even if these guys wanted, they cannot fire these missiles.

With the mission over, the mercenaries leaves, Sniper checks the area in case they have missed someone.
When they return back to base, the Administrator does for once praise them for their work, telling them awfully causal. "Don't get too comfortable, you will soon get a similar mission in Russia."

Heavy frown at this but does not object, it's not like they are straight out attacking his home country like they weren't attacking America when they went after the missiles.
"What about Ignis?" he asks, but it is not the Administrator there replies him, instead it is Merasmus.

"He is heading to Cuba."

(Cuba)

Ignis lands on the island. He dismisses his wings of fire, mostly so he won't stand out like a bonfire but also so he wouldn't touch the jungle. Looking around Ignis can hear singing of what sounds like three women. Passing through the jungle, Ignis arrives at the military base located on this island. There he spots those who sing.
It is three gorgeous women, humming a melody while walking through the men filled base and to no surprise, every soldier turns confused around of what seems to be three civilians are doing here. However, for some reason, none of them tries to throw them out.
Less so when the woman in front, having wild orange hair and striking magenta colored eyes, like the two others she is very hot looking. That one starts to sing with a hypnotizing voice

"We heard you want to get together
We heard you want to rock the world
We've thought of something that is better."

The two brunette starts to give the watching soldier both flirting looks and touches as they pass by them.

"Something that changes all the rules
Why pretend we're all the same
When some of us shine brighter?"

The leader asks in her song, stopping before the higher officer who is, like the rest hypnotized by their song. Ignis realizes why when the gems around their necks start to shine of dark magic. At first, they look like magical artifacts but if looking closer, one can see that those gems are part of their bodies.
The leader of the three walks over to the higher officer

"Here's a chance to find your flame
Are you a loser or a fighter?"

She asks, caressing the man over the cheek before moving on, leaving him with a face that he actually consider listing to their words.
The three magical users step into the middle of their crowd of soldiers, singing with a mix of provocation and flirting.

"Me and you, you and me
Why don't we see who is better?
We don't have to be one and the same thing
Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?
Are you afraid of failing the opposition?"

Several of the soldiers mumbles that they are not afraid, while Ignis is starting dread that he has found the song from his vision.

"You're a star and you should know it
Yeah, you rise above the rest."

The leader sings to one random soldier, taking his gun without any struggle and up to the sky where American recon planes are flying.

"It doesn't matter who you hurt
If you're just proving you're the best."

She throws the gun back to the owner, passing the soldiers now glaring up at the planes.
The three hums their melody, strengthening their song to then shout out to the soldiers.

"Battle! You wanna win it
Let's have a battle, battle of who commands
Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it
Let's have a battle, battle, battle
Battle of who commands!"

The soldiers cheer and along to their song to go to war, the soldiers start to gather their weapons while the three dark magic users wrap them further around their fingers with their song of aggression.

"Me and you, you and me
Why don't we see who is better?
We don't have to be one and the same thing
Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?"

The soldiers start to sing along with them, not seeing dark magic is surrounding them all

"Battle! We wanna win it
Let's have a battle, battle of who commands
Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it
Let's have a battle, battle, battle—"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ignis lands in the middle of the base, blowing the magically hypnotized humans to the ground.

The three women stare at their at the moment unconscious army, the leader then turns her eyes to him, shooting him a glare for interrupting their song, before she smirks in confidence of their own power. "Why don't you join us?" She asks and her two lackeys start to sing.

Ignis winches from feeling the dark magic in their song, how it is trying to bend his mind to their will. Probably only thing saving him is his status as a full grown alicorn. He flicks the lighter and stops their song by summoning his flames, surrounding them with his own specialized fire magic. "You're messing with the wrong guy ladies!" The flames form behind his back, forming his wings and Ignis drops the disguise around his hair, letting these magical users know that he is more than he appeared. They take a step back from the power he shows, good, Ignis thinks it will prove his point that he is not one joking around. "I am only going to tell you this once: leave or you will feel my wrath."

The three women eye him warily. The leader recognizes this man now that he shows his own magic, she smiles weakly as she is still a bit worried about this one attack. "It's been quite a while, alicorn." The alicorn blinks, it seems he forgot their last battle. Adagio almost feels hurt he forgot about them, but only a little. He might've attacked them otherwise. "Aw~ did you forget? Last time we met you were playing soldier with the humans."
"But all that ended you up in was a face full of our master's magic." Sonata mocks him with Aria adding with a flirting smirk. "I must say, you look better in your true form."

These three were the ones there caused him to become that dimwitted fool? Why doesn't he remember them? The darkness must've harmed his mind or something. Doesn't matter. Ignis lets his fire magic flare in his command. "Leave! Now!"

"As you wish." Adagio agrees smoothly, he hasn't been the only one stuck in a weaken state these past hundred years. But they soon will be at full strength and when that happens. This pathetic world will be at their feet. She signs her two sisters and they leave the place, not completely bugged out that this alicorn interrupted them. They should've affected the humans' mind enough to cause conflict as Disharmony commands them to do.

With these three gone, Ignis dismisses his magic. He doubts this will the be last time he sees those three and yes it would've been easier fighting them now, but he can't risk it. The tension in this area is bad enough and he won't risk a misfiring from a misplaced battle. No, he needs to get those three at a place where he can let out his full power without causing harm and fear to these jumpy humans. He sighs and when sure no plane is nearby, Ignis flies back to the mercenaries base.
When back he tells them what he witnesses and has to make this abundantly clear. "If you spot those three women: do not fight them. They have a magic there can bend people's mind to their will by song." Adding as he disguises himself to look like a normal human again. "Something humans like you cannot handle, I can because of my alicorn magic." Eyeing his old friend. “Merra, you should be able to resist them too, but don’t take your chances, friend.” Marasmus nods he won’t try and see if he can avoid being brainwashed by these magic users.

Ignoring the subtle insult of them being mentally weaker than these two. "So you are the only one who can fight them?" Medic asks.

Ignis nods. "Yes, and the moment I have gathered the last ingredients to Merasmus for the summoning spell. I will track them down and put a stop to their dark magic."

The mercenaries can only nod, several of them are quite bummed out they cannot join Ignis in this battle but none of them wants to be mind controlled, so it seems like they have to stand on the sidelines for this one.

***

On a small island, few knew about, is the company of the third brother of the Mann family.
Grey watches the ocean from his office, not bothering to turn when his clerk announce his three new working partners have returned. "Let them in." He tells her and moments later, the three gorgeous women walk inside. Only there he turns, asking the leader of these three ancient creatures. "How did it go?"

"We were interrupted." Adagio huffs annoyed, but at least the trip wasn't all a waste. "But what little of our spell we cast should do the trick." She takes a seat on this old geezer's table, eyeing him with a flirting smile. "One wrong move on either side and you have another war."

Not that it would be hard, the tension between America and Russia is already high, he voices this to these creatures called the Sirens, asking the three offended looking women. "Who interrupted you?"

Aria waves her hand that it's not that important, but does still tells their working partner. "Just some alicorn. It's not the first time we have dealt with him."

"Remind me what an alicorn is again." Grey muses for he can't think of what kind of creature that is or what magical powers it has.

"It's a child of Harmony: but all you have to worry about is this. He is immortal and very powerful; your toys are no match against him." Adagio replies, and although she hates to admit it; they have to be careful around that one as long they are not at full strength. "As it stands now, I and my sisters are too weak to fight him, our last battle against him took its toll. But even an alicorn like him has no power over us at our full strength." Eyeing the man there did say their creator— their master told him he would help them back to their full strength if they helped him. "You better have something there can aid us to regain our strength, little man."

Ignoring this creature daring to look down at him, but he figures that can't be helped since the Sirens are immortal and thus probably sees him as a mere child in comparison to their own age. "I have, all we need to do is wait for the right timing." He explains them and knowing America right, that timing will very soon arrive.

***

(three days and Russia visit later.)

Hearing that the president will make a speech about the current situation about the missiles on Cuba, Engineer sets up a proper antenna so a television they got from one of the Administrators messengers can show them the speech. Checking the screen; Engineer smiles and calls for the others. "I got it! And perfect timing too." Nodding to the screen there shows the President about to make his speech.
Soldier bashes through Sniper and Heavy, declaring loudly. "No one speaks while the president talks!" and with that takes a seat before the screen like an excited child. Everyone not from America rolls their eyes at Soldier before taking a seat as well, listing to the president's speech how things are going on Cuba now they have made it harder for the two world powers to fire their missiles at one another. They barely got the good news that the crisis has barely been avoided, mostly because the two leaders of America and Russia really didn't want a war. Then the president speech got cut off and instead the screen shows three very gorgeous looking women.
The mercenaries blink of this, with Soldier asking rather annoyed. "Who the hell do they think they are interrupting the president like that?!"
Engineer steps over to check if the antenna accidentally changed channel or something, while he did that, the three women start to sing and he started to forget about what he was supposed to do. Like the rest of the mercenaries caught up in listing to their song.

Ignis returned from his fetch mission about a half hour later, hearing the song from inside the base, he fears the worst. Running inside he finds the mercenaries staring emptily at the thing called a television where the three women are singing their mind-bending song. A quick levitation spell and the television breaks on impact with the nearby wall. The mercenaries do slowly come around, and they wish they haven't for the second they are back to normal, Ignis starts lecturing them. "I told you not to listen to their song! What kind of morons are you guys?!"

"How the bloody hell should've we have known they hijacked the television?" Sniper demands and he would like to argue further with Ignis but honestly, he is feeling too light-headed for it. That song of those women really did a number on him and looking at the others, it seems they too are dealing with the same thing.
"We did a mistake, it's over now, so bugger off already."

Ignis snorts but he guess he can give these morons a break; effects of dark spells always is a pain to deal with. "Fine, but no more television watching." He summons his wings again, thinking he better track those magical users down before they brainwash the whole country and he takes off to find them.

Meanwhile Grey, along with his daughter and Adagio walk into the large building of Mann Co. The two other sirens are out to deal with his idiot brothers, for really, dealing with them himself is not worth his time. No, Grey wants his prize that pony promised him, he steps into the office of Saxton Hale. Of course, this brute of an Australian doesn't recognize him, not that it matters. What does matter? "I am here to claim what rightfully belongs to me: Mann Company and all the power going with it."

Saxton Hale laughs loudly. "Oh, that's rich! For you to get the company you'll have to— Bidwell?" He asks his main assistance there replies calmly as always. "The CEO of any other company can take over Mann Co legally if they beat you in unarmed combat, sir." Saxton laughs again, already looking forward to this. "So if this sallow-chested old mummy is saying what I sincerely pray to god that he's saying?"

Grey smirks but before he can say anything, Mr. Hale grabs him by the neck and starts to punch his face, the only thing keeping Grey from dying is the Australium in his blood. Badly bruised and very relieved he had enough Australium for this deadly beating, he tells this brute to stop. Explaining: "It's not me you idiot! I'm not the CEO of Gray Gravel Co!"

"Then who is?" Saxton demands, dumbfounded when this old mummy points at a small girl, in this Aussie's eyes: one who beats up crocodiles just for the giggles, can't beat up a little girl. "You rotten son of a bitch. I'll—" The small girl calls his name and with a rather bloodthirsty look in her eyes ready herself for battle. "I haven't got all day," and she starts punching him, which his tough skin can't even sense. Hale tries but he just can't make himself fight this little girl. He roars out his frustrations. "Saxton Hale will NOT FIGHT A CHILD!" and tries to make his two assistance fight her for him, but that doesn't work either. That hot chick's song somehow is way more interesting for them than getting promoted. To his greater frustration, with no one to fight the child— the CEO of Gravel Co then that means he has lost Mann company.... that fine! He can still leave with dignity. "I'll fight my way out through that wall of robots for starters and then I'll—"

But Grey won't even have this nuisance have that, he wants this brute to leave as a broken man. "I haven't bought any robots with me. You're free to go." He tells the Aussie, smirking down to his daughter there gleefully returns it. Both greatly amused how Saxton tries so desperately to pick a fight in order to keep his dignity, even tries to punch the sirene they brought but all he got out from that is getting humiliated further as one of his former workers stepped in between from Adagio brainwashing magic. Saxton Hale stares several seconds at his unconscious co-worker, then, finally broken he leaves the room without a word. Grey smirks widen, for now, he has what that pony promised him. He has the main respawn machine and the cache of Australium a certain woman has been hoarding.

Somewhere, deeply hidden but far from out of touch with the world, Helen watches in cold horror as Saxton Hale leaves Mann Co building, he has been pretty much the only one she could count in, now he is gone and knowing Grey. He will soon come for her as well. However, ever since the first robot attack, she knew this day would come and was prepared. With a push on a button, a message is sent out and will reach Miss Pauling when she returns. Turning to the screens, showing the mercenaries waiting tensely for that blasted alicorn, then to a screen showing Grey's men is heading towards their current base, inside that truck she spots one of those women able to brainwash people with their song. "So, even you realize of their use," She muses and knows that Grey will get these very hard to kill mercenaries, but hopefully those on the other side will be able to defeat their other halves. Putting a code into her computer, the screen tells her that the respawn to the mercenaries has been overwritten and thus only she can turn it off on them with a special code. Only if Grey destroys the Alpha respawn machine, these maniacs will be able to die by his hand. But knowing him, he wants the respawn but with this override, he won't be able to put his own genetic code inside. With that, Helen activates the self-destruct protocol and leaves this place for good.

Far away from everything, Ignis has managed to track down one of the lackeys of these singers of war. This time he did not give her a warning and attacks. When the flames disappear, Ignis frowns seeing a humanoid metal thing on the ground instead of that woman. Checking it, Ignis notices this one does look very much like those the mercenaries calls a Spy-bot. Is this a setup? Ignis shoots up to the air and by that single action, he avoided a headshot. Instead, half of his right leg got shredded by the bullet, Ignis cries of the sudden pain and turns to where the shot came from. He spots the shooter and attacks. When closer he realizes it is a Sniper-bot, several in fact. A fireball does quickly finishing them off but looking around, Ignis realizes that this whole area is infested with robots. He's not really worried about them overwhelming him, what does worries him is that this situation smells too much like a distraction. But a distraction to what? Against his instinct to fight this enemy, Ignis flee from the robot army, returning back to base as fast as he can.
He doesn't even touch the ground before he gets shot again and the pain sends him crashing down to the ground. Looking up through the pain, Ignis realizes this isn't a robot there shot him, but the real deal.
Sniper straightens up and smirks at him in malice, it's there Ignis notices that the man looks different, he can't really tell how but something about his appearance seems off. The other mercenaries appear, like Sniper, they too look a bit off. Then Ignis realizes why they all have a dark magic all over them. He gasps and his horror increased when he spots one of the women, smirking down at him from the roof where Sniper stands.
Soldier, now crazier than ever charges at Ignis like some kind of rabid dog and the only thing saving Ignis from getting blown and perhaps die from Soldier's rocket launcher is his rabid healing. "Dammit!" He curses and has to flee once again.
Ignis hates to say it, but he cannot fight the now dark magic coated humans, well yes, he could but that would just end up killing them but that is a terrible idea as the Goddess has chosen them.
No, the only thing there can fix this is the Elements of Harmony. But one thing first. "Merra!" Ignis calls, landing hard and ungrateful at the BLU base. The wizard turns to him startled, but there really isn't much time to explain. "Get out from here! Bring them back!" Ignis command his friend before he takes off again to at least give his long-lived human friend the chance to get away from these dark magic coated people.

Sensing the urgency of that warning, Merasmus grabs everything he needs to the summoning spell, grabs the Bombinicon and before his teleportation spell takes him away, he sees Ignis crashes back to the ground. If he was alive or not, Merrasmus didn't know but does hope the alicorn's magic would have made him survive that rain of bullets. Stepping into his new hiding place, Merasmus lets go off the Bombinicon there says pretty freaked out of what they both saw. "Ohhh this is bad. If flame head couldn't fight it, what hope do we have?" and asks Merasmus for once seriously. "What are we going to do?"
Doing what Ignis asked. "We have to bring those in Equestria back." He tells the sentient book.
Bombionicon can only nod and opens up so its current owner can return back to work, both hoping that it won't be too late when Marasmus gets this complicated spell working.

Author's Note

well, seems like Equestria is not the only place dealing with beings that just want to see the world burn.
I have changed a few things about the Sirenes aka Dazzlings, for starters they are older, they look like humans in the age of early twenties. They do not have pony colors but normal white skin, brown and orange hair. only their eyes are the same, oh and they are very hot. I tried to draw it but I am not that good to draw super-model people.

so as you can see, I will make a Equestria Girls storyline but it will not happen in a high school and if that happens I am making Soldier blow it up.

Future Safeguarding

Note: this happens the next day after the last chapter.
made after the episode "It's About Time"

Celestia finds herself standing in deep snow surrounded by a small blizzard, confused about why she is here Celestia looks around, flinching when a strong gust of wind blows and she almost misses the creature inside this snowstorm: it's a Windigo. This Windigo screech and flies a few times around her before disappearing back into the blizzard. She follows it and on the way she encounters her sister. Luna spots her and tells her with a shaken voice. "This is a vision." That is enough to explain everything. Celestia nods and suggests they better see what this new vision is going to warn them about. "That means we have to follow the Windigo." and that they do, in the middle of the storm, it is quiet and looking at the surrounding storm they find several Windigoes flying around, however, for some reason unable to pass this invisible barrier. Before either can question what this means, the earth beneath them cracks and crystals burst up from the snow, towering over the alicorn sisters and its light warms their bodies. Then the crystals suddenly turn black, the invisibility barrier breaks and the whole area is consumed by the darkness and the Windigoes cursed winter.
However, like many other visions, there are signs of what can stop this from happening, and here it shows by crystals shining in bright colors there forces the threatening darkness away.

Both Celestia and Luna awake the moment the vision end and swiftly leave bed to find the other so they can discuss what this vision might have meant. Luna has an idea what the constant theme of crystals meant. "I think the Crystal Empire soon will return."

Celestia must say that it is a big possibility, and if that is the case, then not only will the Shadow King and his allies return, but also the residents of the empire itself. "I will inform Quick Lance to bring a recon team up north." She and Luna defeated Sombra the last time by banishing him and yes they might be able to do it again even without their former allies, but that will only drag out the fight and Celestia really doesn't want that the Crystal Empire to vanish again along with all its residents. No, if the empire really is going to return, the bearers of the Elements have to be the ones fighting this pony of shadows. She voices this to Luna, adding. "I noticed the crystal filled with light have the same colors as the Elements, so it must mean only they can bring this fight to an end." But her sister's scowl is a clear sign that she does not fancy the thought letting common ponies deal with such a serious threat.

"We should go as well, sister." Luna tells her sister seriously. "I know your student is an Element bearer along with her friends, but I highly doubt any of them will understand how serious this is." The magic in the Crystal Empire is powerful enough to affect most of Equestria, and if it falls to the wrong hoof, disaster can happen. Sombra sure showed that when he used the empires magic to defeat their once allies.

But Celestia knows this the best way to encourage the best out from her hard-working student. If the Empire is going to return soon, it might be the perfect test seeing if Twilight really is ready for the path she has put her on. "Don't worry, we're not going to lose it this time."

Luna frowns of her sister's insurance, not fully convinced but for now decides to trust Celestia's words, after all, the return of the Crystal Empire might just be a fluke as it stands now.

***

(Later that day, Ponyville)

After having finished her work filing the papers in Major Mare's office and finished the rest of her duties, Miss Pauling is once again left with no clear idea what to do in this world she and the others are currently trapped in. The mercenaries are surprisingly doing fine in their situation, in fact they are doing so fine that there is no need for her to keep them in check, those mares they hang around with does that for her and doing such a good job that the mercenaries are attributing the town with each of their skills instead of causing trouble as she thought they would.
However, Miss Pauling does get the sense they are avoiding her or not telling her something. She mostly got that feeling with Scout, she has the sense that he is still affected by that child spell that unicorn casted on him, for he hasn't been trying to flirt with her once ever since he returned back to normal. In fact, she gets the strong sense he is avoiding her, which is really strange for usually, she has trouble getting rid of him. It's a weird feeling she must admit and is quite split between being happy she doesn't have to deal with his overbearing chatter and bad flirting or worry that he's not acting like his annoying self anymore.
Makes her wonder; does he know the truth about Spy? Not that info matters much anymore, Spy is gone.
A sudden racket snaps Miss Pauling out from her thoughts and does reconsider her former thoughts that those mares have been keeping the mercenaries in check when she sees Soldier and Heavy at each other's throats, fighting to kill one another.
Engineer is standing nearby but for some weird reason, he is doing nothing about it which is really strange since he often works as the team's peacekeeper. Miss Pauling trots over to the passive standing Engineer, asking with a worried glance to the fight there now has gathered quite the crowd. "Engie, what's going on?"

Engineer eyes her lazily. "They are trying to kill one another, miss."

"And you're not trying to stop them why?" She demands him, startled when he replies in a pessimistic tone. "Why bother? All that will do is extend the evadable. They will kill one another, no matter what we do. So why stop them?"
Miss Pauling stares at him in disbelief of what the man has just been saying. She has never heard him see fights like this before, something is wrong but what? No, she can think about that when Soldier and Heavy aren't trying to kill each other. She trots over to the two but no matter how much she calls— commands them to cut it out, they do not listen. All that does is Soldier suddenly attacks her, screaming enraged. "MAGGOT!"
Miss Pauling lets out a fearful scream when he tackles into her, pretty sure he bruised one of her legs really badly from the pain she is feeling. "Soldier, stand down!" She cries up the pegasus, but he is further gone than he has ever been, all she can see in his grey eyes is a wild bloodlust. Soldier lifts his hoof right over her head, Miss Pauling closes her eyes in fear, but the kick never comes. Instead, she feels Soldier getting thrown off her, followed by Demo's voice. "Bloody hell, Solly, what's wrong with you?!" Opening her eyes she sees Demo standing in between her and the growling in rage Soldier. If she hasn't been in shock, she would've wondered why Demo's pelt and hair have gotten stronger in color and the sword on his flank has gotten an explosion.

Demo has no idea why Soldier suddenly has gone all manic warlike on them, all he knows that it needs to stop before someone ends up dead! "Calm down Solly, we're not in—" Soldier tackles into him, leaving a nasty bruise over his right shoulder from the pegsus hooves. Demo lands hard onto the ground, rolling a bit from the force, he does quickly recover and just in time see the roaring Soldier jump at him with: "LONG LIVE AMERICA!" Demo activates his magic, stopping Soldier's attack dead in his tracks. He notices that he isn't using as much energy as he used to. "Huh, I really have gotten stronger." Demo muses, once again happy that both RED and BLU Demoman has become one. Eyeing the struggling Soldier, Demo realizes that Soldier is not himself at the moment. If his BLU side remembers correctly, then Ignis once explained them that people personality can turn to their worst self if tainted by dark magic. Better hear from the others if they know a way to fix this. He is about to go over and asks Engineer about it but is pretty much trampled down by a just as enraged Heavy, making him let go of Soldier and the two are again at each other's throats.
Demo cannot move out of the way, his body too battered after have gotten stomped by Heavy.
Fortunately Derpy, that brave little pony flies over and drags him away even with the danger she could get herself in by doing that. She did get attacked by Soldier, and Demo must say he can see why she got chosen to bear the Element of Courage when she instinctively stepped between him and Soldier when the green pegasus attacked. The two roll over the ground, coming to a sudden halt when Soldier smack right into the nearest lamp pole and perhaps a good thing too for his body worked as a pillow for Derpy. The grey pegasus recovers quickly and if it's bravery or stupidity is a good question, whatever it is, Derpy completely ignores her own safety, trying to snap Soldier back to normal by shaking him rather comically.
"Get away from him, lassie!" Demo cries, trying to get back up before Soldier recovers. But the green pegasus recovers faster than him, however instead of attacking as Demo feared, Soldier caresses his head, to then seems to realize what just has happed. Derpy doesn't seem to care, she's just happy he is back to normal and hugs him around the neck.
About there Rarity comes running and from the fearful look on her face, it's clear she is running from something.
That something proves to be Medic and Demo easily recognizes what everyone on the team calls the bonesaw face, for that is the face he has when he kills people with that bonesaw of his.

"Something is wrong with Medic." Rarity says fearfully, seeking protection behind Engineer who is the one closet. At first, Engineer did not react, then with a groan and caressing his head, Engineer eyes Rarity regretfully which confuses her. "What's wrong darling?" She asks.

Engineer shakes his head. "It's nothing." Feeling quite regretful that he moments ago didn't give a darn about his comrades getting hurt. He has no idea what caused such a sudden change in him, but he is happy Rarity snapped him out from it. Turning to Medic, Engineer realizes that he hasn't been the only one been affected, for Medic looks like he wants to cut someone open. "Dammit, of all times he could've lost it, it has to be when I don't have a weapon..." Engineer muses annoyed, but he's not defenseless either. He leaps over to Medic, and with his bigger and stronger body, tackles the crazed unicorn and forced Medic to the ground. "Snap out from it doc!"
"And miss my chance for the greatest experiment?" Medic grins wickedly up to the increased disturbed Engineer. "It's been so long I last let loose! Mich so erhalten freundlich weg!" A shield spell throws Engineer off him and before the bird/horse hybrid can restrain him again, Medic does that against Engineer. Wondering out loud: "Do you have the heart of a bird or a horse?" and his horn glows a strong blue, aiming at the spell stuck Engineer's chest.
Engineer can do nothing but watch Medic ready his magic for an operation, this world has made Medic impossible to restrain with that blasted magic. Why couldn't he have lost it in the human world? At least there he didn't have to worry about magic!

"Don't you dare, doc!" Demo shouts and fires a beam at Medic, but the other unicorn swiftly retaliate and his own blue beam clashes with Demo's red. Even with only a half soul and strength. Demo struggles to keep up with Medic's raw power, it is clear why he got chosen to become the partner of the Element of Magic, and Demo dreads this grey's unicorn's strength when he becomes whole. He does overpower Medic, but just barely, clear sign who is the strongest when it comes to raw magically power. At least he is better when it comes to levitation magic as Demo has no trouble controlling several ropes and bind the unicorn. With Medic restained, the freezing spell around Engineer finally fades and Engineer gives him a thankful nod.
Before they can discuss the best course of action, they get reminded that Heavy is still aggressive towards anyone. The back to normal Soldier has kept him off but even he cannot match up to Heavy's earth pony strength and Soldier crashes into the nearest wall. With a roar Heavy charges at Engineer and Demo and they are forced to get out of the way. Much to their surprise, Heavy calms just enough down to check Medic before going on the attack again.
Demo just can't help but chuckle seeing that. "Even at his worst, Heavy wants to protect the doc." Those two are thick as thieves, that's for sure and with both of them completely off their bonkers. This tight bond they share is worrying. "We can't let them team up!" He tells Engineer, there nods that he fully agrees, but like Demo, knows that they cannot match Heavy in strength.

Engineer is about to tell Rarity to seeks cover but then notices that she is gone. Possibly going to get Twilight. Better than staying here and risk getting hurt, he thinks and with: "Get on." He takes flight with Demo on his back, at least in the air they can avoid getting trampled on.
"Now I am really happy you got turned bigger and with wings." He hears Demo remarks before the brown unicorn shoots a magical beam at Heavy; who doesn't even flinch. Still, Demo keeps firing, praying the big guy soon will show signs his attacks are working.
Heavy didn't however just stand there and take the assault from the unicorn, he finds a large stone and with a solid kick, hurls it up to Engineer.
The horse/bird hybrid just barely dodges the attack, at this very moment lecturing himself he should've practiced his flight more than he did. Just as Heavy is about to throw another rock at them, Pyro suddenly appears.

She whacks the earth pony with her tail and throws him into the nearest house, the wall break on impact and did disorientate Heavy. This allowed Derpy to get the still in shock Miss Pauling out of the way. Not that Pyro would give Heavy a chance to recover and attack the others, for she is PISSED. "Don't hurt my friends!" She roars at him and fire burst out from her mouth, Heavy cries in pain when the flames hit him.

"Pyro! Don't set him on fire!" Engineer cries down to her. Pyro stops breathing fire and looks a bit confused up to him, so he has to explain her. "We're not in the war games, he won't respawn if you kill him."

"I'm okay with that." Pyro says awfully casually, turning back to the burned but still not in danger of death Heavy.

But Engineer is not okay with it. "Don't kill him, please Pyro."

Pyro whines but does as Engineer asks her. "Only for you Engie." and instead decides to wrestle Heavy, using her bigger body and strong slender tail to restrain Heavy from harming others. She does draw blood from him when Heavy kicks her and she pierces his back legs with her sharp claws in retaliation.

Good thing Pyro has become a second big gun, Engineer thinks thankfully of this rescue from the firebug. He lands back on the ground and Demo jumps off his back. Engineer turns to Rarity there is watching the fight between Pyro and Heavy somewhat worried. "You fetched her?" Engineer asks and the white unicorn nods, explaining them. "She adores you, Engineer. I figured Pyro could overpower Heavy, being a dragon and all, but..." She turns her gaze to the half-burned house from Pyro's fire attack. "I didn't fully think it through letting a full grown and angry dragon into Ponyville..."
Engineer can't help but chuckle. "Trust me Rarity, it could've been a lot worse." And must say. "Thanks for the aid."

"My pleasure, darling." Rarity smiles, about to ask what they should do with Heavy and Medic but before she can:
Rainbow Dash lands with a very embarrassing looking Sniper at her side.

"Let me guess, you were completely off your bonkers?" Demo asks.

Sniper can only nod, he feels so stupid of letting himself go all mental again and towards Fluttershy of all people. Doubts that pegasus will go near him for life. He glances up when Rainbow puts a hoof on his shoulder, c giving him a sympatric look but also showing that she won't leave his side until he feels better. For that he is grateful. Shaking off his own embarrassment of his former behavior. "I wasn't the only one." Sniper remarks from the scene of Medic being restrained by a crap-load of robes and Pyro pretty much holding Heavy around the legs like someone holding a chicken for tonight's dinner. Engineer, Demo, and Rarity nod that he got that one right.

"Any idea what caused your sudden aggression?" Miss Pauling asks, feeling much safer approaching the mercenaries after their strange and most of them straight out deadly behavior has passed. Looking around, she realizes that one of the team is still missing. "Where's Scout?"

"Zecora is taking care of him." Rainbow replies, adding in her mind that it is Spy who is handling the very angry Scout. She sure hopes he can handle the beating Scout sure wanted to inflict on him, but she is not going to tell that to this unicorn. According to the turned humans, they cannot trust Miss Pauling. And Rainbow's loyalty lies with these guys, even though she still doesn't really like Spy. "She has a knack keeping him in check." Miss Pauling frowns lightly but does not question further about it.

Now with a calmer mind again, Sniper realizes that he recognizes this feeling of going all mental. "This felt like when that pony out of shadow screwed up my head. Back when Spook was working for that queen Changeling." He explains the others.

Engineer frowns hearing this. "I don't remember encountering any pony made of shadows."

".... I don't think it's us being possessed." Demo muses troubled, the BLU Demoman in him still remembers how BLU Sniper got affected when Sniper here got attacked by Spy. "It's the guys in the human world, and we— I mean you are feeling the effect." He has to correct himself since he no longer has the other half of his soul back in the human world. That does also explain some other thing. "That's why I and Pyro aren't affected."
and Spy of course, but like everyone else, he pretends that their Changeling comrade is a goner. But just in case. "We should send a letter, ask how things are going over there."

Engineer pulls out his writer block from the armor around his neck and shoulder, working as this world's toolbox, he writes a quick message to RED Engineer, seals it with his logo on and throws it over to Pyro who blow a burst of magically fire at it, sending it off.
Meanwhile, the will wait for the answer, Engineer thinks that perhaps it's best snapping Heavy and Medic out from their craze. "Perhaps Twilight knows how to fix them— do any of you know where she is at the moment?"

"Last I heard she is freaking out of not have made a schedule for next month schedule." Demo muses, wondering how that purple pony haven't dealt with more breakdowns, well there was the time where she got so stressed she made the whole town want a piece of ugly toy. That was weird and the reminder at least take her words a bit seriously unless they want to make Twilight go all mentally unstable on them. And knowing how much that pony loves having everything planned out. "I am not sure we should interrupt her work with this at the moment."

Sniper snorts. "Well, I would prefer we didn't have to worry Heavy crushing us like sticks and Medic playing Frankenstein with our remains." And trots over to the Golden Oak Library. "So she better makes time."
The griffin got a point, so the others let Sniper head over to speak with Twilight about their problem with Heavy and Medic.
Walking into Twilight's home, a really strange sight meets Sniper. He sees two Twilights and one of them looks like a mess with that tattered black suit, messy hair, eye-patch and a small cut on her right cheek. "The hell?" He blinks, making both Twilights turn to him. "Don't tell me you have been trying to duplicate our situation." He grumbles, for if that's the case then she has to stop hanging around Medic so much.

The tattered Twilight shakes her head. "No, it's not like that, I'm from the future- next Thursday actually- Twilight you has to listen." She interrupts herself, turning to seemly past Twilight just as magical electricity starts to spark around her. "I only have a few seconds, so you've got to listen! Whatever you do, don't–" Before she can finish the sentence, she gets pulled back to probably the future, leaving present Twilight and Sniper very confused and also quite troubled.
"Oh no! What was she trying to warn me about?" Twilight wonders out loud, tipping on her hooves in worry of what horrible things must've happened for her to look like that.

And Sniper isn't faring much better. "Twilight, we got a problem." Dreading that them getting affected by their other in the human world can be part of what will happen in the near future. He explains Twilight about their current situation and she runs out, declaring incredibly worried. "It must be what she tried to warn me about! We have to prevent it to happen!" and Sniper runs after her, sure hoping they can prevent the future the other Twilight came from.
Getting Medic back to normal went rather easy, like with Rainbow Dash, contact with his Element partner did the trick and the grey unicorn is back to normal fairly quickly.
"I'm sorry I scared you miss Rarity." He apologizes while Demo unbound the robes. Rarity forgives him, but it's clear she got quite a scare from his insanity moment.
Heavy is trickier as he yet hasn't found his partner. But Twilight and Medic are certain they can fix it, so while they did that. Sniper explains the others of what both he and Twilight witness and this future Twilight has tried to warn them about something is going to happen the next Thursday.

"That's eight days from now on." Derpy muses, she turns to Twilight, asking; "Any idea what this disaster is?"

"No, but from how future me looked; it must be terrible!" Twilight exclaims, about to voice all her fears what can happen but before she can, Medic snaps her attention back to helping Heavy and she calms a bit down with the task before her. When she finishing the memory spell to remind Heavy of the good thing about himself, Heavy is back to normal, although dealing bit with a headache, nothing Medic can't fix, though . With this disaster fixed, she turns to her friends. "But we are going to stop it. Rainbow, Soldier and Derpy, you get as many pegasi and look for any kind of problem there could lead to this disaster, and I mean anything."
"You got it!" Rainbow smirks.
Soldier salutes with Derpy besides him simply nodding, the three takes off and Twilight turns to the others. "Everypony else, time to disaster-proof Equestria!"

That's exactly what they do and although Twilights goes quite overboard with it, her friends have long learned just to go with it unless they want a long tiresome argument with a stressed Twilight. They make sure no wall or bridge has a major crack, that any water tank has enough water if a fire should suddenly arrive and even made sure no of the beasts inside Everfree are too close. With all the tasks done, the whole team of Element bearers gathers before Sugarcube Corner. Here the list holding Twilight asks Applejack's team. "What about Everfree?"

"A few Timberwolves were a bit too close, so we chased them off." Applejack explains and must say that it's hard to be scared of those wooded wolves when hanging around Heavy and Demo, both experienced fighters.

Twilight checkmark her list, turning to the pegasi where Soldier declares in a salute. "Not a single threat all from Fillydelphia to Las Pegasus!"

Again a checkmark and lastly Twilight turns to the zebra disguised Spy, Fluttershy and Scout. "All clear from the animals." Fluttershy says, still having a couple of squirrels sitting on her back, turning her eyes to Scout there says from their search. "Same here, not even at the shady places." with Spy simply nodding in agreement.

"Excellent. Well, we've done everything on the list, but still..." Twilight folds the long list she made for them to do in order to prevent disaster. "Future Twilight looked like she'd been through a horrible ordeal. I just have this nagging feeling we should be looking for something bigger. But what?" She asks herself.

A loud roar suddenly emerges, making several of them jump from the startle. Turning around the group spots a huge black, three-headed dog running into town, only stopping to make yet another loud roar.

Pinkie Pie walks calmly over to the stunned town ponies, calling for their attention. "Okay, everypony, follow my lead." She says super serious, to then scream and flees and the town ponies follow suit.
.
"Well, it did the trick." Demo muses as it did make the town ponies get out of the way. His sweetheart did run over to him for cover and nuzzling her briefly, he suggests to the frighten Berry Punch. "Better run home, never know we have to fight this doggy." She nods and with a kiss on his cheek. "See you later." She runs away from the scene.
Demo and the others turn their full attention back to the huge three-headed dog.
Pyro didn't even wait to see if this dog is a threat or not, she unleashes her flames on it but this dog must be fireproof for all it does having its body engulfed in flames is being confused.

Scared that Pyro; a full-grown dragon has no effect on this dog, Spike runs over to Twilight, asking her scared. "What is that thing?!" and she is kind enough to explain him, even though he is worried because she is smiling. "That's Cerberus, he is immune against fire, that's why Pyro's flames don't work! He's supposed to be guarding the gates of Tartarus." The dog in question walks away from the flames and starts to chew on Berry Punch roof's cosmetic berries, probably mistaking them for real berries. "But if he's here, then all the ancient evil creatures that have been imprisoned there could escape and destroy Equestria!"

"She's hanging around you too much, doc." Engineer remarks dryly, also taking notice that Twilight is a tad too excited about this guardian of what sounds like this place prison is roaming around and making a mess. Medic grins at his words. "It's not often we get to fight a dog from the Greeks underworld of the dead." and Engineer rolls his eyes at the unicorn, but must agree with Medic.

Twilight steps forward, her horn glowing. "He looks like he could use some obedience training." But before she or anypony else can fight this three-headed dog into submission, Fluttershy has already made it completely docile by rubbing its belly. Twilight must say that she is impressed. "Wow, I knew you were good with animals, but this is amazing!" She had no idea Fluttershy could tame even the guardian of Tartarus.

Completely unafraid of this huge three-headed beast, in fact, all Fluttershy sees is a lost dog and she explains Twilight. "Aww, he's just a big furry guy who got out of his yard, that's all. Right, Cerberus?" She asks and coos the huge dog while continually rubbing its belly.
The moment of bliss between her and this lost dog is however cut a bit short when Pinkie Pie, still screaming runs past them. At least Cerberus does not mistake her for a living toy, all it fortunately does is staring startled at the screaming pink pony.

Twilight calls for said screaming pony, snapping Pinkie out from her panic and asks her. "Do you have a ball I can borrow?" and Pinkie zooms over to a hollow tree. "I have balls stashed all over Ponyville, in case of ball emergency." Twilight doesn't even bother to asks, she lets the turned human do that.

"Why do you have balls all over Ponyville?" Miss Pauling asks, blinking when Scout replies. "You never know when you need one." As if it's the most normal thing in the world. And surely he has been here for too long, for not only hands the pink pony Twilight a ball but throws a baseball over to Scout there hits it with a baseball he did not have a moment ago. Making that monster dog chase the flying baseball. "Where did you get that bat??" Miss Pauling asks now utterly confused, and straight out frantic when the other mercenaries just take it in stride and that zebra stallion remarks dryly to Scout. "Please don’t pick up Pinkie antics, dealing with her is bad enough."

Scout smirks back and 'returns' his baseball bat back to his invisible saddlebag. "It's fun breaking the rules." But he doubts he ever is going to have as big on grasp on this reality-bending as Pinkie, though.

Reclaiming the bigger ball from Pinkie, Twilight calls for the three-headed dog there has lost sight of the baseball Scout threw for it. The dog turns all its three heads to her. She levitates the ball in front of the three heads and the already playful dog is panting happily of having another— and bigger ball to chase. "Look what I have!" She calls, waving the ball in front of the dog and starts running with the happy panting Cerberus right at her side, chasing the ball. "I'll be back as soon as I've returned him to the gates of Tartarus." She calls back to the others, thinking that once he is back at home, they have avoided the disaster future her warned them about.

"Well, that was easy." Engineer remarks, but is happy it was. They have spent six days on making sure no disaster would happen by fool-proofing the whole town and searching the other cities and all that running around does he sure can use a nice relaxing day.
The others agree on the same and one by one, they head back or out to do their own thing. Although they all were a bit wary what kind of disaster this future Twilight warned them about and will be very glad when Thursday has passed so they can return back to their normal worries such as the mystery with the shadow ponies, how to become whole and deal with the once and a while real danger this world likes to throw at them.

Nothing happens the last days and when Thursday the future Twilight warned them about slowly reaches its end, Twilight, now looking like the one there appeared to her a week past returns back home after have left to find the source of the disaster in her grand panic mode. She finds Sniper sitting on a cloud, tensely watching the town for whatever disaster they got warned about. "Sniper, you don't have to keep watch!" She calls up to him, making the more vigilant than usual griffin looks down to her. He blinks and flies down, letting her explain. "There's no disaster, the future me we saw tried to warn past me about not to worry about the future."

"Which ended up with you going in full panic mode." Sniper remarks, yet cannot help but smile for that is just typical Twilight. Crossing his front talons like he would with his feet if human, he asks smirking. "So, I figure you are future Twilight now."

"I sure am." Twilight smiles, now looking exactly like the Twilight they both saw in the library.

"Well, don't scare everyone into a panic frenzy." Sniper goodhearted lectures her and gives the very tired looking unicorn a small hit over the shoulder. "But knowing you, I doubt this will be the last time you go all panic on us."
Twilight laughs embarrassed and sure hope future her won't go this overboard again.
It's quite stressful.

Author's Note

thanks to Celestia and Luna, you guys now know what soon is about to happen. Twilight thought she too can predict the future but all she did was going into an epic panic mode. was planning on writing a chapter to the episode "lesson Zero" but dropped it as the chapter didn't change that much compared to the episode other than a few lines from the tf2 guys. so it stays as a small mention.

if you have any wish for an episode becoming a chapter, feel free to ask.

Heart of a Bear

Note: This happens a month after the last chapter.
part 1 of the episode "Hurricane Fluttershy"

Scout grabs a bag filled with food to rodents and trots outside to feed several of Fluttershy's animals, it's one of his duties as payment of staying with her. He must say that he doesn't really fancy sitting and cuddly animals, but Fluttershy does have a few cool animals such as that docile bear, several exotic birds, oh and that white rabbit there thinks it's the king of the hill. He like that rabbit, it has personality compared to the other rodents. Speaking of the rabbit. "Hi there Angel." He greets the impatient stomping white rabbit and pours down some of the rodent food. "Eat up slugger." Angel ignores the food, instead keeping on staring annoyed at him. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" But it's not like he can understand Angel's arm waving, so he shrugs and returns back on feeding the other rodents.
Angel rolls its eyes, run after Scout and kick his right hind-leg and gets the half-changeling's attention again. Pointing towards town where Rainbow Dash is leaving behind posters.
Scout at first does not get what the rabbit is trying to tell him, only when one of these posters gets taken by the wind and lands not far from the hut and Angel points angrily at it.
"Huh, what's this?" Scout wonders out loud and starts reading, it does take a bit longer since he has trouble putting the letters together in his head but what he did get from this paper is that Rainbow Dash wants all pegasi at the library tonight. "I wonder what she is planning- something cool I bet." He tells the rabbit.
Angel simply sends him a look before nodding towards Fluttershy's cottage. That message he understands. "What? No way! Fluttershy is too freaking shy about such things. She has SHY in her name for crying out loud!"
Angel jumps onto his back and pulls his ear, Scout isn't really bothered by the rabbit pulling his ear. Angel is after all only a rabbit and not very strong, but knowing this headstrong rodent. Scout groans. "Alright fine, I make sure she comes to the meeting. There, happy?" Angel smirks in return.

"Please don't tell me you can speak with animals as well."

Scout turns around and smirks to his old man, at the moment disguised as a male zebra. "If I could, Angel wouldn't have kicked me as much he does. Isn't that right slugger?" He asks said rabbit. Angel gives him an annoyed look, yeah, he got that right. Turning back to Spy. "You heard about the meeting tonight?"

Spy nods but he will not attend. "I need to stick to my disguise being a simple foreigner, it will be too suspicious if a new pegasus suddenly attends the meeting."

Yeah, he thought that would be the case, Spy did tell him that he will stay out from major events until the other stuck humans will return back to their own world. It kinda sucks Scout won't have long to learn about his father, but Spy has explained him and made it clear why he won't return back with him. His father is happy here; Equestria offers him a life without fear and a chance to live as Spy called it. Still, Scout does wish that his father would've been more part of his life. More so now that he is starting to see the real person behind that mask there is the Spy.

Sensing troubled emotions from his son, Spy has an idea what is causing them but he cannot (thankfully) read his mind. "What troubles you?" He asks Scout.

"It's nothing." Scout brushes off, angry why this bothers him so much. He has been living without a father before, didn't need him as a child, so surely he doesn't need him now. Scout can handle himself like he always has.
Sensing that his father does not believe him, Scout groans, annoyed by both their emotion detectors. "Fine, I wish you wouldn't leave again." Blinks when he senses surprise from his father, why is Spy surprised by this? "What?"

"Of all the things I have done to you. You still want me around?" Surely Scout must've picked up that he is not a good parent. He has no idea how to be one, less how to work up a better relationship with Jeremy. All he can give his son is love, but surely that can't be enough. "Why? You are aware if I return to the human world, you won't be able to sense my emotions and get the love this kind we have been turned into feed on."

"I know, but..." Scout growls annoyed he has no idea how to voice this. Unaware, he too feels like he is not a good child to have. His brother's sure hell made it clear that he is a nuisance. "Forget it, leaving everything behind is your status quote."

"Jeremy."

"...Like running is mine..."

This is the first time Spy has ever seen Scout show his vulnerability he has more than once sensed in him. What is the cause of it? Spy has no idea, but he dreads that he is partly the cause of it. He has, after all, more than once mocked his son's ability of speed and agility- his strength. He knows what he should do, but cannot make himself to move and give his boy the comfort he so clearly craves for. All he can do is watching his boy trying so hard acting strong, forcing back his own tears. It's heartbreaking really. Kicking himself, Spy finally makes himself move, he does hesitate for a moment but does— although awkwardly pulls Scout into a one-armed hug and shares the love in form of light magic with him.

Feeling his father's love once again, ensuring him this is no trick but genuine, Scout lets out a sob and with tears falling from his angry-looking eyes, although he is really far from being angry and closer to actually letting go of his anger. Scout learns up against his father's chest, getting a comfort he hasn't felt from anyone but his mother back when he was a small child. The moments of comfort from his mother were often short-lived though, partly because his brothers often mocked him about it but also because ma just didn't have time for him when he needed the comfort thanks to having so many other sons. Scout loves his family, he does not deny that, but life back in Boston was hard. Being in the war games was just as tough and at times mentally damaging and the others could be at times straight out cruel to him but Jeremy stayed because being on RED gave him a sense being part of something, not just the nuisance his brothers often called him. Coming here, feeling his father's, hell even the others true emotions. It made Scout realize that he not only wants to stick with the team but that he wants his father around. "I need you..." He whispers through his sobbing, it's embarrassing breaking down like this, but it feels like he is being flooded with anger and sadness. He senses again surprise from his father, and yes Scout does not see himself as a smart person but he thinks why Spy is so surprised by this. "I know... you're a crappy parent, but... fuck... I'm not exactly a dream child either... I..." How in the world can he explain to Spy that he wants him around? How in the wide multiverse can he say that without asking his father to abandon this place there offers him a better life- a life for all he knows he didn't get back in the human world.

But Scout didn't have to say it, the plethora of emotions Spy is getting from his boy is more than enough. He wonders if he ever could've formed a decent relationship— if Jeremy ever would've accepted him if it wasn't for the changeling ability sensing emotions. "If you still feel like this after you have mended your soul. I could find a house for you here in Ponyville." Spy suggests slowly, hesitant if Jeremy still feels like this when he retakes BLU Scout's soul, for that side still does not want anything to do with him.
Now it is Scout's turn to be surprised, he steps back and stares at Spy wide-eyed. "You mean that?" Spy nods, he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. Lying to his boy in this world is impossible, so he doesn't bother trying. The confusions get replaced by sheer joy and before Spy can tell him to calm down, his mind gets assaulted by that strong emotion when Scout tackles him into a hug. "Calm yourself...!" He tells his boy stained, glad that it was a positive emotion his mind got blasted with. Still feels weird being happy, he is not used to feeling positive this often.

"Oh, lighten up." Scout grins at his bit uncomfortable father, it's weird Spy can be uncomfortable with positive emotions. He's weird that way. He does, however, let Spy push him off with his uncaring mask on. "I let you get back to work." But Scout can feel his father's true emotions and knows Spy is relieved about his response to that suggestion. It makes it way easier reading Spy, oh now that he thinks about it. "Hey," he swiftly flies over to Spy, landing before him. "You never told me your name." Spy's face is unreadable but his emotions make it pretty clear that he feels uncomfortable about this and somewhat forced. Like he is obliged to tell him. "You don't have to, figures you haven't told anyone about your name for who knows how long." Scout says, but still, "It just weird only knowing you as Spy, you know." He shrugs.

Yes, Spy does understand and he can see the reason to why Jeremy would like to know. What kid wouldn't like the name of their parents? But... last time he told anyone his name was his superior back when he got trained to become a spy, after that, it was drilled so hard into him that he never should tell anyone his name that not even the Administrator knows his real name, the one he gave her was fake. The only person who knows is Scout's mother since his superior back at France has been dead for years. "Saying my name is not that simple." He muses softly to Scout. "I have been trained never to share it, and I probably would've forgotten it if not your mother at times called me by name."

"Haven't you told Zecora?"

"I have, but only after a long argument of how important my real name is." Spy replies adding with a gleam in his reddish eyes. "Now she refuses to call me anything else. I swear, that zebra is going to be the death of me."

Scout chuckles weakly, he feels a bit awkward feeling the love his father has for Zecora. He gets the weird sense he is intruding, but it's not like Spy can put a lit on his emotions. Just thinking about Spy without emotions makes him shudder. But back to the main topic. "So, you're going to tell me or not?" adding "it's alright if you don't want to." But both he and Spy knows that is a lie.

Why does Scout still try? He should've known that lying is impossible to another changeling. Spy sends him a look and Scout groans in defeat. "Alright, fine, it will bother me." Spy can't help but smirk amused, his son is not the only one having it easier understanding the other with this skill. He truly has gone soft, and Spy is pretty sure that's the RED side of him thinking there. "Antoine." Scout head snaps up to him, giving him a very surprised look. Spy must say that it feels weird saying his name out loud like this. "Antoine Lachance."

Antoine Lachance, that's his father's name. Well, if the accent didn't incline it already then the name sure did— hold up. "Why don't I have your last name?"

"You had in the beginning, along with another name." Antoine explains, out of habit he checks the area for unwanted ears. "But when I left to keep you safe, your mother decided to give you another name and her former ex's last name."

Hold up. Jeremy isn't even his birth name? "What is my real name?" but Spy- Antoine shakes his head, musing. "It doesn't matter anymore. Your name is Jeremy now, no need changing it back." Perhaps and yeah sure he will stick to Jeremy, but he still would like to know what other name he could've grown up with. "I still would like to know."

He figured he would, Spy sighs. "Very well, your first name was Nathan."

Scout shrugs. "Could've been worse I guess." He wouldn't have minded that name either.

"It could." Spy agrees and with; "Try not spew out my name everywhere you go." He heads back into Everfree forest. He did not see Scout roll his eyes at him, but did hear. "I know that, sheesh, freaking Spy." He allows himself to smirk of his amusement.

**

(evening)

It took some encouragement and literarily dragging the horrified Fluttershy to the library for the meeting, but Scout managed and after (quite rudely) have made a few ponies move it so she can be at the front along with the shaking yellow pegasus. The two watches the small announcement on the huge screen Twilight has put up. As it starts, Scout cannot help thinking about the small films Miss Pauling made them see every time they got located to a new base.

"Every living thing depends on the life-giving nourishment of rainwater, and it is up to Cloudsdale to provide rain-filled clouds to every corner of Equestria."

Well, that explains why other ponies speak about the pegasi when complaining about the weather, he always found that a bit weird.

"But how, one pony might ask, does Cloudsdale gather all this extra water? Tornado power!"

Wait what? They can create tornados? Awesome!

"That's right, Pegasi-driven tornado power. A team of Pegasi combine their wing power to create a jumbo tornado, powerful enough to pull water out of the local reservoir and funnel it all the way up to Cloudsdale. Remember, Pegasi, your jumbo tornado must reach a minimum of eight hundred wing power to lift that water up to Cloudsdale. So, the next time you're wondering "Where does all that extra rainwater come from?", just remem–"

Scout and several other ponies start to wonder and voice their confusions of the sudden interruption of the mini film. Looking behind, it shows that Spike accidentally has messed up the film and thus put a stop on the last section of this explanation. The purple dragon laughs sheepishly to the several staring ponies before Rainbow Dash calls for their attention. "So, here's the scoop. Cloudsdale has chosen our own highland reservoir as a source of the rainwater they need for all of Equestria."

Rainbow must've been hanging around Soldier too much, she sure is starting to get his drill sergeant tone, for some reason the greatly amuses Scout. For now, he can't stop thinking of her having a way too big helmet over her head.

"And you know what that means. It means it's up to Ponyville's Pegasi to bring that water up to Cloudsdale."

The crowd starts to chatter excitedly, except Fluttershy, she is starting to get worried. Unaware that the colt beside her senses this, all she knows that she suddenly gets one of his dark brown and tattered looking wing over her shoulder. It doesn't calm her nerves but she appreciates Scout's rare moments of showing care.

"Not only that but Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, will be here to oversee the water transfer and record our top tornado windspeed."

Sounds like this Spitfire pegasus is one of the hotshots and with the name Wonderbolt, Scout knows that Rainbow will work extra hard to prove herself and get the attention of her idols. Wish he could do the same with his baseball idols.

"Now last year, Fillydelphia broke the windspeed record with a top speed of nine hundred and ten wing power. But I think we can do better. I think we can get a top speed over a thousand!"

Yup she is definitely trying to impress the Wonderbolts, but Scout is okay with that, it sounds awesome that he and everyone else in here will create a fricking tornado! His excitement does get knocked a bit out when he feels that Fluttershy is getting more scared.

"If each and every pony trains, and trains hard to get their wing power numbers up." Rainbow tells everypony in the room, she snaps her attention to the corner of the room when hearing coughing. She frowns deeply and points at the pegasus coughing. "That coughing better be from a popcorn kernel, Thunderlane. Nopony's getting sick on my watch." Thunderlane smiles weakly as pretty much everypony stares at him. Turning away from the dark grey pegasus stallion, Rainbow Dash asks everypony "So, are we gonna train hard?"
"Yeah!" They cheer excited for this huge project.
They better for this is very important, not only because of Spitfire coming to see how they are doing but also because the water they will bring will make the rain to ready the plants for winter but also be used for the snow for the next three months. "Are we gonna be strong?" She asks them, fiercely, for she wants them to be ready for this!

"Yeah!"

"Are we gonna be fast?"

"Yeah!!"

Scout looks worried down to Fluttershy, the pale pegasus now lying trembling in fear of the pressure Rainbow unintentionally puts on everyone.

"Record-smashing fast?" Rainbow asks the bulkiest pegasus in the room and the white pegasus shouts a loud. "YEAH!" Rainbow flies up before the screen showing how much wing power they need, asking the crowd loudly "Who is with me?!" and as hoped the whole crowd cheer that they are so much with her on this one. Satisfied by this, Rainbow turns her gaze down where she saw Scout bring Fluttershy, but she only sees the half changeling looking behind the cheering crowd, probably from where a certain pale pegasus is going. Rainbow frowns deeply, but she refuses to let anypony, not even Fluttershy skip this event.

**

The next day, Rainbow Dash has gathered any pegasus living in Ponyville, and puts Soldier's, well soldier attitude to good use as he makes everypony trot a good pace around the field. Thunderlane does lack behind, and she is about to tell him to pick up the pace, but Soldier does that for her.

"I have seen snails moving faster than that cadet! Get those twinkle toes moving!!"

Thunderlane picks up the pace, much to Rainbow's satisfaction. She praises a mare pegasus for her speed and does the same to Scout who has no trouble keeping the pace. But when seeing Fluttershy missing, she calls Scout and asks him annoyed. "Where's Fluttershy?"

"Hiding under her bed." Scout replies, he would've forced her with him but his emotions detection ability made him feel the full blast of her fear and insecurity that he just couldn't make himself force her. He did try to talk with her, but after getting the story of how she got bullied for her weak flying and is so terrified it will happen again. Well, he can relate to her on that part. Scout is fast, but he is not strong and his brothers- all who has a body build like Soldier have always mocked him being the runt of the family. They only gave him a break when he proved he could get to the fight first, he has always been proud of his speed. So when mocked by his speed- it really stings. He would've liked to tell Fluttershy to find use her strength to solve her flight problem like he did with him not being physically stronger than others, but he highly doubts her ability speaking with animals can solve this problem. "She was really scared doing this, told me what happened in flight school."

Rainbow can sort of see Fluttershy reluctance, and yet she cannot for what she remembers from flight school and Fluttershy being teased hadn't been that bad. "I better talk to her, whatever she likes it or not; I'm gonna need every last of wing power I can get." and flies off to get Fluttershy.
Scout watches her fly off before he returns back to the training.

Later that day and with every pegasi gathered, Fluttershy included. Twilight sets up a fan attached to a counter. Testing it to see if it works. Two pegasi walk over to her, with the one named Cloudschaser; a pale purple with a white messy mane asks a bit confused. "What exactly does this machine do?" and Twilight is so glad she asked. "This is an anemometer. It measures your accelerative velocity and translates it into wing power, thus gauging your cumulative H2O anti-gravitational potential. Any other questions?" She asks the pegasus smiling while tapping her hooves together.
Cloudchaser's twin sister, a same colored pegasus nods, turns to Spike and asks him the same question. Much to Twilight's annoyance.

Spike puts down the paper having every ponies name on so they can keep track on everyponies wing power and translates- what he calls Twilight's nerd speech. "It tells you how fast you're flying and how strong your wings are." That the two pegasi understand.

A sudden coughing snaps Twilight out from her annoyance and asks the dark grey pegasus annoyed as he has been coughing an awful lot lately. "Is that you again, Thunderlane? Please, we need to have a germ-free environment. Don't make me fetch one of our doctor ponies." She warns him, very aware that doctor pony will be Medic. But she prefers not doing as she figures he wouldn't want to waste his magical ability on something this minor, he is a pony who likes a good challenge after all.

"It wasn't me, it was Blossomforth." Thunderlane defends himself, which is true but he has also been coughing a bit lately.
Rainbow Dash doesn't believe him though and after have called him lazy, she calls him over. Annoyed Thunderlane flies over to the starting line and flies as fast as he can past that machine of Twilight.

Twilight reads the number and tells Rainbow Dash. "We have 9.3 wing power." Everypony praises Thunderlane for his speed.

"Not bad, not bad." Rainbow must say, Thunderlane seems to have good potential after all. She flies over to the starting line after have stretched out a bit, Rainbow flies so fast past the wing power monitor that she creates a strong enough wind to blow a few ponies off their hooves and mess up Twilight's mane.

"16.5 wing power!" Twilight declares highly impressed and the other pegasi cheer.

"Now listen up!" Rainbow calls for their attention, explaining the excited crowd. "If each of you can get your numbers up to at least 10.0 wing power by the end of the week, we'll no doubt set a new tornado speed record. We'll be number one!" And the crowd takes to the sky cheering. Rainbow is so caught up in the excitement that she did not see that Fluttershy stays on the ground, so nervous and scared that she cannot make herself take flight.
Getting everypony back onto the ground, Rainbow makes them all go into a line, letting Twilight and Spike write down each pegasi wing power. Most of them lie around the 7 to 9. The only one who is up the 10 is Scout, he is fast enough to reach the 12 wingpower, but Rainbow Dash sort of expected that from her fellow speedster. And tells him she wants to see him get this speed up to her, which a challenge he gladly accepts.
Soldier joins as well, he is one of the slower flyers but Rainbow is sure he can easily train himself up to the 10. Engineer is quite slow too, but she's sure he can reach the goal as well.
Looking up, she spots her Element of Loyalty partner slacking off by napping on a cloud, well not on her watch. "No slacking off Sniper!"

The griffin tense up for a moment, only signs she did catch him off guard. Then he turns to her, giving her a slightly annoyed look over his yellow sunglasses. "Last I checked, I am not a pony."

"Don't care, you have wings so you are joining in the wing power." Rainbow tells him hard and pushes the griffin off the cloud. "Now show me what you got."

Grumbling Sniper flies down to the starting line, he flaps his wings a few times to get the blood pumping and speed off.

"9,4 wingpower." Twilight declares and Spike writes both down Sniper's name and his wing power.

"Not bad after has slacked off all day." Rainbow mocks Sniper lightly, said griffin roll his eyes and goes back to sleep; she is sure he does that just to taunt her. She can always kick him into training when done with the wing power list. Everything goes well, that until it is Fluttershy's turn. She flies so slow that she doesn't get over 1. After a small argument with Twilight, Rainbow is forced to tell her; by trying to soften the blow. "Um... great job, Fluttershy! You measured, uh, uh, .5." Fluttershy smiles, but her small hope crashes down when Spike opens his big mouth. ".5? Isn't that like... less than one?" Twilight hits him over the head to stay quiet but the damage is done. Fluttershy runs off, almost running into Heavy who happens to pass by. Rainbow Dash follows, calling her to stop, but Fluttershy doesn't so she tries another tactic
"So some punks poked a little fun at you and you got stage fright, big deal. You aren't gonna go quit just because of that, are you?" She demands but she has clearly miscalculated her fellow pegasus low self-esteem as Fluttershy stops and turns, showing heavy tears from her eyes.

"Yes!"

Taken greatly by surprise but still wanting her to be part of this, Rainbow tells her a bit desperate. "But I need you...!"

But Fluttershy just can't risk another episode like back at flight school. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, I just..." She runs away from the training grounds. "don't have the courage right now..." and heads into the forest to cry.

Quietly Heavy watches Rainbow Dash wants to follow that poor yellow pony but her duty for the other pegasi forcing her to stay. Frustrated, Rainbow kicks the ground before going back to the other pegasi, commanding them to return back to training. Heavy decides to follow Fluttershy as he does not have any duty in staying, besides, it is clear she needs someone right now.
Walking into the forest to find that yellow pegasus, Heavy notices that several of the animals are going the same direction. Knowing her strong connection to the wildlife Heavy follows them. He finds Fluttershy lying crying under a willow, surrounded by animals trying to comfort her.
A squirrel attempt in comforting her is handing her the acorn it brought.
He did not hear what she told it, only that the animals are trying to cheer her up. Walking over the stream of water, Heavy begins to hear what she is saying to her animal friends.

"I know it's important to have confidence in myse—"

A branch breaks under Heavy's hoof, revealing his approach for Fluttershy. The moment she spots him, she whimpers and covers away. Sensing her fear, the animals start to form a protective circle. Around their pony friend.
"Do not be afraid little pony." Heavy tells her as softly his deep voice will allow. He walks over to her and carefully not to step on any of her animal friends, he takes a seat beside the whimpering pony. "I will not hurt you." He blinks when a badger squeaks something at him, he has no idea what is saying but he can make a calculated guess it worries for Fluttershy. "They worry about you." Fluttershy nods slowly, still too afraid to look at him. The animals chitter while nodding as well. He does feel quite stupid but speaking with the animals is the only way to get through Fluttershy without breaking her, so he speaks to the animals. "Do you want to help little pony?" They nod and he asks them. "Can Heavy help little pony?" They hesitate and the badger makes what sounds like suspicious squeaking, followed by what sounds like laughing and pointing at something he cannot see. Is it asking if he will laugh and mock her? "I only call enemy baby, must say Heavy did think Fluttershy baby at first. She is weak, but sometimes I see strong heart." The animals all chitter in agreement that they have seen it too. A duck mother quack something, folding her wings around her ducklings. He presumes she asks him to protect Fluttershy like a mother would with her children. "Heavy will protect little shy pony." He promises the duck-mother, that job he is very good at.

Hearing this huge scary pony not only speaking with her animal friends but promising them he will protect her, Fluttershy is so touched by this that she finds the courage to meet his eyes. She does flinch when he meets hers with his strong and quite scary gaze. "If little pony let Heavy." She meets his grey eyes again, hesitates but does nod that she would like that. He nods in returns, the animals cheer and the birds encourage her to speak with him. Fluttershy is not sure what they should speak about, though. Maybe she can start with this: "Thank you."

"It no problem." Heavy brushes it off, glancing at his back and sees the tickle he felt comes from two squirrels has decided to take a ride on him. He lets them, even letting one of the squirrels crawl onto his head. It's not often he can get this close to critters like this without scaring them off, he hasn't told anyone but Medic that he really like small animals. A small giggle makes him turn his eyes back to Fluttershy, it is good to see she is less afraid of him. Pretty sure it's thanks to the animals now climbing on him. He lifts his hoof and bird lands on it. "What trouble you?"

Seeing her animal friends showing no fear towards this scary looking pony, Fluttershy decides to tell him about her fear of getting laughed at and how she has never been a strong flyer. She did dread he would start laughing at her, but all he does is listing and at times asking for details.
When finishing explaining her fears, Heavy says much to her surprise. "I do not believe you are bad flyer." She is about to argue, but the badger stops her and reminds her of the time it almost drowned when the river swelled and flooded its burrow. "Yes, I remember. You were really scared." It reminds her words to it during that episode. She nods to it that she remembers. "...Yes, I did tell you to never give up... and to believe in yourself."

"Little pony is strong when time call." Heavy says he has seen her do incredible things when the situation calls for it.

"You're right." Fluttershy nods, finding confident in her own abilities. "I shouldn't give up. I will get my confidence up and show everypony that I am a good flyer!" She takes to the sky, flying above the willow. "A great flyer!"

Heavy and the animals watches her from the ground, Heavy smiles seeing her getting a bit out from that shell. Now it is time to show others that Fluttershy has the heart of a mother bear and he will help her all the way.

Author's Note

Fluttershy may not be my favorite of the Mane six, but I know the pain of being bullied and not feel as strong as you would like. good thing Heavy is there to help her out.
oh and some father and son time between Scout and Spy.

Strength by each step

Note: This happens right after the former chapter.
part 2 and made from the episode "Hurricane Fluttershy"

Along with the animals, Heavy began to train Fluttershy better her flight and fear of a judging crowd. It took a lot out of Fluttershy, many times she would break down in tears and Heavy had to give her several supporting words before they could return back to training.
Over time she slowly began to ignore the pony masks there would remind her of the crowd and focus on getting faster. Heavy would train her with the speed by running at her side. At first, he was the fastest, but as days passed by, she began to pass him and at week's end, she left him in the dust, even though all his running has made him a bit faster too.

Now way more confident in her flight, Fluttershy flies over a field filled with dandelions, easily blowing their white seeds off. Her animal friends and Heavy cheer on her from the ground. Certain she can join the others in the tornado now. Fluttershy lands back on the ground, looking up to Heavy there asks her with his rumbling, but no longer scary for her voice. "You ready?" She nods confident and they head back to the training field.
There, she steps over to the starting line, does freezes up a bit when everypony look at her.
"Believe in strength." Heavy reminds her, she nods, takes a deep breathe and takes off, flying as fast as she can.
When landing, she sees the anemometer's number and is horrified. "2,5? That has to be some kind of mistake! I worked so hard!" She exclaims tearfully that even with all that training, she did not get up to ten.

"Fluttershy, that's a huge improvement!" Twilight praises her, it may not be 10, but she sure has gotten better over the week.
Rainbow Dash flies over and pat Fluttershy on the back. "You did awesome, Fluttershy."

"No, I didn't." Fluttershy objects, after all this training... it was all for nothing. "I thought I'd gotten over my nerves, but they still got the best of me!" She backs away, feeling utterly humiliated by this huge failure on her part. "There's no way I'll fly with 10.0 wing power tomorrow!"

"So you won't fly with 10.0 wing power. Every bit counts!" Rainbow objects back, right now all she cares about that Fluttershy joins them and perhaps gets her confidence up. But that is not how Fluttershy feels about this as she asks her hard:

"How would you feel if everypony else was flying with 10.0 wing power and you were flying with 2.5?"

Rainbow has no words for this, she didn't think it like that, less so when she is the fastest flyer in Ponyville. "Well, uh... I'd feel... um... "

"Exactly! Humiliated!" Fluttershy exclaims between her sobs, she leaves the training ground. Along with her animal friends. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, I just can't do it!"

Heavy quietly follows her as well, sad that she cannot see that she has improved. Just not as far she thought.
He follows her back to her cottage, where he knocks carefully onto her door.
"Please... just go away..." He hears her sobs from inside. But like when Medic is in a bad mood but needs company, Heavy stays where he is, waiting for Fluttershy to be ready for him. And he can wait all day if that's what it takes. He does wait for about an hour, and when she opens the door, she finds him having all her pet birds nesting on him. Fluttershy has to cover her mouth not to laugh at what Heavy guess must be a funny sight of a big scary pony having a bunch of small birds sitting on him. Gently shaking the birds off. "You ready for talk?" He asks.
Fluttershy lets him inside.

"You didn't have to stay out there all this time."

"No, but I want to help."

"So... um, why didn't you knock again?" Fluttershy asks him a bit confused, before asking unsure. "Do- Do you drink tea?"

He nods he does and while she is making tea, Heavy explains why he didn't knock again. "Medic do not like when others force into his room without his say so. So when I feel he need talk but not aware himself, I wait until he do." He eyes the yellow pegasus, musing."You are same way."

She doesn't know how to respond on that. So all she does is giving him the tea, Heavy thanks her and extremely carefully holding the small cup in his large hooves, he starts to drink the tea. After several minutes of silence, Fluttershy says weakly. "You sound close to Medic."

"I am." Heavy replies without a second thought.

"How long have you been friends?"

Heavy opens his mouth to answer, but has to stop himself to think how long it was before they started to trust one another as friends would? Well, they are friends, and yet they are not. He trusts Josef with his life, and the doctor trusts the same with him. It's not entirely friendship it's more... the trust- the partnership a couple has to one another. Yes, they love each other, and yet even though they both know it and no matter how much they want it. They have never taken their relationship to the point they want because of the world they live in does not allow men like them. Their relationship is complicated that's for sure, and he wishes it could be simple but fear for what others do not understand is a dangerous thing, they both know that from hard experience. "Few years." Heavy replies slowly. He and Josef did not speak the first time they met on the team. Like anyone else, no one felt right that they had to work side by side of people there once were the enemy. He and Medic felt the same, but unlike him and Soldier there spend the first year killing one another before settling their differences. Medic did his best not to start a fight. In fact, they avoided each other in the start, only began talking when they realized they could do the most damage to the other team when working together. Not long after that, Medic asked him if he would allow operating the ubercharge implant into him. Heavy must admit that they were far from being friends there, but it was the starting point where they would begin to speak with one another and slowly form this deep-rooted trust they now have. "Slow building, and hard many times. Our country are enemies, we should be enemies."

"Why?" Fluttershy asks confused of what Heavy has told her.

"It is very long story." Heavy muses and he does not think he can explain it properly about the anger and vengeance Russia feels towards Germany nor what Germany did to Russia to earn such anger. "Maybe doctor can tell you. Might not, past very hard on him." He has lost count of how many times Medic has lost sleep thanks to his nightmares. It's such a relief that the nightmares have stopped, the improvement on Josef mood is quite something, it's good to see him so relaxed.

Fluttershy can relate to that. "I understand." Taking a sip of her own tea, Fluttershy feels she has to say this. "I'm sorry, all the work you did to help me... and it was all for nothing."

"No."

Fluttershy blinks, she meets Heavy's eyes, the huge pony gives her a firm look. "Little pony step is small and slow." He empties his cup, remarking. "You set goal too far. Someday you reach it, but not today, not tomorrow but one day in future."
It takes a moment for Fluttershy to realize that his harsh words do have a lot of kindness in them, an encouragement that if she keeps trying, she will reach her goal. In other words: "Baby steps."

Heavy smiles amused on how they are using his former insults on others as an encouragement. "Baby steps." Fluttershy is kinda like a baby at the moment, but like any baby, she will grow up with each step she takes.

"Thank you Heavy."

"It no problem." Heavy turns his gaze to the outside of the window, watching a few birds flying past and he thinks that even though she won't have the strength or courage: "We should go and watch tornado tomorrow."

Fluttershy squirms of the mere thought. "But—"

"Little pony does not fly if you do not want. Still good go and be there for comrades."

... She can see a point in his words. "You're right, I might not be able to help... but," She pets Angel over the head, silently thanking the rabbit for his own support towards her. "I can at least offer Rainbow and the others moral support." Heavy nods in agreement.

***

The next day, Heavy and Fluttershy head toward the reservoir where the tornado soon will be created. On the way they encounter Medic.
Heavy blinks when noticing that the doctor is trotting around as if he's dealing with something tedious and that often puts him in a bad mood. "Doctor!" He calls, getting the light grey unicorn's attention, he heads over to Medic, asking him. "What is wrong?"

Correcting his glasses from running around for one stupid book about this pony sickness the hospital currently is dealing with— which has been a pain in the neck by the way. "Eight pegasi are currently dealing with a Feather Flu— it's like a nasty flu but only pegasi can get it." Medic explains Heavy, checking the medical book he has been reading none stop to get a proper grasp on this pony sickness. "It is very contagious towards pegasi, and with Ponyville's whole pegasi population gathered in one place, it wouldn't surprise me if the whole hospital got flooded with the Feather flu... lucky me."

"Sounds annoying." Heavy remarks, for Medic does not look the least interested in this pony sickness as he has with other things in this world.

"Oh, you have no idea, mein freund." Medic sighs loudly, the only good thing he gets out from this is that all the sick ponies sleep most of the time but: "Their coughing is driving me off the wall! So I am trying to find- and learn a spell to fix that." He did highly consider replacing their lungs but he did promise pretty much everyone that he wouldn't do such things while being here. Besides, doing magic is quite fun too, so he can deal. "But aside from my eventful day. How is your day going?" He asks, and before either can reply, Medic asks Fluttershy. "Have you tried out the bird seeds I suggested?"

Fluttershy nods. "Yes, they like it much better than what I gave them before." But before they get too deep into that subject, she asks about the sick pegasi, for if eight of them are sick then. "Will the rest be able to make the tornado?"

That is a good question, Medic has heard about the tornado to give the factory of Cloudsdale the water it needs to make rain from the local ponies- especially from Scout. "Hm, let me see. With eight ponies lacking, and if all of them has 10 wing power, giving the remaining speed from the others.... nein, they wouldn't make it." He replies the yellow pegasus. Much to her horror.
"That's terrible!" She gasps.
Heavy takes a step toward Medic, asking. "What if team with wings join?"
"Soldier is one of those struck by the Feather Flu- had to knock him out when he tried to leave. But with the three others... " Again after some calculation, Medic replies. "They might, but only if they all fly as if they got chased by the Horseless Headless Horseman." Heavy nods while Fluttershy gives him an utterly confused look of what he spoke about. "Long story frauline Fluttershy." Medic says and adds to both. "I have to leave you for now, those pegasi won't get quiet on their own." and trots back to the hospital so he can use this new spell to give both him and the other medical ponies some peace and quiet from all that irritating coughing.

Heavy and Fluttershy eye one another and without a word, they hurry over to the reservoir. They arrive and Fluttershy has to use Heavy as a wall just not to get blown away by the heavy wind created by the tornado. Heavy is fortunately only mildly struggling against the strong wind, getting them both slow but steady over to where Twilight and Spike are.

Noticing their yellow pegasus clinging to Heavy's left hoof for dear life, Twilight calls. "Fluttershy! What are you doing here?!" She asks through the roaring wind of the tornado.

"If I couldn't help Rainbow Dash with the tornado... the least I could do was offer moral support!" Fluttershy replies back, she too has to shout just to get her voice through the roaring wind. She and Heavy reaches the way bigger anemometer, only there Fluttershy lets go of Heavy's strong leg and instead clings to the machine.
Heavy, struggling but standing firm on the ground tells Twilight what Medic told them. Twilight nods their doctor pony got that right. "It will be hard but Rainbow Dash went through it! Cloudsdale need that water!"
The three watches the tornado getting stronger, slowly the water starts raising but then, something went wrong and the pegasi making the tornado get flung out and the water splashes right back down into the reservoir. Rainbow crashes not far from them but has still so much speed that she gets flung off the ground and ends head-first into the nearby tree.

Scout, Engineer, and many other pegasi crash into the water and Sniper rolls a few times over the ground, unlike the ponies he recovers in mid-roll and lands somewhat gracefully on the ground. Startled and relieved he only ended with some bruises he sure gonna feel tomorrow from the crash. Sniper looks around to check on the rest and spots Rainbow limping lightly out from the small glade of trees. "You alright there Dasher?" He calls.

"I'm fine." She replies, limping past Twilight there says in a sad tone. "Oh, you were so close to the eight hundred wing power minimum! I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash..." But Rainbow Dash refuses to let this stop them. Ignoring the pain in her left front hoof, she says determent. "We've got to try again!" and takes to the sky, but Twilight stops her by her magic, telling her hard "But you've pushed your crew to their limit already!" Forcing the pegasus down to the ground and points at the others. "If you break apart again, somepony could get really hurt! You should quit, it's not safe!" First there Rainbow sees that most of them are exhausted and several of the other pegasi got bumps and bruises from the crash. Engineer, who seems to have lost some of his wing feathers is currently helping ponies up from the water, Scout shakes the water off himself but his dark pelt cannot hide the large bruise on his leg he got from crashing into the water in such a high speed.
Sniper, one of the few more or less fine turns to her, giving her a serious look she thinks is him telling her that they might not get off this lucky if they break the tornado again. Is he asking her to quit? "No!" She shouts out loud, both to Sniper and Twilight suggesting they should give up after this. "One more time! I've gotta know we gave it our all!" She tells them both hard, she refuses to give up after a defeat. It is not in her nature! "If I'm going down, I'm going down flying!" and she takes to the sky, calling for everyone again "Come on, ponies, let's make this happen!"
The ponies, although battered and bruises are encouraged by her. Rainbow eyes Sniper and smiles seeing him giving her an encouraging smirk, the sign he is with her. She expects nothing less from her partner of the Element of Loyalty. Spike blows the horn once again and everypony again starts to form the tornado, this time Rainbow refuses to let them crash, for if that happens, it will be over. The look from Sniper sure indicated to that. She commands every flyer to stay in position, to flap their wings faster, not to give up even though they are exhausted.

"Seven hundred and fifty wing power!" Twilight calls through the roaring wind.

Spike, using Heavy as the shield against the strong wind tells everyone worried. "They fell apart right after this!" Heavy, standing firm as ever narrow slightly his eyes while watching the pegasi struggling to keep the tornado going.
He does break his intense gaze with the tornado when he hears Fluttershy cry somewhat scared. "Oh, I'm too nervous to look!" He must admit he too is a bit nervous. This is very unlike the war games, those battles did have little meaning other than getting paid, but this tornado— like when he got his family out from the gulag, this is incredibly important. Something that needs to succeed.

"Seven ninety-five! We are so close!" Twilight says and calls to the yellow pegasus covering her eyes from the nerves. "Fluttershy, they need you up there!"

But what can a weak flyer like her do? "I won't make a difference! My measly 2.5 wing power is not enough...!" Fluttershy cries fearfully. Twilight steps over to her, telling her through the roaring wind. "You can make a difference!"

"Fluttershy."

Fluttershy opens her eyes and turns to Heavy, he keeps his grey eyes firmly locked with her scared blue. "You is no baby. Remember, you is strong when time call for it." She stares at him for several seconds, she wants to deny it, but she knows he is right. Gulping she nods and takes the goggles Twilight is offering her. Before going over, she asks Heavy scared through the roaring wind. "But what I fail?!"

"You get up and try again." Heavy replies with only slightly louder voice, and with that he nods towards the roaring tornado.

Scared out her mind, Fluttershy still heads over to the tornado. She hesitating puts her hoof inside and yelps when she gets sucked into the vortex. She gets flung around a few times but does get a hold on herself and starts flying in formation along with the others. She gets beside Rainbow and Sniper, Rainbow gives her a happy smile while the griffin simply smiles encouragingly and also regretfully to her. Fluttershy returns it with her own that she forgives him for attacking her. She now knows that he wasn't himself when that happened. They nod to one another and all three fly as fast as they can. She isn't really bothered by Sniper, Rainbow and Scout passing her, Fluttershy knows they are way faster than she'll ever be. But when other ponies start to pass her with ease, she presses herself to fly faster but can't.
Fearfully Fluttershy starts hearing the foals back at flight school taunting her inability to fly, like any other time when hearing them, she starts to panic. But then, she remembers everypony there has been supporting her. "NO!" She screams, refusing to let her bullies get the better of her, let her true friends' support be for nothing! She pushes herself harder than ever, passing the other ponies, although she did not notice it. All her mind is set on is proving her bullies that she is not weak and she fly!
She did not notice that when she proved she could fly faster, it encouraged the others to press past their limit and that made the tornado reach the 800 wing power needed.

A huge geyser of water burst out from the tornado, arching and landing right into Cloudsdale factory. Heavy steer, roaring out a victorious battle cry of this huge victory for the pegasi and especially of the team's shy yellow pony.
Twilight and Spike hold each other's claw and hoof, jumping up and down in this grand victory. "She did it! They did it!"
and with the last drop of water send to Cloudsdale, Spike blows the horn, signaling the pegasi that the job is done. The tornado steady disappears as the tired but very proud pegasi break away from the formation, all cheering of this huge victory.
Looking up, Derpy notices the pony causing this victory and starts stomping her hooves onto the ground as an applause, the other pegasi swiftly follow suit, cheering for Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash flies up and stops the still flying around yellow pony, stopping her with a cloud. "Whoa, girl, take it easy." She grins to her friend not realizing that it is over.

"Whuh, what? Did we do it?" Fluttershy asks confused and exhausted. She is quite caught off guard when Rainbow hugs her, telling her grinning. "Yeah, we did it! You did it!" and encourage her to slap their wings together, Fluttershy does, very happy she did it. But that smile does quickly drop when she and Rainbow land onto the ground, did for a moment fear getting bullied again when one of her former tormentor in form of Flitter says. "Great job, Fluttershy, that was awesome!" and her twin sister adds beaming. "Yeah, we couldn't have done it without you." Fluttershy smiles weakly at the praise, never expected this. And not at all when Rainbow says after Spitfire from the Wonderbolts has praised her for her guts. "Thanks, but if you wanna talk guts, then you've gotta give it to my number one flyer, Fluttershy!" Fluttershy waves weakly to the Wonderbolt, to then freeze up and fear the worst when Rainbow calls out to everypony. "Let's hear it for Fluttershy!" She finds herself getting thrown up and down by a crowd of ponies. It takes her a second to hear that they aren't mocking her.

"Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can really fly!"

They are praising her! Fluttershy heart beam of the greatest praise she has ever gotten in her life. She may not be the best flyer but it seems even a little can make a huge difference.
After the other pegasi have let her down, Fluttershy walks over to the pony there taught her of this inner strength. She smiles up at him and Heavy returns it while offering her his hoof. She puts her own onto his, blinks when a light emerges from her and when it fades, a silver necklace is around his neck, having a pink crystal in form of what she guess is a fisted dragon claw. Fluttershy can't stop smiling at this and she is very happy and proud that this kind yet tough pony has been chosen as her partner.

***

With the day's ending and everyone heading back home for a good night rest, Heavy does not return to the library just yet, instead he heads over to the hospital and when spotting the turned human he is looking for. "Doctor." he calls, getting Medic's attention. "Let us go for walk."

Medic smiles and follows Heavy away from the closing hospital, noticing the object around the big horse's neck and can make a good guess who Heavy has become the partner for. "I figured you would get the Element of Kindness." He remarks and is sort of happy Heavy got that particular element. Behind that tough exterior is an extremely kind man, one Medic has seen many times over the years.

Heavy smiles widely. "Yes, others say they feel bond with their partner."

"So the moment you felt it around Fluttershy, you knew." Medic smirks back.

Heavy nods and tells Medic simply. "She need protection, like you doctor." Medic laughs, but Heavy do catch the hint of bitterness in his tone. Heavy can't help but smile of this. "Do not worry." He nuzzles Medic lightly and swiftly, not daring to show his true feelings out in the open for too long. "I still belong to you."
Medic smirks up at him, replaced with a softer one as the light grey unicorn says knowingly. "Like I belong to you mein liepe." Before changing the subject as Heavy is not the only one a bit fearful what will happen if anyone finds out about their true relationship. So he starts complaining about the sick ponies he had to deal with. Heavy of course listen with very few words but does chuckles once and a while from this doctor's ranting.

Author's Note

I figure much of Heavy's inner thoughts is clearing up why neither he or Medic has shown much of their relationship. I had the very start thought of making them a couple.
to be honest, I am not sure how they will tell this to the rest of the team. they live in a time where homosexuality is seen as something very wrong, that it is some kind of sickness. if you have any idea how they can reveal this, do tell.

Race of Fairness

Note: This happens three weeks after the last chapter. made from the episode "Fall Weather Friends"

What started out as a simple competition between Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned into a full-blown show for the residents in Ponyville. Even the mercenaries have fun watching the two ponies compete who is the best in whatever they challenged each other in doing.
Sniper and Demo even have a bit of fun discussing which one of their partners will win each competition.
Some of them were pretty easy, while others a bit tricky. The catching the bull (who is Spike) with a rope competition is an easy one.

"Applejack, no question about it." Demo laughs and takes a slurp of his cider. Sniper might not have been here as long as Demo, but he has seen Applejack skills with a lasso so he does not argue Rainbow is better, in fact; "Dasher has no chance." He agrees. And so right they are. Applejack easily gets the bull (Spike) while Rainbow ends up catching herself up in a tree. Much to the two turned humans great amusement.
After they have gotten Rainbow down, the competition of who can buck a ball up and down longest begins. Here the two are bit in doubt.
"Applejack is good at bucking trees." Demo muses, eyeing Sniper when he makes a good argument. "Doesn't matter how strong you are, it takes coordination."
"So, which one?" Demo asks but Sniper doesn't know and shrugs, musing. "Dasher is very competitive so it wouldn't surprise me if she has practiced this just for the hell of it." and Demo must say that Applejack might be good at this for he has seen her throw a lot of apples with great coordination.
It turns out that Rainbow won this one, and the two turned humans discuss a bit back and forward about what made Rainbow the winner before turning their attention back to the next competition which is throwing hay bale the furthest. Again they were both bit in doubt since both mares are rather strong. But Sniper forgot a bit about their discussion when he notices that Rainbow is starting to get rude towards Applejack. Maybe it's because she spent a lot of time around him, maybe the element they share has created some unseen connection to make him see her in a clearer way. Whatever it is, he has learned to read her incredibly well and know that Rainbow Dash can quickly let things get to her head and that can make her really rude and a pain in the ass fast. He did calm a bit down when Rainbow did not show further signs of bad behavior as the competitions went on and more and more ponies come to watch.
But then, at the push-up competition. Sniper sees that the crowds cheering has finally gotten to her head of being so determent to win that she starts cheating by using her wings. He narrows his eyes seeing that, but do let it slide this time.
However when she does it again under the long distance jump competition. Sniper decides to step in.
He excuses himself from Demo's company, walks over to the smiling Rainbow Dash over this petty victory and without a warning, he hits her hard over the head.

Rainbow cries in pain from the sudden hit, looking up her eyes meet a glaring Sniper. Annoyed she demands him while flying. "Hey, what was that for?!" She does land when he points angrily at her. "You know the bloody hell what that was for." He sneers down to her, the feathers on his neck have raised, making him look pretty scary. "Did you forget what I told you when those two show ponies cheated?" Rainbow crosses her hooves, annoyed but also a little embarrassed as she has been cheating. "'Do it right or don't do it at all...'"

"So why are you cheating?" Sniper demands her, not one bit impressed when she makes the petty argument: "She never said I couldn't use my wings!" He snorts loudly, nodding towards where Applejack is watching with a frown. "Because she expected you to play fair! Are your head really that far up in the cloud that you cannot see when someone doesn't have bloody wings!" He grabs one of her wings, pulling it hard enough that it hurt just a bit. "Get your head straight this instant Rainbow Dash or I swear I will make sure you won't be able to use your wings for a month."

Rainbow gulps, like Sniper has with her, she is starting to see the subtle hints and have gotten better to read him. That lets her know when he is serious about something. This is one of the times were his threats aren't empty air. She really must've ruffled his feathers with her small cheating, it's clear he does not like cheaters. But she wants to win so much! She hates losing, but she doesn't want to push Sniper's buttons either. "Alright, fine." She grumbles and returns back to the competitions, annoyed that Sniper is watching her sharply, daring her to cheat again. She is very close in doing it more than once when Applejack starts to win more than her.
At the final competition, which is a Tug of War. When Applejack is right about to pull her into the mud pole, it gets too much and Rainbow Dash uses her wings and flies above the mud, pulling Applejack above the mud pole with ease.

"That's not fair." Applejack says through the rope she is stubbornly holding. "You can't use your wings to help you win."

Completely ignoring this is cheating because she is- in her head wining, Rainbow pretends she cannot hear what Applejack is saying.

"You're cheating!" Applejack says angrily, she did not see that the other bearer of Loyalty is getting up from his lying spot, like her, eyes flaring of what Rainbow is doing.

If Rainbow has been looking, then she would've perhaps realized that she has stepped over the line. But she did not because her mind is drunk on being the one winning and did the fatal mistake in keep on pretending she cannot hear what Applejack is saying. To her great amusement, Applejack lets go of the robe. "I said... uh-oh," realizing she let go, Applejack drops into the mud. Rainbow cheers along with the crowd and flies over to put the number on the counter. But stops when Sniper lands on the counter board, not even his sunglasses can cover the fury there is in his eyes. Fluttershy, who has been the one keeping count does the smart thing by getting the heck away. Rainbow does not, she is too caught up in she won this competition and thus the winner of who is the Iron Pony. "Did you see that? I won!" He keeps glaring at her but again she does not notice. "I am the Iron Pony! Oh yeah, I always—" she never got the chance in finishing her boast, for the next moment she gets thrown to the ground, staring scared up to a growling and now predator looking Sniper.

"You just had to push it"

Rainbow's eyes wide, realizing her mistake. "Sniper, I— argh!" She cries when he lashes his right claw right over her wing, leaving three scratch mark over them. She tries to get away from the enraged griffin, but he keeps her firmly in place by standing on her tail. He lifts his claws again but before he can scratch the other wing, red magic surrounds him and Demo throws him off her.

"That's enough Sniper!" Demo shouts and Soldier forces the greatly pissed griffin down. "You made your point." Everyone are super quiet and many of them, including the rainbow-haired mare have gotten quite scared of their griffin residence.

"I'm sorry..." Rainbow apologizes, holding her slightly bleeding wing. She is scared of him, but she feels like she deserved this for he did warn her if she cheated again. She winches away when Sniper manages to get free from Soldier's grasp, but instead of attacking her as she thought he would. He gives her an angry, but also very hurt glare, something that makes Rainbow heart break. He flees from the scene after that.
Rainbow only notices she has her hoof reached out after him when Applejack is beside her, musing. "He was the last I thought who would react this way... you alright there Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow nods slowly. "Yeah... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cheated."

No, she shouldn't Applejack agrees on that, but she doesn't go around and leave scratch marks over somepony's wings for it. She voices this to Rainbow, helps her up with. "Better let Medic see you." And brings her over to where Medic is. The doctor pony quickly removes the scratch marks over Rainbow Dash's wing but is far from troubled by Sniper's behavior. Much to Applejack's confusions. "You don't see anything- well, wrong of how Sniper hurt Rainbow?"

"Of course not." Medic brushes her off. In fact, that measly scratch mark is nothing compared to what Sniper has done to Soldier and Spy when they decided to piss him off. "It's just how he is." And walks off along with Heavy.

Applejack stare dumbfounded after the doctor pony, then turns to Rainbow Dash. "Well, perhaps it's best you give him some space. I mean, I am peached you cheated, but his reaction was overkill!" Rainbow lowers her head slightly, Applejack claps her back friendly. "Anyway, and sorry to say this Rainbow Dash, but if we disqualify the two competitions where you cheated; I win."

That snaps Rainbow Dash out from her gloom about Sniper and is right back into her competitive mode and thus her rude egotistic behavior. "No way! I won the Iron pony competition, you are just a sour apple because you couldn't beat me. And even if I haven't used my wings, I would've still won."

Applejack snorts for that's just too amusing. "I doubt it, but if you really up to the task losing fair and square. I challenge you to a race in Running of the Leaves."

A challenge Rainbow is more than happy to accept, in fact, she is not worried she will lose. "Heh! Easy shmeasy." She laughs flies off but gets flung back to the ground by Applejack pulling her tail.
"Hold on!" The orange mare says, keeping her to the ground by stepping on her tail like Sniper did. "There is one condition: the point is to run, so no wings allowed. "Rainbow easily throws her off, smirking. "No problem." They spit in their hooves and shake that the challenge is accepted. Rainbow blows a strawberry at the orange earth pony, easing the tension slightly with them both laughing but not enough to make tomorrow's race just for fun. For Rainbow, this is serious.

At a distance, Demo is watching the two mares gearing each up for tomorrow's race and is starting to get the feeling that those two will be so caught up in the race and winning that he won't be surprised if they end up fighting. Their competitive behavior does remind him of the War Games when both teams are at a draw and they have only one match to beat the other and escapes the humility round. Those matches were always the most brutal and were the worst in them often came out, well almost everyone. Now that Demo thinks about it, he does recall from both RED and BLU memories that Sniper always refused to leave his nest in those matches, stubbornly sticking to his role as a supporting class instead of going all homicide as the others had a tendency of doing. Sniper only goes out in the field with his bow and arrow and lets a bit loose if the field allows him, otherwise he refuses to go all bloodthirsty. Sure Sniper can be such an asshole with his insults when he dominates the area he stays in, but that is always from the scope, never the knife. It makes Demo wonders if that is what made Sniper snap like this? Because Rainbow broke the rules? The hell is he knows, Sniper never talks to anyone. Well, maybe it is time he does it, for he doubts Rainbow Dash or Applejack will even listen to him with them drunk on competition.
Finding Sniper has always been a pain in the ass, it's a wonder that someone who doesn't have an invisibility watch can disappear just as well as Spy. Pretty sure that the only times he knows Sniper location was always after he got killed by him. Sure hope it won't be the case here.
Demo looks up to the many clouds covering the sky, but sees no griffin on any of them, checking the roofs of Ponyville, no griffin there either. "Where are you, you overgrown turkey?" He wonders out loud.

"I'm no bloody turkey."

Ah, there he is. Demo didn't find him, but still better than nothing he guess. Turning around, he finds... nothing. Looking up, he spots Sniper sulking up in the nearby tree, walking over. "Do you prefer kitty-cat then?" He asks Sniper with a grin. Sniper grumbles annoyed of the tease, "What do you want?" he asks. Getting right to the case, as always. No reason beating around the bush anyway. "What made you lash out on Rainbow?" Demo asks, he gets no answer, no big surprise there; this is Sniper he is talking to. "It looked like it was something there has been ruffling you up for a long time. If it is, then could you attack one from the team instead? We are used to be someone else's punching bag." Sniper's tail flicker, a sign he hit a nerve. How Demo has no idea. "We're all dealing with some shit, hell the whole split soul business is a clear indication. Yeah, I get you have some issues, but at least attack someone who doesn't get scared shitless when you reaches the breaking point."

"I don't care who it was. It is not professional to lash out over something this bloody small." Sniper grumbles, he shoots the surprised one-eyed pony a glare. "I have no right attacking someone who I'm not contracted to kill and those I am paid to kill should get a clean dead."

Holy crap, he got Sniper talking! This must be affecting Sniper really badly or Demo must be really drunk and just pretending he is having a real talk with Sniper. Whatever it is, Demo takes it. "Mind enlighten me what made you snap?" Sniper turns his back to him, for a painfully long time he is quiet. Then, just as Demo is about to give up and leave. The griffin speaks. "You remember how you all mocked me for not being a real Austrailian?" Demo blinks, yeah, he remembers. They all thought he would be some Heavy sized man with a big mustache and mannerism like Saxton Hale. Boy, did they get the surprise and laugh when this lanky man walked into the base, claiming to be their sniper. The accent made it clear he was an Aussie, but everything else, well Demo must say that he do feel a bit embarrassed how much he laughed along with the rest that they got a quiet runt of an Australian on the team. "Yeah, I remember. Must say you took it rather well." Demo remarks, remembering that Sniper brushed it off, like... oh. "You were used to it." He realizes.

"Yeah, been mocked about it all my life." Sniper replies mournfully of all those memories of being bullied that he is not what people think when they think of an Aussie. His eyes harden. "You wanna know how a 'true' Australian fixes their problems? They punch it until it's no longer there. Car's not working, punch it. Disagreement with your friend, punch him until he agrees. Random person in the way, punch them out of the way. There is no talking past those people, no fair play. If an Australium pumped Aussie does not win a race. They will beat the winner to a pulp and claim they won while their hands are still wet from that poor bloke's blood."

So that's why Sniper always gets so pissed when someone starts to cut corners; because it reminds him of the people he has been dealing with ever since he was just a boy. "Is that's why you try so bloody hard do it right?"

"My dad always told me to do the job honest and correct." Sniper sighs, he and his old man might not agree on his choice of job, but he owes that stubborn old geezer a lot. His father taught him to use his brain instead of his fists—and how to swear up a storm. His old man has one hell of a mouth when he gets angry, something his son picked up. And his mother. "Mum taught me to be polite. It skips a few times when I get pissed or drugged on domination, but I try."

Oh yes, Sniper tries to be the polite bushman. And sure Sniper can be such an asshole, most of the time it happens if the person has been dumb enough to piss him off, but as Sniper said, he can say some nasty things when geared up when dominating a certain area– then again, they all get like that when on a killing spree. Sniper's parents sound like two people loving their son, and watching the turned Aussie, he can see and hear the pride, yet sadness in his tone when talking about his folks. "How is your relationship with them?"

"Complicated, they don't like my job." Sniper shrugs. And thinking about it, he does sort of understand. Dad was part of the First World War and still dealing trauma from it. That's probably why dad really dislike him being an assassin, because it reminds him of the war. Sniper never joined in the second war like the rest, he spent most of his time in the bush and took a few jobs killing people. He only saw war when he joined RED, although Sniper won't call the War Games a real war: people don't come back in a real war. Eyeing the one-eyed pony at the base of the tree. "What about you? What shit do you deal with?"

"Besides being a bloody drunkard?" Demo grins up to him and do sees it fair that he share bit of his backstory with Sniper after the sharpshooter did it with him. Demo takes a seat at the base of the tree. "Well, I think it all started when my adoptive parents brought me out to test my explosive skills—" He tells Sniper that he accidentally killed his loving adoptive parents– the cause for his self-anger which only strengthens when his real parents never were as loving as those he killed. "Don’t get me wrong;" he glances up to the listening griffin. "I love my mom, but she can be so overbearing on how stuck she is in my family demolition tradition. When I lost my eye, my parents weren't horrified, instead they were so proud when they thought I lost it during my explosive practice."

"But you told us you lost it to that crazy wizard." Sniper says, quite surprised how Demo's parents reacted to their son lost an eye. If it has been his parents, his mother would bring him to a hospital no matter what he said and his father lecture him for weeks for being that foolhardy before helping him out how to live with it.

"I did, and when my folks heard that." Demo chuckles humorlessly. "They put me under house arrest for a month."

"Cricky." Sniper muses, glad that he only has a sort of normal family issue with his parents.

"Yeah, anyway" Demo gets back on his hooves, thinking now it's time to speak business. "I really came to find you so I could speak about our element partners."

Sniper is already fearing the worst. "Still at that bloody competition on who is best?"

Demo nods. "Yup, Applejack challenged Rainbow to the race tomorrow. I will try and speak with Applejack that they are starting to take this too far but I doubt it will make any chance." He muses, as he too has learned a lot about his partner in his time here, one of them is that Applejack is one stubborn girl.

"Yeah, Rainbow has a tendency pushing people past their limit." Most of the times she does it for the betterment and passing the limit to those she is pushing forward. Fluttershy is a good example, but the moment her ego gets into the mix. Well, someone is going to get hurt.
Sniper changes position on the branch he is lying on. "And this time it's for her own ego."

Demo nods, Applejack is an honest pony, trying her best playing fair, but she does kick strongly back when pushed as Rainbow now does. "I was thinking the two of us should show them how a healthy competition should look like." Sniper raises a brow, Demo chuckles in agreement to Sniper thoughts. "Weird I know. A drunken mercenary and rugged assassin showing two ponies how to do a—"

"No, no I think you're right." Sniper jumps down from the tree, this might be what he needs to get through Rainbow's thick head. "Words doesn't work on Rainbow when she's like this. She has to get the lesson thrown hard against her head."

"And Applejack, although stubborn in her way will snap out from it when she realizes she is going too far." Demo says, agreeing that being those two mares partners might teach them how to work together. Grinning Demo offers Sniper his hoof. "So, ready for a fair and square competition tomorrow?"

Sniper first-bumps it with a grin over his beak as well. "Yeah, loser buy the other guy a drink."

"Deal."

***

The next day at the race and ignoring Pinkie playing the announcer. Demo and Sniper- both pumped but doing their best not letting this competition get to their heads like their partners.
They get their number to the race and head over to the starting line. When Demo starts having a flirting chat with one of the ponies, Sniper rolls his eyes and leaves. He does pass Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both trying to keep their cool but fails as they just can't stop taunting one another. He decides to ignore them, knowing they are too caught up in the excitement that they won't listen. He only nears them when Pinkie calls them to get to the line. He gives Twilight a polite nod when she joins, turning when Rainbow and Applejack voices their confusions seeing both him and the purple unicorn here.

"What in tarnation are you two doing up here?" Applejack asks these two, well she can sort of look past that Sniper is racing even though he's not a pony, but Twilight.
Said purple pony dismisses the scroll she has been reading, replying with a smile. "I'm racing." and Rainbow burst out laughing. Applejack must say that she too has trouble keeping a straight face hearing that the bookworm to Twilight is going to race. Agreeing with Rainbow Dash's words. "You're not an athlete, you're a... well... you're an egghead."

"I am not an egghead, I am well-read." Twilight argues but that did not help on her defend, the two other mares snicker and Twilight frowns annoyed at them, happy at least one here isn't acting like a foal.
Sniper sends the two mares a look and they stop snickering when he says hard. "It doesn't matter what she is, if she wants to race, let her bloody race." Twilight smiles to the seemly still grumpy griffin. "Thank you Sniper, besides," turning back to the two athlete ponies "the Running of the Leaves is a Ponyville tradition, and since I'm here to learn, I've decided I should experience it myself."

"Well, I think that's just dandy, Twilight. Good luck." Applejack says but is unable to keep a straight face of the thought Twilight is running a race, Rainbow is less subtle about it. She is straight out laughing when she says. "Yeah. See you at the finish line... tomorrow!"

Sniper rolls his eyes along with Twilight. "Scout's more mature than you." He grumbles, said half-changeling looks at them from his name being said before going back to ready himself for the race. Sniper eyes the youngest of the team, certain that if Scout does not get caught in Rainbow and Applejack's stupid competition, he will win. But he doubts Scout will as he- like Rainbow has trouble keeping his ego and mouth in check.
Pinkie and Spike, both working as the announcer call them to be ready and when they ring the bell. Sniper starts to run along with the others. But he did not speed up, knowing that if he does not pace himself, he won't be able to finish the race. So he trots alongside Twilight there simply smiles and quietly they both trots on while admiring the leaves falling from the race. Sniper must admit that this world is strange from how much the ponies control the seasons.

Further ahead, Demo is running beside Berry Punch, both having bit of fun by playfully challenging each other to pick up the pace. Demo is sure he will pay for it later, but he really didn't join this race to win. Unlike certain three others in form of Scout, his and Sniper's element partners, those three runs so fast that they slowly but steady leaves the rest in the dust, Demo merely runs for the fun of it. It's not often he can do such things back in the human world.
Suddenly, Applejack trips and Demo does look back when he and the flock of ponies pass by her, then a nudge on his side from Berry reminds him of the race and he returns back racing his sweetheart. Must admit she is pushing his limits in speed, still fun though.

Sniper and Twilight, being quite far behind but neither worrying does slow down when both spots Applejack getting up after she tripped.
"I don't believe it!" Applejack exclaims, and Twilight replies her, mistaking her words from the wonders of watching the leaves falling from the race. "I know, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

Applejack snorts lightly. "Not the scenery, Twilight. Rainbow Dash just tripped me."

Sniper trots up beside her and points out. "She did not, you tripped over the rock over there." But as Demo predicted yesterday, Rainbow has pushed Applejack so much that she cannot see what right in front of her as the orange mare retorts. "She did too!"

Before Sniper can snap back at her, Twilight steps in, lecturing her friend. "She did not, and if you slowed down and looked where you're going, you'd see that you tripped over a rock." Twilight nods to the rock Applejack tripped over. It does calm Applejack down, but also reminding her that she is far behind the others and takes off again. "Just be careful!" Twilight calls after her and says smiling to Sniper. "Let's go." He nods and they start their trotting again while admiring the beautiful view of red, yellow and orange leaves fall from the effect of the race. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She asks the griffin.

Sniper nods in agreement and glad he did agree to this race just to get back out and see the beauty of nature again.

Further up front, Demo is looking behind as he hasn't seen Sniper all race. He spots the other turned human and can't help but laugh that Sniper and Twilight are more interested in watching the nature than racing. Why isn't he sur— he trips and lands face first onto the ground.
Stopping as Demo did matter more than the race, Berry Punch helps the one-eyed pony up, asking. "You alright?"
Demo nods and turns to see what he tripped over, proves to be Rainbow Dash and she is mad~

"I don't believe it, Applejack tripped me!"

Demo and Berry Punch eye one another, then the tree stump the rainbow haired pegasus clearly tripped over. Berry takes a step over to her, saying softly. "Um, Rainbow Dash, you tripped on the stump." Pointing at the object in question. "See?"
But Rainbow clearly did not hear her right, still thinking that Applejack tripped her. "Oh, I see. A big cheater is what I see." This time Demo steps over to her, ignoring that Twilight and Sniper is trotting past them. He can always catch up when he has sat this pony straight. "Come now, Rainbow, you know Applejack is better than that. She would never cheat, you tripped over a log nothing more."

"Sure it was." Rainbow snorts, she does change her tone when Applejack's partner sends her a look. "I mean, yeah, I'm sure it was. You are right, of course your partner wouldn't go this low." and gallops off, certain that Applejack made her partner help her on this, well two can play at this game.

Demo and Berry eye one another, then starts galloping again.

Rainbow quickly catches up to the slow pacing Sniper and Twilight. "Hey Snipes, you got a minute?" She asks innocently.

Sensing she is up to no good for a mile away, Sniper tells his answer straight away. "Forget it."

"I haven't told you anything yet." Rainbow argues.

"No need, you have the same face Scout has when he's going to prank one of us." Sniper points out and sends the pegasus a firm stare. "I want no part of you playing dirty. Let's go Twilight." and trots off.

Annoyed of her partner's refusal to work with her like Applejack did with Demo— hold up, he did help her. Sniper suggested she should get help from Scout. Smirking devilishly Rainbow gallops as fast as she can, catching up to Applejack and most important: Scout. She gets up beside the grinning and fellow speedster. "Hey, watch this." She grabs a branch and lets it smack right back at Applejack, throwing the earth pony to the ground.
Scout laughs, "Nice one!" but the second she passes him and takes the lead, a baseball hits her over the head, knocking her to the ground and Scout runs past her, calling. "See you at the finishing line knucklehead!" Oh so that's how he play?! He is so on!

A bit past the halfway mark, Sniper decides that now he can pick up the pace. "It's been nice but I'm going to leave you now." He tells Twilight and starts to run, not that she minded as she calls cheerfully back. "See you at the finishing line!" He easily catches up to the other ponies there all have gotten tired of keeping their fast pace. He does slow a bit down when passing Demo, he tips his hat to the unicorn and runs off.

Demo laughs try to pick up the pace but is too tired so he returns back to a trot, watching Sniper get up in front. He laughs harder when Scout, like two other ponies busier fighting than running gets stuck in a pole of sticky tree sap. "Keep up it up Scout!" He passes the speedster, and sure will be amused if he ends up getting to the finishing line before their youngest and fastest member.
He doubts it though for about a minute later, Scout speed past him, calling taunting back. "Eat my dust, Cyclops!"
and not long after, Demo and many other ponies pass Scout and the two mares, they are so busy fighting that they forget to run the race.
He does pick up the pace when spotting the finishing line, he and Berry get over the line just behind Twilight. "Not too shabby." He laughs to Berry there nods, they did not get a medal like Twilight but it didn't really matter. About seven minutes later, after everyone have passed the finishing line. Applejack passes the line, closely followed by Rainbow and Scout trying to trip one another. Well, now Demo sees why Rainbow and Scout never became partners. They are too similar that they would butt heads instead of working together, yes even over a silly race. The two speedsters land onto the ground, rather battered from their fist- um hoof fight.

"I won." Applejack calls to Rainbow, smirking of the victory. Rainbow is quickly on her hooves, glaring. "Only because you cheated!" and Applejack throws back. "Only when you started it!"

"Congratulation!" Pinkie calls up from the hot-air balloon, making the two mares look up, and Spike tells the three. "You were the last!" Much to their horror.

"Last?!" They cry in shock and Scout demands up to them. "Who won?!"

"I did." Sniper smirks, walking over to them with the gold medal around his neck. His smirk widens when Rainbow exclaims in disbelief. "But you ran so slow! You was busier looking at the scenery!" Rolling his eyes Sniper tells her. "Yeah, it's calling pacing." Poking her chest. "I knew I couldn't run at full speed all the way, so halfway; when everyone was tired. I sprinted."

Twilight walks over to them, explaining she pretty much did the same thing. "I followed the same tactic, but since I don't have the training, I could only do the sprint at the end." She eyes her own medal. "But I say I did a good job considering this was my first race."

Sniper nods to her. "You did a good job." and he turns back to the three there came last because of their own ego. "If you three haven't been so busy screwing each other over, you would've beaten everyone, but-" He lifts head up high and allows himself a moment of gloating. "You didn't so I won the medal and you ended up losing the whole thing."

"I can't believe Sniper beat me in a race." Scout shakes his head, teaches him not to get caught in screwing up other players. "Man, I am not going to hear the end of it." He laughs weakly.

"You will when you figure out how to be a good sport." Sniper points out, Scout smiles weakly back. Then Sniper turns to Rainbow, his smile fades.

Rainbow drops her head, feeling terrible of her behavior and can taste the medicine the Flim, Flam brothers tasted when they beat them in the same game of playing fair. It is a very sour medicine. "Okay, I get it now. Fairness get you further than cheating your way up."

"Sounds to me that an important lesson was learned." Princess Celestia says smiling, walking over to the group.
The ponies bow the second she made her appearance, Twilight friends are quite surprised too seeing their ruler among them.
"W-What are you doing here?" Applejack asks with a small stutter of awe seeing her here and Celestia explains the ponies and griffin. "Fall is one of my favorite seasons, so I came to celebrate the Running of the Leaves."

"I'm sorry you had to see us being such poor sports, Princess." Applejack apologizes.

Celestia is okay with it, she might not be competitive in nature but she does understand that ponies can get quite swept up in the competition. She is happy these three ponies did learn their lesson, however. "Unfortunately, because the three of you were busy tricking each other instead of shaking down leaves, many of the lovely trees of Ponyville are still covered." She eyes the area where a lot of trees still have leaves on.
The half-changeling flies halfway up to her, declaring smiling. "No problem! We gonna get those leaves down for ya— let's go you two!" and he gallops off.

Rainbow and Applejack eye one another with latter asking. "Whaddya say, friend? Wanna go for another run?" Rainbow nods and promise both her and Sniper. "No cheating this time, promise" and runs off with Applejack close behind.

Sniper snorts with a smile over his beak. "I take your word for it."

Author's Note

it's been long I last made a Sniper and Rainbow Dash centered chapter, so what better is letting Sniper teach Rainbow a moral he was taught by his old man.

Part of this chapter was inspired by one of the last chapters of Waking Nightmares, the fanfiction there inspired me to write this whole crossover. KnightMysterio realized too that Scout and Rainbow Dash won't make a good team by being too similar in attitude, they will just gear each other up to do some really stupid things.

A Tale Old as Time

Note: this happens two weeks after the former chapter.
made from the episode "Hearth's Warming Eve" I have done a few changes to that story to suit the one I am making better.

*human world.*

Watching the gentle snowstorm outside from his prison cell window, Ignis cannot help but think of that faithful winter where everything changed for his kind. It has been so long ago and yet he remembers it as if it was yesterday. Like all those years back, Ignis is trapped, unable to escape without help. It's embarrassing a mortal creature like this Grey has been captured an immortal being like him, but Ignis had learned that even an alicorn like him is not all powerful. Turning to the sound of a door open and Ignis watches a young woman with red hair, aqua blue eyes, dressed in a fire-colored dress covered partly with a black west. Behind her is a blond haired teenager boy dressed in a white shirt having different shades of green military shirt over it, yet not fully able to hide the fact that this teen is quite muscular for his age. This boy has a worried look in his pale blue eyes, as if he’s uncomfortable being here. "Sunny, I don't trust that guy.” He tells the woman, glancing over his shoulders. “We shouldn't be here—" the woman apparently with the name Sunny hushes him, telling him hard. "It's not your decision Rhys. If you don't like being here it, then leave." But from how scared he is by that mere thought, Ignis doubts that teenager boy can bring himself to abandon the woman even if he did not like being here.
It reminds him once again of that ancient old war. "Do you humans celebrate anything at this time of year anymore?" He asks the two.

They turn to him, the red-haired young woman frowns lightly. "Yes, it's called Smissmas." She replies.

"Why do you celebrate it?"

"We don't celebrate it. But those who does, well." The young woman takes a seat on the nearby table, the teenager boy close behind her, staring suspiciously at Ignis while she explains with crossed arms and clearly did not really care about the celebration. "Story goes that every nice child gets great gifts by some guy called Nick and those who have been naughty would be taken by him and forced to build guns as Nick was in dept with some mobsters." She nods out to the window. "And at every Smissmas, the brightest star in the sky is the firefight between Nick and the mobsters."

"...That's quite the violent story." Ignis muses, thinking that a lot in this world is quite violent and depressive. People in this world are so caught up in fighting that they forget how to do things peacefully. The brewing war is a clear example of that, worst still, the now evil mercenaries are doing it all worse so it's only a matter of time before his vision of that giant explosion will happen unless others stop them. By the Goddess he hopes Merrasmus got away, otherwise this world is screwed like the alicorns.
But until then, Ignis feels like he should share a story with these two youngsters. "Let me tell you about the worst winter I have ever faced, what turned into the fall of my kind. Seeing you are on his side, I figure you would like to hear it." The two frowns, but does not move, he takes that the sign they will listen to his story.
"Long time ago, my kind: the alicorns ruled the land and the three pony races. We called ourselves the Bringers of Harmony, we were beings of the stars but being so far above everything. We only saw the big picture, we did not see the small cracks, that our wars with the none pony races had left us unaware that our own subjects did not trust one another. We were so busy keeping external threats away that we did not see disharmony spreading among our own subjects. Their hatred and distrust among one another, the none pony races fear towards us, it summoned a cursed winter over our land. One not even the immortal alicorns could thwart with brute force."

***

*Equestria*

Unaware, the mercenaries are all hearing the same story, but from the common ponies point of view. Gathered before the grand scene in Canterlot theater, Spike, part of the performance of this ancient old story works as the storyteller while ponies act the story of the winter there changed it all. "—a mysterious blizzard that overtook the land, and toppled the tribes' precarious peace." Behind him, ponies acted out how their ancestors suffered through this cursed winter.
"Each tribe were freezing and hungry as no food could be grown in this winter. Each blamed the others for their suffering, and the angrier everypony grew, the worse the blizzard became. And so it was decided that a grand summit would be held to figure out a way to cope with the blizzard." He walks away from the stage allowing the ponies to change the scene to the summit between the three leaders. Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie played those three ancient leaders of the three pony races and did a somewhat scene on how that summit went.
After the three has put down their hooves onto the table in the sign the meeting had begun, all three of them start yelling at each other, no way knowing what each of them says.

Rainbow Dash, acting as Commander Hurricane of the pegasi army, stomps her hoof onto the table and makes the two others shut their mouths, when them quiet she speaks her lines. “I didn’t come all this way not to get heard, now;” She turns angrily to Pinkie Pie, playing the Chancellor of the earth ponies, one history said was named Puddinghead. “I wanna know is why the Earth ponies are hogging all the food!”
The other actor pegasi shout in agreement, showing that back in time this race was the most aggressive one.

“Us?!” Pinkie Pie acts surprised and says the lines history books think the earth pony she is playing as said under the meeting. “We're not hogging all the food, you are! Oh, wait. You're right. It's us.” Pinkie Pie smiles, her own personality took over as the real Puddinghead was more of a timid pony, only agreeing to the meeting because of desperations. But since it is Pinkie playing this ancient pony, she can’t stop being just a bit silly. “Well, it's only 'cause you mean old Pegasusususes are making it snow like crazy!” The real Puddinghead did say that last line, but Pinkie nor story told that Puddinghead winched when Commander Hurricane acted by Rainbow Dash shouts while stomping her hoof onto the table. “For the hundredth time, it's not us! We're not making it snow!”

Rainbow Dash points at Rarity, throwing pretty much the same accusation as Commander Hurricane did. “It must be the unicorns! They're doing it with their freaky magic!”

Rarity playing as the Princess of the unicorns and probably the one most known from history since a lot of unicorns wrote down this event. She gasps in shock and says what old books said this ancient princess said “How dare you! Unlike you pegasi ruffians, we unicorns would never stoop to such a thing!” She says, doing a very accurate job in having the same superior tone as Princess Platinum had. Old stories did say that Princess Platinum is an ancestor to Prince Blueblood, but what old stories did not reveal; of why this line of unicorns got chosen to become royalty. No books of the fact that Princess Platinum's grandmother was an accented alicorn and thus her family and children allowed the spot of royalty only alicorns were allowed.

“Well, if you non-Earths aren't gonna stop using your weirdo powers to freeze us all,” Pinkie Pie tells the two in a somewhat matter of fact before dropping gloomy onto the table. “then I'm just plum out of ideas.”
Quote to Rainbow saying her line. “What a shocker. An earth pony with no ideas.” Not Commander Hurricanes words, but close enough to prove that ancient pegasus did not consider earth ponies worth his time. Now it is Rarity turn and according to the old books, the princess tried to be the peacekeeper. “Commander Hurricane, please cease with the insults!” But what the presents ponies did not know, the ancient unicorns refused to write themselves in a bad light as in reality Princess Platinum had insulted both earth pony by calling them peasants and the pegasi by ignoring the fact that the pegasi army had been protecting their land when the alicorns have been too busy waging war outside their borders.
But those ancient unicorns there wrote this down did write how Commander Hurricane insulted their princess.

Rainbow Dash flies from her spot and right up at Rarity’s face, acting the anger she thinks Commander Hurricane felt during this meeting. “You're not the boss of me, your royal snootiness!”

“I beg your pardon?!” Rarity acts how story tell Princess Platinum was outraged by that insult, the old stories didn’t say it but Rarity did a very good job in acting how that ancient unicorn really did do when she leaves the scene. “I am a princess!” She declares and on purpose levitates her crown wrongly on, leaving the scene with head held high but far from as dignity as the old story said she did. “I won't be spoken to that way!” She cries at the two as the spoiled mare as Princess Platinum was, which seems to have followed through generation if it was true she was the ancestor to Prince Blueblood.
The act did go to the three leaders argue who would leave this failed meeting first, while in reality the three would argue for hours before the harsh snow would force them to end the meeting and all three tribes head back to their homes, further away from solving their closing in demise.

***
“I never witness it in person myself, but one who was both a friend and rival; an alicorn prince by the name of Nova was present at the meeting and I heard him tell the other royals it was a disaster and we needed to solve this squabble- as he called it. The generals refused to cease the wars though, told the royals that we needed to fight in order to keep the borders safe, so the alicorn army kept fighting. Nova and a few other alicorns tried to speak with our subjects but I do not think it got them anywhere, we have been so far above the clouds that we couldn’t understand our subjects on a personal level. Not long after, we all got the warning from the Goddess of what was causing that neverending winter. A force we merely thought was a legend— but very much real had created spirits of hatred. Those newly created spirits were the bringer of the winter. We called them the Windigoes."

The woman straightens up, her interest peaked by where this story is going.

"Knowing what the threat was, the kings and queens gathered the alicorn soldiers with one single but clear command: defeat the Windigoes and return back the summer before our subjects would starve and freeze to death. Because the Windigoes were children of Disharmony, our scholars told the generals that only those carrying the Pillars of Virtue can defeat the Windigoes. A bearer to each Pillar was chosen; I was one of those chosen to carry one of these artifacts. But… we greatly underestimated our enemy, we thought that because we have been able to defeat all four dragon races, griffins, changelings, zebras, hippogriffs, and so many more — we thought ourselves the rulers of the world, we were the most powerful beings, so what could possibly defeat us? That was our downfall, we never took our people's anger and distrust to one another into account, worse still, we have been in war for so long, we have forgotten what it meant to be a bringer of harmony. We were so arrogant in our powers… we didn’t stand a chance against the Windigoes. I watched countless of my comrade’s fall to those spirit of hatred, getting trapped in ice, never going to feel the warmth of the sun ever again. Perhaps those were the lucky ones. When Nova discovered my betrayal to our traditions in marriage, he got consumed in his anger and was possessed by one of the shadow ponies, his mind twisted and turned into a being there only knew destruction...
I along with my fellow bearers of the Pillars of Virtue tried to turn the tide, but we realized too late that because we have forgotten what it meant to be a bringer of harmony, we did not understand the key element in the artifacts. And thus, we were unable to use the ancient magic— the only magic able to defeat the Dark Forces. It had been waiting for this, I am sure of it. For the moment we realized we have lost our strongest weapons, those created and those there has giving in to this darkness struck. Those alicorns there have been turned into their darker self, they killed the bearers and the Spirit of Disharmony threw four of the pillars into a portal there lead to this world. The rest we managed to save, but only barely as the artifacts have been destroyed and thus we wouldn’t be able to use it until the Goddess decided to repair them.
Realizing we couldn't defend our people anymore but knew it was our sworn duty, the remaining leaders kept fighting this losing battle. In my desperation, I sought out an old childhood friend; a drake and begged him to save our subjects. Like any other alicorn I knew that we couldn’t win against the Dark Forces, but even if that war would spell the destruction of the alicorns, I and several others refused to let that failure spell the end for the lesser ponies. Everything depended on that old but brief friendship, I along with two of my remaining comrades begged that dragonlord helping us to save our subjects. Fortunately, my friendship with that drake was enough that they agreed on escorting our subjects to a new land. A place far away from the darkness, a place where they should have a chance to recover from the long famine and grow strong again. According to my old dragon friend, they guided each pony tribe to their own nameless land."

***

But that fact of an old ally has been forgotten throughout time, so instead of been guided by a dragon race, the old story now is told that the three pony races found their new home on their own account. And thus that is how Spike tells the story to the crowd of ponies.
"—by the choice of each leader of the three tribes, the ponies left their frozen land, they went through many obstacles along the way, but eventually, they all arrived in a new and wondrous land. Nopony had ever seen paradise before, but all agreed this was it. The weather was warm, ground was futile and resources plenty. The three leaders found this new land perfect place to stay and reclaim their own. “

“This is the new land we've been searching for!” Rainbow Dash declares loudly on the small cloud for the stage she is standing on. On another and smaller cloud stand Fluttershy acting as a private whose name, unfortunately, has been lost through time says her line while acting she is staring at this wondrous land. “What a view... I can see my future house from here.”
Rainbow Dash grabs the prop flag and jags it into the cloud. “I proclaim this new land to be Pegasopolis!” She and Fluttershy stand still as the light goes over to Rarity and Twilight.

Rarity gasps and gathers the jewels lying around the props with them in a pile, she does her lines and has no trouble pretending to be awestruck of the beauty of the gems. “I've never seen such jewels! This ruby is dazzling. This whole land is dazzling. I'm double dazzled!” She steers over the pile, squealing a very accurate on how the real Princess Platinum reacted when coming to this country, although at this stage there is missing a few drakes there should be raising a brow and be amused by the unicorn’s reaction. Rarity levitates her prop flag over to the spot made for it, she speaks. “In the name of the unicorns, I hereby dub this land Unicornia!” With Twilight, playing as Starswirls first student stand not far with a weak smile.
The light fades away and goes to the middle of the stage where Pinkie Pie and Applejack stand.

The second the light is on, Pinkie Pie starts jumping around the prop looking like a small hill. The air! The trees!” She jumps onto the prop hill there has a box with earth built into it. “The dirt! This dirt is the dirtiest dirt in the whole dirt world!” She cries cheerful and rolls around in the dirt. Very inaccurate on how the real Puddinghead reacted in coming to this land. She was happier they have found a place not frozen and set on planting as much as possible so the earth pony tribe could harvest food and thus have a feast they haven’t been able for such a long time. Puddinghead was a pony there loved making food so before the famine of the winter, she had been a plum pony with a talent to make wonderful food there could bring ponies together; the reason why she had been chosen to be the earth pony chancellor.
Applejack, acting as Puddinghead’s closet friend, a pony by the name of Smart Cookie shovels up a small pile of dirt, puts a seed into it and as she puts a bit of the earth pony magic into it, she speaks her lines. “And fertile, too. Perfect for growing food.” A small plant sprouts out from the small pile, everyone except those who haven’t been born here doesn’t bat an eye seeing this.
Pinkie Pie gets up from the dirt and declares proudly. “In the name of the earth ponies, I think I'm gonna call this new place... uh... Dirtville!” That line was more or less what Puddinghead said, although not in that cheerful tone. In fact, Puddinghead was very aware that she wasn’t the best pony for naming so she had turned to Smart Cookie in a suggestion for a better name of their new land right after she had said it.
So this scene is quite inaccurate with Applejack asking Pinkie Pie in a deadpan tone. “How about "Earth"?” As Smart Cookie had said it in a more helpful manner, so Pinkie Pie’s next line never happened in that ancient time. “Earth!” She cries happily and after has let the flag come out from her hat, she says. “Congratulations to me for thinking of it.” and Applejack rolls her eyes.

The light then shines on all six, giving Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity the sign to declare loudly at the same time. “We found our new home!” and then acts that first now they notice the others and start the scene of them arguing who got this land first and in a matter of seconds the ponies taking care of the scenes throw the prop snow onto the stage. It was of course not how it really happened, the arguing and fighting lasted way longer, so long that even the drakes joined the fight, but since this is a play, they have to make it short and as the ponies changing the scene for the next stage. Spike tells the crowd.
“It did not take long before the three tripes started fighting again, this time for this new paradise. Not long after, the winter they tried to escape from came to this land as well. And so the paradise that the ponies had found was soon lost, buried beneath a thick blanket of snow and hard feelings. Stronger than in their former land, everypony was forced to seek shelter. They searched high and low, but the only shelter for miles was a cold and desolate cave. And, of course, the three tribes had to share it, and nopony was too happy about that.” The lights shine on the new stage, showing the six actors standing inside a cave, those playing the leaders are scowling at one another while the others are standing nervously around. Rarity start the scene by calling out that Rainbow Dash, playing as Commander Hurricane was standing too close to her personal space and Rainbow Dash commanding Fluttershy in carving a line over the ground which leads to the two other leaders to command Twilight Sparkle and Applejack in doing the same, then during a squabble over a worthless rock. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash acted out a very shorten and not as bloody fight going on between the three leaders. The ponies handing the changing of stages start pouring down the prop snow when they see the sign by the three leaders stomping hard onto the floor.

Twilight Sparkle only speaks her line when the prop looking like ice appear before the seemly entrance, she points at it. “Look, everypony! The entrance!” Sign to Rainbow Dash to speak her line as a very angry Commander Hurricane. “Great. Now there's no way out! We're trapped!” and Rarity replies in a snoopy tone as she walks over to the spot to the next stage of this scene. “You two deserve this horrible fate. You've done nothing but argue and fight with each other!”
Rainbow Dash flies over to her spot and tells Rarity hard. “You've been fighting too, your Highness.”
Pinkie Pie, already on her spot tells the two as the fake ice start to surround her. “Yeah! Worse! I haven't been fighting nearly as much as you!”
The two others get engulfed in this fake ice as they keep on the act of the three pony races kept on arguing instead of figuring out how to stop this ice.

“How ridiculous! A unicorn never stoops to fighting!” Rarity snorts.

“That's just because you wimpy unicorns know you'd never win!” and just as the ice effect surround her head, Rainbow Dash shouts. “Earth ponies are numbskulls!” before standing still with an angry expression as if she really is frozen.

“Pegasi are brutes!” Rarity shouts and pretends she too gets frozen solid and the same does Pinkie Pie after she has yelled: “Unicorns are snobs!”

After have acted the panic and fear the common ponies felt in that ancient time, Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack look up and Fluttershy asks scared. “W-W-What is that... thing?” The crowd looks up to the ceiling as well, several foals get scared of the effect showing a whirl of snow and three ghostly horses are flying around. It is quite a terrifying sight.

Twilight allows the crowd to stare at this very well made effect before she speaks. “They must be... Windigos!” Applejack and Fluttershy eye her, like the many trapped ponies in that cave did when this story became a legend. Twilight Sparkle, playing Clover the Clever explains as that first student of Starswirld the bearded did. “My mentor Star Swirl the Bearded taught me about them.” Of course stories never told how Starswirl came to know about them, nor that he was one of the few ponies aware of the alicorn tribe. “They're winter spirits that feed off fighting and hatred. The more hate the spirit feels, the colder things become.”

Applejack looks up to the effect of how those making the effects think a Windigo looks like. “Then... this is our fault. We three tribes...” She eyes the three there acts they are frozen solid. “We brought this blizzard to our home by fighting and not trusting each other. Now it's destroying this land, too.”

Sign for the stage-ponies to start the effect that the ice coming for the three. And Twilight speaks as she and the two others try to get away from the fake ice. “And now our bodies will become as cold as our hearts... all because we were foolish enough to hate.”

Quote for Fluttershy to say. “Well, I don't hate you... I actually hate Commander Hurricane a lot more than I hate you guys.” For this nameless private pegasus had been the first to ease up the tension between the terrified ponies by jokingly explaining everypony willing to listen how tough it is to be a warrior while this private much rather wanted to be a baker.
Which had made several earth ponies suggesting that if they ever got out from this and the ground wasn’t frozen, they would teach the private how to bake. Which then lead to a unicorn suggesting that with their magic they could help the earth ponies to harvest the food way faster and that lead to more and more suggestion how to make things easier for each tribe.
Of course, the play does not have time to act out the exact scene and instead makes Applejack tell the two others as the fake ice engulfs them. “No matter what our differences, we're all ponies.”
After a moment Twilight Sparkle activates her magic, letting it remove the effects of the Windigoes and form into a flaming heart every pony knows about.

Spike steps in and tells what has just happened to those hearing this tale for the first time. "Starswirls student, Clover the Clever created a magic unlike anything is ever seen before, a magical fire, warm enough to banish the Windigoes and break those three ponies free from the ice. But it wasn't only Clover- a unicorn who created this magic. It was all three of the pony tribes.” The three actresses smile to one another and put their hooves together before sitting down, quietly pretending to be talking and laughing as Spike speaks. “All through the night, the three ponies kept the fire of friendship alive by telling stories to one another and by singing songs, which of course became the winter carols that we all still sing today. Eventually, the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the other ponies and lastly each tripe leaders, and their bodies and hearts began to thaw.” The fake ice disappears from Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, they join the three others for a moment, then shifting around so they stand in a circle and speak as if agreeing on something. Spike explains what they agreed on. “The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land, and live in harmony ever afterward.” After the actresses have put up the pole and raised the flag, Spike says proudly. “And together, they named their new land... Equestria!"

***

"What happened to the alicorns when the winter brought by the Windigoes finally came to an end?" The red-haired woman asks in a quiet voice.

Ignis turns his eyes back to the snowing outside. "I never saw the end to that winter with my own eyes. I only got aware that decades long battle had come to an end when a friend of mine told me about it. Anyway, those of the alicorns left realized that we no longer were the Bringers of Harmony, we have intentionally become the Bringers of Disharmony. We released a darkness we thought couldn’t defeat us even if it was real, and our egotistical behavior came to bite us hard in our flank. There wouldn’t have been any more alicorns if not for the last queen of our tribe. Her name was… Astral. She commanded me to find the lost pillars while she would ensure the remaining pillars would get new and worthy bearers. But her main goal was to ensure that the remaining alicorns— most of them foals would at least have a future. But…" Ignis sigh, sadden of what he has learned of Astral's fate. "It has come to my ears that Astral and most of the fleeing alicorns did not survive. My only consolation of this that she succeeded. Two children of the alicorns. Celestia and Luna—" he eyes the young woman a bit confused when she lets out a small gasp, deciding to think about that later, he continues on his story. "-are alive and well. Currently ruling this new land of the pony kind and I pray to the Goddess they are doing a better job than their ancestors... The darkness of Disharmony is returning, but even if I won't survive this fight. I am proud I at least gave them a fighting chance. The Pillars— no the Elements of Harmony are back." Ignis eyes harden, yet unable to smirk of the warrior residing inside of him glee over this he consider a fact. "And the creatures of darkness will cower before the new bearers, for this time: they are truly the Bringers of Harmony."

Author's Note

this is my take how the alicorns disappeared, most of them are dead but there are a few alive. if they are going to return in this story or future ones is another question and one I yet do not know I will answer. time will tell I guess

This is not a Date

Note: This happens six days after the last chapter.
it's not based on any MLP episode.

To anyone saying that the human world winter comes very suddenly got nothing on how things work here in Equestria, here winter came on a single day and like the other turned humans, Scout found that both weird and awesome on how much control the ponies have over the seasons. He sure had fun putting out clouds so the snow could fall. Scout likes winter, he doesn't love it as ice and snow make it hard to be outside and do what he likes best; which is running and playing baseball, but he does like having a good old fashion snowball fight now and then. And since he is not in the War Games nor being home and mocked by his brothers of his childish behavior, instead of being in a whole other dimension where game and fun are pretty much the norms. Well, Scout is having a snowball fight with the local kids. He may be fast enough to dodge the snowballs thrown at him, but the kiddies have the advantages that they have grown up with hooves and knows how to make proper snowballs without the use of fingers. All he can make is something there breaks the second he throws it. Still, he is having fun dodging snowballs instead of bullets.
Suddenly, out from seemly nowhere, Pyro appears with a huge snowball over her head, Scout and the kids freezes up just long enough to watch this snowball get thrown at them, then they take the run for it and Scout is very happy Pyro missed them so he only got part of that giant snowball splattered over his body. Turning to the grinning dragon, Scout can’t help but asks her a bit taunting. “That’s all you got mumbles?!” To then yelp when Ponyville's second dragon starts chasing him with yet another giant snowball, at least he is fast enough so he won’t get caught, and that makes the chase funnier. “Catch me if you can scaly!” and barely five minutes later he gets buried in snow. It wasn’t Pyro who did this, though.
Buring himself free, Scout realizes that it was Heavy who threw that one and Scout just got his head free in last second to see the glorious sight of the big guy getting plummed down by Pyro’s snowball. Scout laughs and digs himself out from the snow pile. He is about to kick some of the snow on Engineer who is laughing at what Pyro did to Heavy but then notices out from the corner of his eye someone he hasn’t spoken properly to ever since he discovered his ability to sense emotions. Oh, also because he has a very big secret to hold and not sure that he won't let it slip around Miss Pauling.
Watching her, Scout notices how stressed she looks, no, not stressed, she was that back in the human world, now she just looks… lost. He decides to take a chance to speak with her. He leaves the snowball fight between the big horse and dragon and flies over to the wandering aqua blue unicorn. “Hey, Miss Pauling.” He calls in a cheerful tone as he always would when starting a conversation with her. She stops and Scout asks as he approaches her. “You wanna join us in a snowball fight? Or maybe go out for a drink? I know a good place there sells hot chocolate.” His smile drops when getting in close enough, for his emotion detector tells him what the answer will be before she even opens her mouth.
“I have to decline, I am rather busy.” Miss Pauling says and does a very good job hiding her true emotions towards him. But like with his father, Miss Pauling can't lie to him anymore.
Scout nods slowly, not sure how to feel that Miss Pauling is not declining because she is busy. “You know... you can say you find me irritating, I’m used to be called much worse.” He's been called that for as long he remembers, gotten quite thick skinned about it really. Miss Pauling blinks, then winches as the wave of embarrassment wash over him. Scout smiles weakly to her. “I’ll leave you alone.” and starts to leave, wondering what he is doing wrong.

“Scout, I—“ Miss Pauling takes a step towards him, but stops herself, not sure why she feels so bad hurting Scout like this. He is a mercenary, an asset like the others and also been a nuisance that whole year and a half he has been the teams new Scout. The former at least knew that it would be wise not to flirt with the boss’s assistance. Scout stops for a moment, waiting and Miss Pauling wants to say something but either the reminder to keep it professional or an apology comes out from her mouth. She is a bit of a loss how to deal with this crush Scout has on her ever since day one. Thought it would disappear but it never did and back in the human world, she was so busy and wanting to do her job than bother herself with Scout’s flirting. But now, with so much time on her hand, she… she doesn't know… she wishes she could just go back and be too busy to worry about stuff like this. “It’s nothing.” She muses and leaves Scout.

But not for this half-changeling, Scout felt the tumult in Miss Pauling, the same he felt in his dad before they made peace with one another. Unlike his father- Antoine, Scout does not know how to tackle this problem. With Spy, he was ready to fight, ready to return back hating him and be sort of fine with it. Glad that outcome didn’t happen, he and his dad are starting to getting to know one another. With Miss Pauling however, Scout does not want to start a fight, he has always tried to please her— even he did not agree with her. “Man, I could really need some advice on this.” He mutters and just has said that, Scout realizes he has someone to ask about this. Checking the area and when sure the coast is clear as everyone is too busy having a snow fight with Pyro. Scout flies into Everfree Forest. Only before Zecora’s hut, Scout lands, he knocks on the door and steps inside, the hut is warm and a bit damp from the mixture the zebra is brewing in her cauldron. “Hey Zecora, is dad nearby?” He asks the for some reason winter dressed by cloak zebra even though she is inside. Must be something to do with her not handling the cold as well as others.

Zecora turns away from her brew. “Your father is out on a small travel, he is currently studying the princesses former castle.” She leaves the caldron and walks over to the table where several of her ingredients are. “Antoine wishes to challenge his mind with mystique, so I am afraid you won’t see him before at least a week.”

Of course, his old man goes on an adventure just when he needs him, typical. Scout rolls his eyes annoyed he has to wait probably a whole week to get an answer.

Zecora does not need a changeling's ability to sense emotions to know something is bothering Scout. “If I may be this humble, of what does your mind find of trouble?” She asks him.

“It’s nothing,” Scout brushes it off, not really sure he wants to let Zecora know about his year-long crush on a woman that does not return it. He is about to leave but stops when the zebra says from her spot. “Perhaps I can be of help if you do explain, we never know if I have something so your trip was not all in vain.” Scout hesitates but decides to at least give her a chance. He likes Zecora and is starting to not mind having her as a stepmother— so long he does not think too hard about she is a zebra and not a person. “Okay,” he walks over to the table where Zecora is currently cutting some sort of plant. “Do you know Miss Pauling?”

Zecora brushes the cut roots into a bowl. “The boss assistance you all wish to keep at a distance?” She asks mostly to be sure she and Jeremy are on the same page in this issue of his.

“Yeah, well… I like her- really like her.” Scout says, about to explains what he means but stops himself from doing with the knowing look Zecora gives him. Oh, right, she does probably know a lot on that field, dating his father and all. So instead he starts telling her about the main issue. “But I do not think she likes me, I mean she gets annoyed when I try and chat with her, but I also sensed she wanted to talk with me but… well, like she does not know what to do.” He shrugs, not sure how else to explain what he felt from her. Miss Pauling seems to want to hang around the team but something is making her keep anyone at an arm's length. In the War Games, he understood that it was because she was busy but now? “I felt she was confused and lost and I want to help but I don’t want to make her angry at me either, you know?”

Zecora hums quietly, starting to see what might be going on with this Miss Pauling. “I admit, this Miss Pauling sounds to be split.”

“Split? Like having a half soul?” Scout asks.

Zecora shakes her head. “Oh, no no, this split is in a mind conflict. She does no longer know her domain, what you felt is her heart's ace and I am sure your father can relate to this pain.” She grabs the ingredients to the brew, carefully putting them into the hot substance in the cauldron.

Scout follows her, not entirely sure what Zecora is telling him. “So… Miss Pauling is at a loss because she is not constantly working?”

“Work is all Miss Pauling know.” Zecora replies that’s at least what she has figured from what Antoine has told her about this assistance to his former boss and also what Jeremy here is telling her. “She is out of her life’s flow and life without constant work is Miss Pauling’s greatest woe.”

He is not entirely sure what she means, is Zecora trying to tell him that Miss Pauling is at a loss because she does not have a butt load of work anymore? “How can anyone live without a little fun?” He asks and steps back so the zebra can fetch more of her ingredients. “Do you think Miss Pauling knows how much she is missing?”

Zecora turns, letting her blue eyes meet his grey. “Perhaps it is best you show her worth of games and returns back her childhood zest.”

Scout nods and trots out, do stop for a moment when Zecora calls for him. “When you have tried and help Miss Pauling to adjust, could you return back here to my hut?” He sticks his head inside, a bit confused why she makes such a request. “Um okay, anything I need to bring or what?” The zebra chuckles and tells him with a smile. “No mean attitude would be a great gratitude.” Scout salutes and only for a moment ponders to why she wants him to return. He quickly brushes it aside and flies off with an idea what he can do with the small problem with their boss’s assistance.
He finds Miss Pauling near the town hall and after have gotten her attention again, he asks perhaps a bit too cheeky. “Do you know the meaning of the word fun?”

Miss Pauling is not sure if Scout is trying to make some sort of joke or that question is serious. “Scout what are you—“

“You have been so busy working you haven’t taken time to relax, you know.” Scout interrupts her, quickly adding from the frown along with the emotions of offense coming from her. “Not that there is nothing wrong with it— no, there is something wrong with it.” He stops himself, he cannot agree with her on this one, if he does, then she will just return back to work, back to the flow as Zecora called it. He eyes the frowning blue unicorn, ignoring the emotions he is getting from her. This has to be said, even if it spoils his chance of scoring a date with her. “You work all the time goddammit." He takes flight and tells her in a matter of fact in midair. "Not once have you taken a break and taken the time to notice we are in another world.”

“Scout, I am very aware we are in another world.” Miss Pauling tries annoyed of what Scout is saying, also but confused, this is the first time he is actually trying to get on her bad side. Scout flies closer to her, asking almost demanding. “How much do you know about this world? Do you even know how to use magic?” Wait, what does Scout mean she can use magic? And as if reading her mind, Scout says. “You see? You have no idea you can do it! Miss Pauling, you are the biggest workaholic I have ever met.”
Miss Pauling stares at him for several moments, not sure if this is really Scout standing before her, the Scout she knows would never have said that. She would’ve called him out to be Spy but… well… he’s dead. Taking a deep breath, she opens her mouth to explain to him why she has to work so much, but again he stops her.
“I’m gonna ask Major Mare when you’re off duty, after that; we are going out ice skating.” and Scout takes off before she can stop him, livid but also a bit scared that Scout has pretty much forced her up in a corner with this date. Miss Pauling knows that Major Mare will say she is off duty, so she does not have that as an excuse.

Scout returns not long after, having his iconic grin on his face. “She gave the go ahead, let’s go!” He knows it might be cruel, especially from how horrified Miss Pauling feels about now, but he thinks this will do her good so he gives her little choice to no choice than to go with him. Scout finds Pinkie Pie, knowing she has about everything and so right he is that she has ice-skate boots lying around. “Alright, let’s do this.” He smiles and hands her the ice-skate boots. Miss Pauling doesn't move, but he does not let that stop him from giving her a (hopefully) good time and puts them on her. She pretty much panics when he gets her out on the ice, Scout has to force himself keeping a straight face when she starts clinging to his neck.

With no other option as it’s clear Scout will not back out, Miss Pauling admits. “I- I don’t know how.” She has never had time to try out ice-skating, and it does not sit right she will be doing this while being in a quadrupedal form. “Scout, take me back to solid ground this instant.” She commands but once again is reminded her title as the Administrator assistance has little meaning here when Scout smiles. “I’ll show you how. It’s quite easy when you get the hang of it.” He holds one of his tattered wing over her back which does help her staying more steady on her hooves. She does not let go of his neck, in fact, she tightens her grip when Scout starts to push her, slowly taking them both around the lake.
“S-Scout.” She tries to warn him he is pushing it, but it’s hard making a statement when her voice is shaking.

It’s quite funny how scared Miss Pauling is doing some ice skating when she is barely phased when standing up against some moron she has been commanded to kill. Scout does not want to tease her about it, figures he already is in enough trouble doing this and besides, he does not want to hurt her feelings. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” He ensures her and will continue helping her with the balance until she feels safer on her hooves. He keeps gently pushing her around the lake and slowly he senses Miss Pauling is calming down, it takes quite a while but she does let go of him and starts trying moving on the ice on her own. All the time Scout makes sure to keep his promise he will not let her fall.
“Doesn't this beat a pile of paperwork?” He asks her with a grin the moment he sensed a spark of enjoyment in her.

After have gotten over the fear and surer on the ice, Miss Pauling must admit this is quite fun. She sends Scout a firm look but unable to stop making a weak smile. “You are in so much trouble when we get back.” Scout winches slightly but that grin never fades. “Worth it.” He says and after a moment of silence. “You pretty good at this.” She smiles, for the first time taking a compliment from him seriously.

After the ice-skating, Miss Pauling is a bit more willing to accept Scout’s suggestions for doing something with him. They ended up having a nice warm drink at a café (Scout was the one who paid) and near evening they strolled through the snow filled park, one Miss Pauling every day goes through to reach Town Hall where she works but only now she takes notices how beautiful the snow is. “Why haven’t I noticed it before?” She wonders out loud, looking up to the smirking Scout she remembers his words before he kidnapped her out on the icy lake. “You don’t have to answer that.” He was right, though. She has been working so much she hasn’t stopped and… well smelled the flowers. Must admit, it has been quite an enjoyable day, very different from what she is used to. “Thanks, it has been… fun.”

Scout is quite proud that he finally made her give him a genuine smile, he sure is going to treasure it. “No problem. We should do this more often— as friends.” He quickly adds to the look she gives him. It’s disappointing but Scout figures Miss Pauling is just out from his reach. He hates to admit defeat, but he is starting to see that it's okay to give up on some fights. “I get it, you’re don’t share my feelings.”

“Scout…”

“But we can still be on good terms right?” He asks hopeful, Miss Pauling is after all the only one in the War Games anywhere near his age. “Have a few friendly chats, go out and blow up another bread monster or just- you know, have some fun?” Thanks to their new pony friends, Scout has realized that having female friends is not so bad as he was lead to believe.

“I… maybe.” Miss Pauling muses hesitantly, yes this day was nice but when they return back to their world she… “I won’t have time for fun when we return. I only have one day off remember?” But if he can accept it then; “As long you don’t pull a stunt of like last time, then… we can hang out as friends that one time every year.” She smiles weakly. It will be good to have someone to hang around with that single off day. Usually, she just read boring magazines that single day.
Scout smiles, seems very happy about this. “Sure, and don’t worry, I won’t do that again— only if you want to fight another bread monster. Wasn't me who made it, that was Solly so you can blame that on him.” Miss Pauling laughs at that remark, must admit that fight was quite something.
Scout takes her back to the hotel she has been calling home the time she has been here, before leaving him, Miss Pauling must admit. “You have matured a lot these past months. Is it because of your ability to sense others emotions?” She asks curiously of that quite positive change in him.

Scout smiles weakly. “Um… yeah, it’s hard to ignore others thoughts about me when negative emotions straight out hurt.“ There is another reason too, that he now has a father to tell him why people get angry at him but also letting him have a comfort he has been missing for years. Sadly, he cannot tell Miss Pauling that. Giving said unicorn a smile. “See ya.” and leaves, unable to keep the big smile off his face.

Miss Pauling returns back to her room, and like many other days in this world, she sits down and lets her mind wander as she does not have piles of paperwork lying around. This time, however, she thinks about how enjoyable this day has been… and reminded how much she has been missing. The smile fades slightly, yes she has been missing a lot, probably more than others. She touches the spot where everyone connected to respawn got the liquid injected, letting out a sigh Miss Pauling turns her gaze out from the window, watching a pretty happy looking Scout trots back to where he lives. She might not have the coming back from dead perk the mercenaries have but after working for Helen for twenty years and barely looking older, Miss Pauling realized that she does have long-life perk Medic spoke about. For years she has been alone on that one, but now… now she is starting to be hopeful that this bunch of mercenaries will share this perk with her. They are the closest she’ll ever come to having friends.

Returning back to Zecora’s hut, Scout is a bit surprised finding Spy there. “I thought you said he wouldn’t return in a week.” He remarks to Zecora, the zebra turns around but before she can say anything, Spy speaks. “I can only sleep on a spider infested floor that many times.” Scout raises a brow of that comment, however quickly forgotten when his father says rather seriously. “Jeremy, could you take a seat?”
Scout does, and from the emotions he is getting from both, what both is about to tell him is both exciting and a bit worrying. His dad exchange a look with Zecora, she nods and Spy turns back to Scout. “There’s no slow way saying this, so I’ll just say it. Jeremy, you’re going to be a big brother.”
Scout blinks, taking a moment to comprehend what his dad has just said. When his mind finally understands, he jumps on his hooves. “Holy freaking what?!” He exclaims, staring at Zecora there nods in confirmation that she is indeed pregnant. Scout jaw drops, he… is he going to be an older brother? And his soon to be siblings will be… ponies?! Scout can’t help but laugh weakly at this. “Wow, you really did it huh?”
His face does not show but Scout can feel that his father is not amused by that joke, Scout doesn't find it funny either, he just… well tried to recover from this mindblow with humor. “So… um, how long before…?”

Well, at least his boy is trying to be a bit serious about this, can’t blame Jeremy for being confused about this news. “Unfortunately you won’t be around when the child is born.” Spy tells Scout, scanning the emotions he is getting from his son, Spy sense emotions of dread coming from him. He thinks he has an idea of why. “You know this won’t change anything between us.” Scout does not answer, so Spy walks over and lifts his chin up, making his now red meet Jeremy’s still grey eyes. “This changes nothing between us.” He repeats, wanting to make sure that Scout knows his soon to be sibling won’t replace him. “All there will is that you won’t be the youngest anymore and has a few more responsibilities.”

Scout smiles weakly, the genuine from his father makes him believe Spy means his words, but he does have his doubts. Things will be very different the next time he returns to Equestria, not sure when but he really wants to return. He has several friends here, plus this world is his father’s home now. “Still weird though.”

“I know, but I figure a pony coming to our world would feel the same.” Spy points out.

Yeah, Ignis probably felt like they did when he came to their world for the first time. So maybe this isn’t so weird if thinking it that way. And speaking about the human world, Scout will have plenty of time to get used to the thought of having a younger sibling, he sure hopes he has a better view on it when he returns.

Author's Note

I figure with the lessons Scout has learned that he finally could get on better terms with Miss Pauling-- starting with to push back if he sees something wrong.
it's up to you if you say this was a date, Scout won't though. maybe one day he will score that date, or he will find someone else. time will only tell.
oh and he is going to be an older brother, I really look forward to that part

The Broken Seal

Note: part 1 and made from the episode "The Crystal Empire"
This happens eight days after the last chapter.

Far up north, at the edge of Equestria, a team of royal guard ponies, two of them being captains are standing on a snow-covered hill, watching a city out of crystals there wasn’t there a few days ago. The earth pony captain turns to the century younger unicorn. “Barely has come back from the honeymoon and already dealing with another invasion.” He remarks dryly.

Shining Armor smiles weakly to the other captain with the name of Quick Lance. He looks like an ordinary earth pony in size but this golden brown pony has mastered his earth pony magic and can do a lot of damage when he wishes. “I don’t think this is an invasion like with the Changelings.” He points out, reminding the one hundred and fifteen years old captain. “The princesses said that there once was a kingdom here.” Nodding down to the barely visible kingdom thanks to this heavy snowstorm. “And that must be the kingdom, finally returned after whatever spell there made it disappear in the first place.”

Quick Lance hums of what Shining Armor has said, whatever it’s an invasion or part of their own country returned, he would like to know what they are dealing with in details. “Move out!” He commands the four royal ponies accompanying them, the youngest of them, an orange pegasus eyes the one he has been commanded to escort and Princess Cadence follows the guards down towards the city.
Quick Lance did not really fancy bringing the princess with them, but of two reasons he let her. First; she is a princess which means he is obliged to obey her and second; this newly arrived kingdom was once powered by magic very similar to her special talent.
The group’s movements towards the newly arrived kingdom are slow thanks to the heavy snowstorm and deep snow, Shining Armor stops when he suddenly hears an ominous screech in the storm. “We’re not alone.” and that is the quote that the guards ready their weapons. Several painful and nerve-wrecking moments, they spot the shape of the owner of the screeching but this huge creature never gets in close enough so they can see what it is.
It soon proves that the creature is least of their problems.
Quick Lance turns around when he hears somepony laugh and is ready for anything when a dark grey unicorn without a cutie mark stands not far from them, not at all seems bothered by the raging storm.

“The seal has been broken, the ancient darkness is free once again.” The unicorn says, having a rather creepy smirk on her face. She walks towards the group of guard ponies. “We will cover the land in snow, infect hatred in every heart, and you:” her’s blood red eyes lands on Cadence “Chosen by Harmony will not stop us.” A shield spell surrounds this creepy pony, but she does not stop moving towards them. When passing through the shield, it reveals its true form as a living mass of darkness in form of a pony with white glowing eyes.

Quick Lance recovers first from the startle that Shining Armor’s shield spell had no effect and instead tries to use brute force against this thing. He kicks it right in the chest, enough to snap an oak tree in half and this shadow pony did get thrown away, but when it gets up again, it reveals that even with a broken neck, it does not die.
Its face twists unnaturally with its bent neck. “You cannot stop us.” and turns its neck back to normal.
Black crystals appear around the area and out from them, more shadow ponies appear, one is a pegasus and another is earth pony this one having a sort of shadowy necklace and mouth unnatural big and filled with sharp teeth. This predatory earth pony charges at the group, not at all faced by the spears or magic hitting it. Only flinching when Cadence fires at it. Seeing that, Quick Lance commands the others. “Protect the princess!” Realizing that only her magic has any effect on these creatures. When the monster earth pony charges again, it has a whole group of shadow ponies at its side, enough that the princess does not have the chance to fire at them all. Quick Lance decides to at least give her space and kicks the monster earth pony as the last one did have a small effect. He realizes too late that the shadow pony he kicked before had been faking it for this time its comrade did not budge when he kicked it with all his might. He tries to get away but the shadow pony traps him by biting him over the head, its darkness seeping into his very being and there is nothing he can do to stop it.

“Quick Lance!” Shining Armor calls and shoots a magical being at the shadow pony biting the other captain’s head, but it doesn’t even seem to notice him. The monster shadow pony disappears into Quick Lance and the earth pony stand frozen for a few seconds, then just as Shining Armor is about to ask if he’s alright. Quick Lance lifts his head, revealing that he is NOT alright. His golden brown pelt has lost part of its color and his eyes have the same poison green aura coming as that griffin had under the invasion. “They can do possession..!” Shining Armor gasps in horror and decides to tell the other guards before they all end up like Quick Lance. “Don’t let them touch you! They—“ he never finishes his words for the possessed Quick Lance charged into him, throwing both of them to the snow-filled ground. Shining Armor shoots a magical beam at the possessed captain and at least it does has an effect, on Quick Lance, not on the monster possessing him. “Get out from him!” He shouts, refusing to let this thing keep his mentor and friend under its control.

“He belongs to us.”

Shining Armor eyes snap to another shadow pony, the same one there had the form of a unicorn mare not long ago.

The unicorn smirks down to him. “You cannot stop us.”

The possessed Quick Lance stomps onto his shoulder, a loud crack followed by the agony is enough to say why the shadow ponies chose to possess this earth pony. Shining Armor screams from the pain, he can fight through it sure but the shadow ponies must have known that a unicorn cannot do magic that well when under mental stress such as pain. He has no chance in stopping Quick Lance to steer for another attack, this time the hooves are aimed at his chest and Shining Armor knows that it does not matter if he has armor on; Quick Lance will kill him.

“Shining!” Cadence cries, calling out both her own magic but also the magic residing inside the gold necklace around her neck. “Get off him!” and shoots her Love powered beam at the possessed captain, it does throw Quick Lance off and ignoring the other guards warning not to leave their protective circle. She runs over to her beloved, horrified to see him in such a state. Cadence hugs him, more than ever wishing she knows how to do healing spells but the only healing she can do is for the mind, which isn’t much help to Shining Armor’s broken shoulder.
Then, to both surprise, Shining Armor’s silver necklace starts to shine.

He stares at it for a few seconds, then up to his horn which now has a turquoise magical aura instead of his usual magenta, it's a struggle because of the agony going through his shoulder but Shining Armor succeeds in activating another shield, this time it has an effect on the shadow ponies. They get thrown away from the area and the one possessing Quick Lance gets forced out.
The earth pony captain drops to the ground but slowly gets back up. His now again grass green eyes filled with regret meet Shining Armor’s, but the unicorn captain does not blame his co-worker for his injury. “It wasn’t your fault.” He wheezes through the pain.

Quick Lance still feels horrible as he did almost kill Shining Armor. He… it used his small envy towards Shining Armor from raising in ranks so quickly- made it so bad that he wanted to kill this young stallion. Realizing that, Quick Lance feels like a horrible pony but his pride keeps him from saying it. He does not need a speech of forgiveness, especially not from who is still a colt at heart. Shaking his feelings aside. “We need to warn the princesses about these shadow ponies.”

Forcing himself up on his hooves, “you go.” Shining Armor tells him, he gives his beloved a thankful smile when she uses her magic to support his weight from his broken shoulder. He turns to the other guards, eyes now deadly serious. “I and Cadence need to be sure this kingdom won’t fall into their shadowy hooves.”
“I’ll go with them.” The orange pegasus volunteer, but Shining Armor has seen first-hoof that is a horrible idea. “No Flash Sentry, you saw what happened when Quick Lance tried to fend them off. Only I and Cadence can do this.” The young pegasus guard lowers his head but does not argue.
Quick Lance however, “You two cannot do this alone!” He stomps his hoof into the snow. “You cannot fight with a broken shoulder and— no offense princess but you have no fighting experience.”

“None taken.” Cadence replies honestly, for Quick Lance speaks the truth. Eyeing her beloved. “We need help.” They can't do this alone, that is certain.
Shining armor nods, eyeing his still glowing necklace for a moment. “Those with an Element of Harmony are immune against the shadow ponies.” He turns to his co-workers. “Go, inform the princesses.”

Quick Lance commands the soldiers to leave, he sends the pair one look. “Good luck.” and leaves the area as well.

Shining Armor and Cadence exchange a look with one another before both head towards the kingdom they can just barely see in the heavy snowfall.

*Next day, Ponyville*

Every one of Twilight friends, let it be turned human or pony, are all watching rather calmly the purple unicorn completely freaks out when she got a letter from Princess Celestia that she will be put on a test. Twilight gathers everything and poor Spike is in the crossfire as she levitated, quills, books upon books— some of them rather large at him, she even gives him two huge stacks of flashcards, telling him to quiz her on everything she has ever learned, but looking at the two big stacks, Twilight can clearly see. "That isn't going to be enough cards." And runs over to find more.

Rolling his eyes at Twilight freakout, Spike puts down the flashcard stacks, telling her hard and a bit annoyed over how much she is panicking over this. "Twilight, calm down. It's just a test."

"Just a test?" Twilight repeats, running over and shouts completely out of it that he does not see how important this is. "Just a test!? Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of exam, and you're trying to tell me to calm down because it's just a test?!"

Before answering, Spike does the smart choice in seeking cover behind Solder and borrows the pegasus's helmet. "Uh... yes?" He replies and as expected, Twilight's magic flares and in a scream of frustration, the whole library gets flung to the air for a moment before landing back onto its place. Everyone inside the library got thrown around, Soldier and Spike, both been in the magic's blast radios are covered in magical residue. And that's is where Spike is happy he sought cover and returns the helmet to the startled but okay Soldier.

Getting back on her hooves, Applejack remarks to the others. "I'd say she's handling things pretty well, all things consider." Which the others wholehearted agree, they all know how Twilight can be when she gets stressed out when it comes to pleasing the princess. So instead of arguing and end up like Spike, they simply help her pack her things and send her off.

While Twilight is off doing her test, Miss Pauling informs the mercenaries that according to the last letters they got from those in the human world, Marasmus and Ignis should have that summoning spell ready at any moment. "We don't know what will happen, so it will be best we stick together and don't do anything... crazy." The last she muses as the mercenaries are prone to do crazy things and this world is no better. The mercenaries nod, while Soldier lifts his hoof. "Question Miss Pauling." Miss Pauling turns to him and can only hope he has something worthwhile to say. "Yes, Soldier."

"Candy hair would like to make a goodbye party before we leave."

Miss Pauling raises a brow, not at the whole party thing, that is this Pinkie whole shtick, what does is that Soldier sounds like he would like this party. "Maybe, I don't know. The spell could happen at any moment." She admits.

Soldier frowns lightly behind his helmet. "Then I better tell Derpy and Doc not to make too many American muffins."

Medic blinks from Soldier's words. "I don't know how to make muffins." Turning to Pinkie when she explains him giggling. "Not you silly, Derpy friend Time-Turner is a doctor too." Oh, that does make sense, but Medic doesn’t remember meeting a doctor at the hospital with the name of Time-Turner. Must be another kind of doctor. "I see, well perhaps you should inform them about our soon departure." He tells Soldier, the olive green pegasus salutes and flies off.

"We will make the party as soon Twilight returns." Applejack tells the turned humans, her smile does drop and admits somber to them. "I'm going to miss you guys."

"Same here, it's been strange but fun too." Engineer says chuckling and do hope there is a way for them to return. If not, then he is going to build a way. "Let's try not get strangers."

"Agree" Rarity says, stepping over to the turned humans. "You are always welcome here, but if you could; do kindly give us a warning."
Heavy chuckles at that. "We can't promise." He says, Rarity shrugs, she guess she can adept for a sudden arrival on their part.

Not long after, Soldier with Derpy close behind approaches the group, suggesting mostly to Pinkie that since she already has decorated, they can use her house for this goodbye party. "I have already made some muffins." She says and guides them back to her house, asking. "Where's Twilight?"
"On a test." Rainbow Dash replies, Derpy nods and suggests that the unicorn can join when she is done with it. At her house, Derpy takes the plate of her muffins and offers them to the newly arrived crowd, not long after, Time-Turner arrives back from his lap, having a pair of two colored glasses on his head.
"What's that you have there Doc?" She asks as he does prefer being called that.

"Right now it's just bogus." Time-Turner replies, he takes one of the muffins Derpy offers him and after a bite explains her and anyone interested. "I am trying to create spectacles there allow me to see interdimensional particles of magic but all I got out from it is a pair of fancy, but useless glasses."

"Looks just like a pair of 3-D glasses to me." Scout remarks and has NO idea what this brown earth pony was trying to make out from those glasses, looking around, it seems only the team's eggheads did.

Ah, so this Time-turner is that kind of doctor. Medic is intrigued but this kind of science is more Engineer's field. And so right he is when Engineer asks him. "Have you tried caliber the superluminal vivacity going over the lens?"

"Um, no actually." The Doctor replies and feels a bit silly he didn't think of that, he borrows a few tools from Engineer, does as this fellow scientist suggested and when putting on the glasses again, he cheers. "Great whickering stallions! It worked!" Scanning the whole room to see the particles surrounding them. When looking at the others, he notices that the particles surrounding them are... well, a bit strange. "Huh, that's odd. You- except the miss over there, seems to be attracting a special form of particles."

"May I see?" Engineer asks and Time-Turner gives him the 3-D looking glasses, he blinks of what he is seeing. "Well I be, looks like Doc here just created a pair of glasses there can see the magic of this world. That includes the magic from the Elements." For each of these particles surrounding them has faintly the same color as their element. This is gosh darn fascinating, and a pair he would very much like. Can be useful. "Would you mind show me how you made these?" He asks this pony of his kind of science.

"Of course." Time-turner nods and trots off with Engineer close behind, much to the amusement of the others as Engineer has the face of a child in a candy store.

Scout rolls his eyes though and with Rainbow Dash muttering. "Eggheads." both reclaim another muffin.

***

A few hours later, Twilight returns but the test is far from over it seems. "We are going to the Crystal Empire!" She declares to everyone and must apologize to Derpy and the turned humans that they just don't have time for the party. "This is much more grave and important than a goodbye party. Pack some warm clothing, it's cold where we are going." She explains to them and from what the guard told Celestia what her brother requested, Twilight hands her friends their Element necklaces. Leaves and moments later returns from the library with the turned humans silver colored necklaces.
"I know it's much to ask, especially this close to your departure, but... Celestia suggested it was best you came along." She tells them, hoping they can look past it and aid her and her friends in this mission.

"I'm sorry but this isn't—" Miss Pauling tries to deny this request of the mercenaries service, but again she is reminded that she really isn't their boss's assistant in this world when Soldier rather rudely interrupts her, saying loudly. "We will fight any maggot getting in your way!"
and the others agree, with Heavy saying calmly. "We will follow you." Twilight smiles thankfully and leaves along with her friends to get warmer clothing that can keep them warmer in something way worse than this gentle winter currently surrounding them.
Livid by this disobedience from the mercenaries, Miss Pauling brings them outside from Derpy's house and lectures them with the as loud voice she dares in this town. "What did I say not doing anything crazy? You aren't getting paid to help these ponies!"

"It doesn't matter, they need our aid." Demo argues, not only are these mares and dragon their partners and thus part of the team but they are their friends and in his eye; friends help one another. "The Administrator can fire me if she does not like it."

"Well, I would like my other soul back, but I don't want to leave them to fight on their own." Engineer muses while putting his own magic seeing goggles into his toolbox around his neck.

Heavy nods in agreement, he is the only one of all the mercenaries there did not need warm clothing thanks to his now thicker coat, still needs a hat though. "They are strong, but we are stronger; we know war, they do not." and he will prefer that they did the fighting while the mares fix the problem a more diplomatic manner.

Wouldn't surprise her if these guys won't return to the war Helen has set up when they return, they have been in this world for too long, that's for sure. Those mares have shown them how to make peace instead of causing conflict. She sighs in defeat. "Alright, fine. Go if you must..." and that they do, even Scout leaves, although he does look back after a moment of hesitating, he follows the others.

*North of Equestria’s borders*

After a whole day of travel, the train finally stops at the edge of Equestria, as Twilight warned the winter here is nasty and freezing cold. Everyone, dressed up in warm clothing leave the train and out to the blizzard, the only one there doesn’t look bothered by this freezing cold is Heavy.

Sniper snaps his head upward when he hears an ominous roaring sound. "Something's out there." He muses and calmly yet tensely pulls out his bow and ready an arrow. The mares send him a worried look for his warning, then out to the roaring blizzard when a familiar voice, especially for Twilight calls her name. Out from the storm, Shining Armor slowly appears.

He is covered in a long scarf to protect him against the freezing snow and a pair of goggles to protect his eyes. He removes the goggles and part of the scarf, allowing Twilight and her friends see his weary but beaming face. "Twily! You made it!" He and his younger sister engulfed each other into a warm hug, but the pain in his right shoulder forces him to make it short.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Twilight asks worried from the flinch Shining Armor did when they hugged.

With a sigh, Shining Armor removes part of the winter scarf, revealing a large, nasty bruise and the area looks very wrong. “We ran into some trouble when we tried to reclaim the empire.” The light grey unicorn steps forward, explaining simply. “I’m a doctor.” So Shining Armor lets this doctor pony look at his wound, the other unicorn frowns. “Broken, part of the bones has been shattered. I’m surprised you could walk on it.” Shining Armor does not answer the doctor’s remark nor the horrified look on his sister’s face. A healing spell from the doctor and the pain is gone. Shining Armor tries out his leg and when only feeling a slight ache from having dealt with a broken limp for two days, he gives the doctor pony a thankful nod. Another roar from the distance reminds him they are not safe here. "We'd better get moving. There are things out here we really don't want to run into after dark." He explains and takes the lead, glad that the trip back will go faster now he can stand properly on his right leg.

Fluttershy gulps, eyeing her friends once before asking the older unicorn in a scared whisper. "What kind of things?"

Shining Armor eyes the group, glad to see they all have the Elements, at least then they can protect themselves if they get attacked. "Let's just say that the old filly stories... aren't that fictional as I thought." and he starts leading them through the storming blizzard, warning them to keep an eye out. "Ever since we reclaimed the kingdom, something keeps trying to get in!" He tells them through the roar of the blizzard, "We think it's the unicorn king who originally cursed the place!"

"But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the Empire!" Twilight calls back through the howling wind and sure hope it's just her imagination that she get the sense it is getting colder.

Shining Armor eyes her, calling back. "We sure can use all the help we can get! King Sombra is not all of our problems!" He has to stop for a moment when he almost walked into one of the many statues decorating this large field. He walks around it. “This way!”

The others follow, but they all stop when Pyro remarks. “Hey, it looks like me and Spike.” Making all look up to the stature made out of black crystals, it does look like their two dragons, except this dragon is bigger and spikes differently. Around this dragon statue feet are several what look to be ponies, they seem to be fighting alongside this dragon which is curious as ponies are too afraid to go near any dragon. Before any of them can ask who decided to put such a strange art piece out here, Shining Armor reminds them it is not safe to stay in this area. So they move on.

A howl, louder and clear sign whatever has been hiding in the storm has gotten close. Out from the corner of her eye, Twilight spots something but when she and the others turn, it has disappeared back into the storm. Her brother gasps and tells them hard. "We have to get to the Crystal Empire! Now!"
Another howl, and this time, the creature shows itself. Out from the hail, a horse-like creature, ghostly in appearance and eyes cold as ice appears. Twilight freezes up seeing this creature, something she only thought was part of stories. "I-It can't be!" She cries seeing a live Windigo right before her eyes. The spirit of this winter of hatred howls and the storm gets worse, ice starts to appear on their pelts and wings.
Sniper fires one of his arrows at the creature, but the arrow freezes and drops before it ever hits the target.

"Run!" Shining Armor commands them and they all take the run for it. He does stop and with his own Element necklace shining, he fires a beam at the Windigo there screams in pain from getting hit by the very thing there caused their banishment. With the ice creature down for the moment, Shining Amor follows the others but the danger is not over yet. Out from the dark crystals decorating this field, the Shadow Ponies along with the King of Darkness reappear. The King is still not able to take his solid form but still a great threat. Shining Armor fires another beam powered by love at the King of Darkness but the creature dodges it and forms itself into a mass of shadows, chasing them. Running past another dragon stature Shining Armor readies himself for another attack but to his horror, the light from his necklace fades and he is forced to retreat now that he no longer has the weapon to fight.
Just barely, they all get through the barrier, something the Windigoes and the shadow ponies yet cannot breach. "This way." Shining Armor tells the others and leads them over to a castle made out of crystals.
Inside and sitting on the throne is Cadence, like when he left her, she is exhausted but still keeps her magic going, Shining Armor is happy that the Element of Love is giving her some aid on this task but it's only a matter of time before she collapses from lack of sleep and food. But at least Cadence does have the energy to greet his sister like they always do: with that little silly dance.

"One of these days we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance." Cadence remarks weary from constantly using her magic. Something Twilight notices right away. "Are you okay?"

Shining Armor thinks it's best to explain this now. "Cadence has been able to use her magic and our Element of Love to spread love and light. That seems to be what is protecting this kingdom. But she hasn't slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but only the Elements magic has any effects on King Sombra and the Windigoes and it is powered by Cadence." and from how he no longer can use it, it is clear that Cadence is reaching the limit. The barrier can break any moment.
Of course, Cadence tries to ensure she is fine, but she isn't fooling anyone, least him. "You’re not fine.” He tells her before turning to his sister and friends. “She can't go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what's out there waiting for that to happen."

"That's why we're here." Twilight ensures him, turning to her friends when Applejack corrects her. "Why we're all here." The others hum in agreement. Turning back to her brother, she did notice in his small speech that he mentioned he could use his twin Element of Love as a weapon. "Shining Armor, you said you were using your side of the Element of Love as a weapon against Sombra?" He nods. "Could you teach us how you did it?"

That he can, figures they are going to need all the firepower they can get "Those of us carrying the silver necklace can draw power from our partner— what I understand, those having the gold necklace holds the Element in itself. Alright, find your partner."
they do
"Twilight, you and your friends need to activate your element on your partners, when the necklace starts to glow, the connection is set and you-" He eyes those with the silver necklace. "-should be able to fight Sombra, just be careful not to overuse it.” He eyes his wife worried. “It’s only so much magic our partners have." They nod and Twilight and her friends activate their elements. The brown one-eyed unicorn and the royal blue bug-pony necklace starts to shine. But a yelp from the others sign that something is wrong.

Confused that she cannot form this connection her brother spoke about and worried that it seems to cause Medic pain, she stops and asks him. "What's wrong?"

Medic caress his chest with a pained frown from that experience, he felt Twilight's magic tried to force his soul to mend with his other and did for a split second see through RED Medic's eyes of him doing a sort of experiment on some poor bastard, not that it matter much. What did is he and the others- minus Spy and Demo, cannot use their necklace as a weapon. "We need a complete soul." He whispers to Twilight.
Her eyes wide, but shows she understands. She turns to her brother. "Only Demo and Spy will be able at the moment. The others are dealing with a sort of blocking curse."

Something is a bit fishy about that explanation but he is sure Twilly has her reasons, so pushing that aside, Shining Armor asks the two who succeed to activate their necklace. "What Element do you carry?"

"I and Demo carry Honesty." Applejack answers.

"Guidance is the element I and Spy carry inside." Zecora reply smiling up to the changeling.

"Well, I am unsure if those two Elements will be much use against Sombra." Shining Armor muses and suggests the group. "But there is something else I would ask of you. With Cadence putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me taking some of the pressure off by fighting Sombra. We haven't been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies."

Hearing that even the ponies here are out of crystal, Rarity burst of ecstatic, so much she is pulling her own mane, making a few strands of hair crack off from the Windigo ice. "There are Crystal Ponies?!" A tap on her shoulder, followed by Engineer's voice. "Hold your horses there Rarity." She laughs embarrassed by her own distraction and tells the eyebrow raised Shining Armor. "Please continue."

Pushing aside that one being excited over something not important at the moment, Shining Armor explains. "We have to believe one of them knows how we can protect the Empire without having to use Cadence's or the Element of Love's magic."

After a moment of thoughts, Twilight exclaims excitedly. " A research paper!" Much to her brother's confusions and something she is more than happy to explain. "That must be part of my test– to gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! This is gonna be great! I love research papers!"

"Yeah, who doesn't?" Rainbow Dash asks Pinkie sarcastically, of course, said pink pony took it literally and suggests pretty much everypony she thinks will like it. She finishes off by suggesting Medic who has both an annoyed and 'it's Pinkie for you' kind of look.

Twilight nudges her brother, ensuring him not to worry. "Don't worry, big brother. I am really good at this sort of thing." Shining Armor nods in a sign he trusts her on this one.

Author's Note

having to deal with Windigos and Shadow Ponies does increase the risk of this battle instead of a slow pacing shadow king they dealt with in the show.
this is also the introduction of a rather big sidestep of the show on my part. you will see what I mean in future chapters.

Fight for the Crystal Empire

Note: This happens right after the last chapter.
part 2 and made from the episode "The Crystal Empire"

The group of friends heads out to gather information from the Crystal Ponies. Turns out that is harder than exspected. None of them remembered anything and what they do remember they don't want to as that is about Sombra.
"Must be a very powerful memory spell." Twilight hypnotizes to Medic when the crystal pony they spoke with returns back to her house.

Medic did have sort of same thoughts and seeing how the coat gets affected in ponies, he does get a small theory about his and the situation of the others with their split soul. "I have noticed ponies coats change into a darker or more grayish tone when something is not right with them."

Now that he mentions it, Twilight has noticed that. Demo’s pelt turned brighter when he managed to mend his soul together. "So you are saying that these crystal ponies are under some sort of dark spell? Like the one there split your souls?" Medic chuckles lightly, smiling weakly down to her. "Well, I don't think they are dealing with a split soul but instead a dark spell. This Sombra wants them to forget something important. If I was him, I would've made them forget the very thing that can stop my takeover."
"My thoughts exactly, but now the question:" Twilight scans the crystal coated city. "what is it he doesn't want us to find?" Medic has no answer to that question.

The others weren't doing much better, either they scared the ponies or they couldn't get anything out from them. And then there is Pinkie, she dressed up in black and scaled the buildings like an undercover agent, when two of the crystal ponies spotted her, they ran, crying; "It's a spy!" Which made all of the mercenaries turn instinctive, only see it is Pinkie. Getting over their spy paranoia Pinkie inadvertently spurred up before they start to snicker when the real spy appears from seemly no-where and looks quite offended at the pink pony.
Other than that and Engineer having to keep the ecstatic Rarity in check as she is busier image herself and the surrounding ponies sparkling like crystals, they get very little info from the crystal ponies. When the group meets up again Spy reveals he did gather one thing. "I heard about a library before... " he shoots a small glare to the oblivious Pinkie. "Some other tried to do my job." To glance down to Zecora when she giggles at his annoyance.
At least Twilight found his small info as the best news ever as she speeds off to find the library. The others follow and at the library which has two stature of griffins and seeing those, Spy just can't help himself. "Oh look, there are other griffins there knows how to stay in the same place for hours."

"Shut up Spook!" Sniper growls, shooting the others a glare for laughing at this stupid joke.

Inside the library they meet an elderly pony, ignoring Twilight having a fangasm of being in this place and seeing so many books. Applejack asks the librarian pony if the place has a book about any history of the Crystal Empire, or just something that can tell them what protected the empire to begin with. But like any other crystal pony, this elderly one is no help. So after have put the swirling Twilight back to the present, they start searching for anything there might help them.
It took them several hours, but they found the book and one step closer to defeat the Shadow Pony and Windigoes prowling outside Cadence magical field.

Returning back to her brother and Cadence, Twilight explains to them what this book is telling them. "A 'Crystal Faire'. According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition. The Faire was held every year to 'renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm'." She lets her brother read the pages from the book about this. "My friends and I could put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book!"

"That sounds pretty promising." Shining Armor smiles at Cadence but drops in his worry that his wife is barely able to stay awake.

Worried for her sister in law, Twilight tells her brother. "We'll get started right away. Come on, Spike, we've got a Crystal Faire to put together!" Spike carries the heavy book back to the awaiting others. After a deep breath, trying to calm her starting to get ragged nerves, she explains the others what they have to do to put up this very important Faire.
Rainbow and Soldier dress up to a game of jousting.
Spy track down and hands Rarity the fabric needed to make the empire's flag.
Zecora, Derpy and Applejack gather crystal berries to make sweets out from them.
Sniper and Fluttershy track down the native animals- also being crystal coated to the petting zoo.
Engineer, Heavy, Demo and Pyro build and put up the tents needed for the festivities, here Pyro shows a neat trick that she can trap her flames inside a crystal ball as beautiful lights.
Scout find a suitable crystal block for Twilight and she uses her magic to carve a heart-shaped statue out from it as the book did mention something about a crystal heart.
With everything done, Twilight calls for the Crystal Ponies attention, inviting them to the Faire.
At first the crystal ponies are nervous and hesitant but slowly, one by one their coats start to shine as hope returns to them, and then start to remember.

Two of the crystal ponies are especially excited to hear about the crystal heart, the one with a golden coat and rose-colored hair asks her friend excited. "Do you think they really have it?" and Rainbow, who has been in hearing range flies over; telling them confidently. "Of course we have it! Can't have a Crystal Faire without the Crystal Heart, right?"

"Of course you can't." Rainbow, the two crystal ponies and the candy eating Pyro all turn their gaze and attention to the elderly librarian pony there explains both to them and herself. "The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so the light within them can power the Crystal Heart so that the Empire can be protected!" and gasps as if she remembers the most important thing in the world. "I do work at the library!" Her coat starts to shine like crystal as she starts to remember happier times.
Rainbow, however, is starting to get nervous of what this elderly pony is telling her. "W-What's that about 'powering the heart'?" The crystal pony didn't notice she was getting nervous. "I can't believe you found it." She exclaims happily to Rainbow Dash. "King Sombra said he'd hidden it away where we would never see it again! I only hope it will still be as powerful after all these years...! Mm, funnel cake." She notices and walks away, leaving Rainbow with her jaw dropped from what she has just heard.

Turning away from the beautiful ponies, Pyro asks Rainbow worried. "Something wrong?" but she never got the answer, for Rainbow Dash takes to the sky and Pyro can admire the rainbow trail she leaves behind. "Ohh, so pretty!" and Pyro returns back to eating the candy.

In her flight Rainbow grabs the flag Rarity made and puts it over the carved crystal, much to Twilight's confusions and annoyance, turned into great worry when Rainbow says scared. "I think we have a problem." She tells the unicorn what that crystal pony told her. Twilight reads the book again and gasps of what she first now notices. "Oh no.." and she runs over to speak with her brother about this.

While Twilight speaks with her brother that the crystal heart is not just an ornament but an actual relic, Cadence reaches her limit and passes out. With the barrier greatly weaken the Windigoes breaks inside, spreading dread and fear in the hearts of the already weak Crystal Ponies. The Crystal Ponies coats start to fade in color and flee from the scene, chased by the ice spirits.
The Shadow Ponies and Sombra, fortunately, cannot breach the greatly weaken barrier, but that is only in a matter of time.
One of the Windigoes captures one of the Crystal Ponies, but before it can do any harm. A sword surrounded with an orange aura cuts through its body, making it see the truth of what it is. The Windigo roars in pain and flees.

"Yeah run away you frozen specter!" Demo shouts at it as the Windigo flees. He turns to the weapon there seemly came out from no-where and grins with this sword starts to speak. "Where am I— what the hell happened to you?!"
"Long story." He answers Eyelander and ready it for battle. "Now it's time to fight!"
"Yes, give me some heeaads~" The sword replies and Demo will give it just that, Windigo heads.
The others try to help but without the power of their elements, they are practically defenseless. Only he and Spy can fight these spirits of ice.
And just as Demo thinks about Spy, the Changeling drops his disguise as a Windigo and stab the one he snuck up behind with a knife made out of an ocean blue aura. The Windigo lets out a small screech, then stops and look almost dumbly at Spy. He tells it something and it flies off, attacking the other Windigoes. Demo stops dumbfounded seeing that. "The bloody hell did you do?"

Spy lands beside him, smirking. "Guidance is a sort of brainwash."

Reminds him never to get stabbed of Spy's new Element powered toy. "Right... you better not get funny ideas with your knife." Spy rolls his eyes, turns into a Windigo again and flies off to find another victim. Demo gallops off to chase those spirits of the cursed winter off.

While those two did the fighting, Twilight informs Engineer and Rainbow Dash that they need to keep the Faire going. "If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the Empire again, their spirits are gonna be anything but lifted."

"That will be troublesome." Engineer muses, nodding to their only two members able to fight the breached Windigoes. "Those ice creatures have already broken their spirit."

"That's why we have to keep the Faire going." Twilight Sparkle says, so knows it will be hard but they have to do it. "It won't matter if I find the Crystal Heart. If they have no hope then they won't be able to make it work!"

It seems they really have to do this. "Alright, Twilight, I will inform the rest." Engineer says and Rainbow promise they will do their best keeping the Crystal Ponies happy. This is really doing the ignorant is bliss to the extreme, for if they do not keep the ponies happy then this might be the end of this empire.
He finds Heavy and Pyro and explains to them the situation. "Whatever happens, we have to keep them happy." Adding to Pyro. "Let them see the rainbows and all that." But to his surprise, Pyro is not smiling at his suggestion.

"I can't make them happy by setting them on fire."

Engineer and Heavy stare at Pyro, both shocked to hear that she knows what the rainbows in her fantasy land really was. "Y-You know?" Engineer asks.
Pyro nods slowly. "I do... it hurt a lot knowing my happy place wasn't happy for others. But..." She fiddles with her claws. "Balloonicorn said that I no longer needed my happy place, because... because I have friends now. Friends there gives me true happiness and not the fake one my fantasy land gave me."
Hearing this is both heartbreaking and such a relief that Pyro has lost Pyroland. He never thought he would see the day when the firebug can see the real world. "When did it disappear?"

"I... I am not sure." Pyro admits, it was sort of a slow progress and she is happy about that. Saying goodbye to her fantasy world all at once would've been hard, but she is also glad that she now knows this is real and not fake, the only thing remaining of her fantasy land is Ballonicorn. Speaking about reality. "We need to keep these pretty ponies happy?" Engineer nods, well in that case. Pyro lets out a burst of flames, at first startling the ponies but then watch in wonder when this fire starts to fly around like fireflies.

Heavy gives Engineer a questioning look, asking him quietly. “You know she can do that?” Engineer shakes his head, pokes the giggling dragon and asks her. "Uh, where did you learn to do that?"

"I just can." Pyro smiles.
Engineer and Heavy exchange a look with one another, quietly deciding just to go with it. Engineer turns back to her. “Alright, can you keep on making pretty fireflies to them?” Pyro nods that she sure will and the two runs out to see what they can do to get the Crystal Ponies spirit up.

The moment he heard that Twilight is trying to find the real Crystal Heart, Medic gallops over to find her, he does inside the castle just as she and Spike step into the throne room. "Twilight!" He calls, she turns and looks really surprised seeing him here.
"Medic? What are you doing here? You should be out helping the others with the Faire." Hut he thinks they got it covered without him, right now he thinks his aid is most needed here. "You need my aid more." He replies Twilight simply.

"But Celestia's orders was only I could—" Twilight objects but Medic stops her, saying with that bit insane grin of his. "Listing to others orders are no fun, now, tell me what you go so far." Groaning in defeat, Twilight explains him of her theory that Sombra must've kept the Crystal Heart hidden somewhere inside the castle. "If my theory is correct this isn't Sombra's castle- well it is but it didn't look like this."

Medic thinks he gets where she is going. "Hm yes, this place is a bit too bright for an evil overlord."

Twilight nods. "Exactly, so some dark magic should do the trick." and tries to copy the magic Celestia showed her, before she could let the negative emotions take root and form the magic, Medic taps her head with his horn, she feels a memory spell and the memory of Celestia's trick flashes over her eyes. She turns to Medic confused about why he did that. He smiles down at her. "If anyone can do that sort of magic, it will be me." She is about to argue that this is a test Celestia gave her, but before she can. Dark magic bursts out from Medic's horn and it hit the crystal over the throne. Forming a large shadow over the floor and a pathway is revealed. Turning back to the grey unicorn, Twilight gasps when seeing Medic cannot dismiss the magic. Before the magic causes him any harm. Twilight helps him dismiss it. "I should've known dark magic is not something to take lightly." She apologizes and feels quite bad this happen to him.

Shaking his head from the surge of dark magic, Medic muses. "No, and we can't have the conduit of the Elements of Harmony gets corrupted." For if he was an evil overlord, then that is exactly what he would try. A small poke on his side snaps him back to the worried looking Twilight.

"I don't want it to happen to you either Medic."

Touched but does also pity her naivety for not seeing that he is already corrupted. That dark spell was too easy to make, and too hard to dismiss because… a big part of him likes to cause harm on others… "I'm not a good person, Twilight." Medic reminds her and starts walking down the stairs, musing. "I wonder why the Elements chose people like us."

It's because they are good, just been exposed to some really bad things. That's what Twilight thinks anyway, but knowing Medic, she doubts he will think the same even if she said it. She follows Medic down but does stop to tell Spike. "You stay up here." Much to his relief.
Catching up to her partner, Twilight looks up when Spike asks from the opening above. "Can you see what's down there yet?!"
Activating her horn to glow as it is starting to get hard seeing the stairs, Medic follows her example and she calls up to Spike. "Not yet. I can't even tell how far down this goes!" So she levitates a piece of rock over and drops it down. It takes way longer than she excepted to hear the rock land. Exchanging a worried look with Medic, Twilight calls up to Spike. "Can you see outside?!"

Spike runs over to the nearby window and looks out, what he sees is troubling. The barrier is failing quickly and dark crystals are starting to appear right at the edge of the empire. He cannot really tell, but he swears that ponies out of shadows are forming from them." It's not good! Cadance's magic must be fading faster than before!" He calls back.

Then there is no time to lose, Twilight sets in a gallop and with Medic close behind they run as fast as they can down the spiraling stairs. Reaching the end, they spot a door but when Twilight tries to open it, the door 'flees' away.

Chasing it bit around, Medic gets enough and shoots a beam of dark magic formed by his frustrations at it, the door stops and opens.
He and Twilight step inside, but to his surprise. Medic suddenly finds himself as human again and... and... "Oh no..." He gasps, recognizing this place from his nightmares. The hospital wing is small and clean, no signs of what horrors he has done in here, only thing warning people of the danger when stepping inside is the smell of decayed flesh from spots the mob couldn’t reach and when the wind is blowing the wrong way, the stench of burned flesh can be smelled from the massive graves hidden behind the trees. He hears moaning and turning around he sees people, skin, and bones, mangled by the experiments he did to them. He shudders of the mere sight and knows he deserves every foul word they throw at him: murder, the devil, butcher, monster... Nazi.
Even though he was misled, thinking it was for the greater good it was never an excuse to cut them up like pigs for slaughter, experiment as if they were nothing but objects he could simply throw away when done. He lost his sanity in this place, lost his morality just to survive himself, and all in the name of science. Was the knowledge he gained here really worth it?

"Medic! Snap out from it!"

He shakes his head and the horrible scene of Auschwitz's so called hospital wing fades away. Blinking Medic finds himself again in form of a pony, standing before the open door, it takes him a moment to realize what has happened. "Mein gott... it felt so real..." He muses, putting a hoof up to his forehead dripping in cold sweat.

Twilight closes the door, she has seen more than enough to know this door is bad news. Poor Medic, not even the Hydra had scared him like this, he kept saying he was misled and sorry and... he deserved whatever punishment whoever he saw wanted to give him. Turning to the grey unicorn. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Medic lies and after having taken a deep breath to calm his fast beating heart, he begins to theorize what this door does from what he saw. "This door must’ve had the ability to look into our minds and show someone greatest fear."

Twilight only nods, right now she is more worried about her partner's well being. "You... want to talk about it?" He sends her a look, one there is serious for once. "You will never see me the same way if I told you. Now:" He starts pacing back and forward, mumbling to himself. "This door is powered by dark magic which shows ones worst fear—"
"So what happens it gets powered by light magic?" Twilight says, pushing aside Medic’s hurtful and indirect words he did not trust her. She thinks about all her wonderful friends and shoots a beam of light magic on the door. The door opens again and this time it leads to another room. Clapping her hooves Twilight trots inside, but the second she sees what's in here, she sighs loudly. "More stairs...."
looking up.
"Lots and lots of stairs." Well, better start walking.

Meanwhile outside, the others are desperately trying to keep the other ponies spirit up, which is really hard for now they are dealing with creature way tougher than a Windigo.
Spy yelps when the shadow pegasus's black wings catch him and pretty sure the only thing saving him from getting his mind twisted into his evil self is the glowing necklace around his neck as the shadow pony sneers in pain and throws him off. He rolls a few times over the ground when he stops he spots yet another dark crystal appearing and another shadow pony manifest. "give up, the seal is broken." The earth pony of shadows tells him and steps onto his tail. Spy kicks it off, grossed out when it felt like he kicked a mass of goo. He quickly gets away from it, joining Demo who has his own share of trouble with the growing horde of ponies of shadows. "Where's respawn when you need it?" The unicorn muses and Spy wholeheartedly agrees that he could use respawn by now. And just as they need it, a Windigo appears, throwing a freezing wind at them, stunning them for the Shadow Ponies.
However, they got warmed up— literally by a burst of flames. And Pyro lands right in front of them, really embracing her being a dragon as she roars at the Windigo and spews a stream of fire at it. The ice spirit flees from the flames and she chases it. Startlet by Pyro's sudden arrival and departure, Spy and Demo eye one another before returning back to the fight against the Shadow Ponies.

From the city Pinkie and Scout is watching the battle of the only three standing a chance from a distance. Pinkie sighs. "These meanie-pants should smile a bit more." Turning to the starting to panic Crystal Ponies. "The sparkly ponies too."
Scout’s nods in agreement, then get an idea. “Then let's cheer them up!" and from seemly nowhere, pulls out a boombox, turns it on and a cheerful song leave the speakers. Pinkie blinks then giggle. “Oh good one!” and starts trotting through the crystal streets with Scout right beside her.

"My name is Pinkie Pie— hello!" She greets a passing crystal pony.

Scout joins her, grinning. "And we are here to say— How ya doin'?"

"I'm gonna make you smile and I will brighten up your day.
It doesn't matter now."

"What's up?" Pinkie one-arm hugs two gloomy looking crystal ponies
"If you are sad or blue,
'Cause cheering up my friends is just what Pinkie's here to do."

She pulls the two crystal ponies over, letting them trot alongside with them.

"'Cause I love to make you smile, smile, smile
Yes I do
It fills my heart with sunshine all the while
Yes it does
'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine
I like to see you grin— Awesome!" Pinkie grins of Rainbow and Soldier doing the game of jousting.
"I love to see you beam—Rock on!" Scout pretends to play on a guitar.

"The corners of your mouth turned up is always Pinkie's dream—Hoof bump!"
Scout and a random pony hoof bump, making them both smile.
Pinkie steps over to those worried of the darkening clouds from the Windigoes.
"But if you're kind of worried
And your face has made a frown
I'll work real hard and do my best to turn that sad frown upside down."

She dresses up as a clown and doing a crazy dance, the crystal ponies laughs- which made the shadow ponies in the distance flinch in pain.
Scout pulls Pinkie over and the two trots down the street, now with a small crowd of crystal ponies

"'Cause I love to make you grin, grin, grin
Yes I do
Bust it out from ear to ear let it begin
Just give me a joyful grin, grin, grin
And you fill me with good cheer"

Scout steps over to some shaking in fear ponies.
"It's true some days are dark and lonely
And maybe you feel sad."

He wraps a hoof over their shoulders, snapping them out from their fear.
"But Pinkie and Scout will be there to show you that it isn't that bad."

Scout takes flight and lands beside Pinkie, singing out to the now way more cheerful crowd.
"There's one thing that makes us happy and makes our whole lives worthwhile
And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smile
I really am so happy
Your smile fills me with glee
I give a smile I get a smile
And that's so special to me
'Cause I love to see you beam, beam, beam
Yes I do
Tell me what more can I say
To make you see
That I do
It makes me happy when you beam, beam, beam
Yes it always makes my day.”

Both Pinkie and Scout’s grin widen when a silver necklace having a blue crystal in form of a winged shoe appears around his neck. They turn to the crouwd, singing together.

“Come on everypony smile, smile, smile
Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine
All I really need's a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine
Come on everypony smile, smile, smile
Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine
All I really need's a smile, smile, smile
From these happy friends of mine."

Up in the castle, Shining Armor, while holding his close to passing out wife and watches the shadow ponies are starting to struggle under the joy the song of the two ponies are making. Spike is watching as well and like many other has trouble in not having a smile.
The joyous moment for Spike is however broken when a pegasus out of shadows flies past his window, startling him so much he lands on the floor. Getting back up and looking out from the window he notices this shadow creature is heading straight to the top of the castle, it is after something, but—"Twilight!" He gasps and with only a moment of hesitating, he crawls out from the window and follows the shadow creature.
He loses his grip and to his horror drops to the ground below.
Then, something stops his fall. Looking up he sees it's that adult female dragon: Pyro. She smiles at him. "Silly Spike, you can't drop down like that, you're not Soldier." She lectures him playfully. Spike grin sheepishly up to her, admittedly a bit nervous around Pyro because his past experience with adult dragons hasn't been the greatest. "Thanks... " Looking up to the spire where the shadow pegasus is flying. He has to brush of his fear for Pyro and meets the adult dragons yellow eyes determent. "I need your help."

"Sure, what do you need?"

Spike points up to the spire, explaining the worry he feels for Twilight. Pyro lets him ride on her neck and the adult dragon starts climbing, ensuring him. "We will get to your friend."
He can only hope they get to her and Medic in time.

Inside the spire of the castle, Twilight got sick of walking the stairs, so she made a gravity spell which made both her and Medic slide the way up. She found that quite fun while Medic just had trouble keeping his balance. When the slide did end and she dismissed the spell, they both drop onto the top floor. Medic starts to giggle madly and says while drying his eyes from tears of his laughter. "You have to teach me that spell."
She smiles back, does drop though when she spots a bright blue shining crystal heart, the artifact they have been looking for.
Getting on her hooves, she looks to Medic and after an encouraging nod from him, she walks over to retrieve the heart. But the second she steps onto the platform, an alarm sound. Twilight is about to grab the heart and flee but can't in fear from the huge claw there has appeared only a tail swipe away from her.
Both to the two unicorns stare in horror when the owner of that claw appears after dismissing an invisibility spell, revealing a huge dragon in dark grey armor covering most of its light blue scales. Head is completely covered in a helmet having a black mane sticking out from the back there covers several of the spikes. Underneath the helmet's blood red horns, poison green glow is spotted between the crevices for the eyes.
Snapping out from the horror, Twilight leaps out for the heart, to only get slapped away from it by that dragon’s tail. She gets up a shield spell just in last second when this dragon unleashes its flames on her and Medic before slamming its claws onto the sheild. Twilight grunts from the stress of the beating her spell are taking from this dragon. “I-I can’t hold on much longer...” She groans, Medic tries to help but that only prolongs the evadable.

Then one blow and the shield breaks, the shockwave knocks Twilight into a nearby pillar and Medic lands right beside the Crystal Heart. Noticing that he jumps up and takes it with his magic, turning around he realizes why the dragon hasn’t tried to stop him: Its full attention is on Twilight. He turns his horn towards the dragon, hoping his magic will be strong enough to make it turn to him instead.

"Destroy it."

Medic grey eyes wide and he spins around, a pegasus of shadows lands not far from him. Slowly, like a predator, it walks around him.

"Obey and the darkness will grant you the power you seek."

Tempting but he's done making deals with the devil. "I'll pass." Medic says and turns his attention back to the dragon. He fires at it and growling the dragon turns to him. However it does not attack, he gets the answer to why when the shadow pony— the master of this dragon appears right before him, holding his gaze with its void-like eyes.

"Aren't you curious what is powering this artifact?" The shadow pegasus asks instead. "What makes it tick? Did you know this form of crystal is sentient?"

"It is?" Medic blinks and must say he is intrigued hearing that. He did not hear Twilight calling for him thanks to the deep growl made by the dragon.

The shadow pony nods, pointing at the crystal shaped heart with its wing. "The crystal is only a shell, what lies behind: well that's the question." It steps closer to this pony there has so much darkness, so easy to take over, there is no need to force a possession. "Crack it open and satisfy your curiosity."

Medic's mind slowly gives in to the darkness tainting him by its mere presence. He turns to the Crystal Heart, his horn starts to glow in a stronger blue, which is slowly going darker.

"Medic!" Twilight cries horrified, but she can do nothing but watch that shadow pony corrupting her friend. "Leave him alone!" But her gallop to Medic comes to a sudden halt when the dragon slams its claw onto her, forcing her to the floor. The shadow pegasus eyes her and she flinches when its face twists in an unnatrual large grin filled with pointy teeth.

"He belongs to the shadows, and when he is done with the heart of Harmony:" the shadow pony turns fully to her. "The conduit will be removed from this bearers neck and thrown into the void—"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!"
The dragon gets thrown off its feet when a smaller one in form of Pyro suddenly appears. The bigger dragon roars and in attempt to get Pyro off its back, hits Medic with its tail, snapping him out from his mild mind-control. He looks up and in last second leaps away just as the roaring evil dragon steps where he stood seconds ago. Pyro unleashes a burst of green flames at the bigger dragon’s face, it roars in pain, does block it with its claws but an attempt to remove itself from the harm, it stumbles and falls over the edge. Pyro grins along with Spike as both have an Element of Harmony necklace around their necks.

"Spike, you..." Twilight gasps seeing her nr. 1 assitanse has earned an Element of Harmony.

Spike grins and bursts his chest proudly, showing his gold necklace with a green gem in form of three of his spikes. Pyro's is in form of a flame. "Sweet isn't it? No idea what element it represents though." He must admit, but boy is he sure glad it appeared. For that means: "We can fight you!" He calls to the flying around Shadow Pony. With her silver necklace glowing from the Element he got chosen to carry, Pyro's breathe out another wave of flames. However the Shadow Pony dodges the harmful fire and although it will be banished from this world, the pony grabs the Crystal Heart and throws it over the egde. It dissolves from the overwhelming light magic.

"No, the heart!" Twilight cries seeing the Crystal Heart falls to its destruction.

Without hesitating, Pyro leaps out after the falling Crystal Heart, Spike is clinging to her spikes for dear life. She catches the heart, but when a sudden pillar of dark crystals burst right before her, she slams so hard into it that she drops the heart. Spike leaps down her back and at the egde of Pyro's tail. He catches the heart. "I got it!" He cheers, which gets replaced with a cry of fear when he almost gets his head bitten off by that big evil dragon.
Seeing that one still wants to play, Pyro leaps onto this pillar, the evil one swiftly follows and even though it is hanging on the side of this pillar, it is more than large enough to tower over Pyro and the terrified Spike. The dragon roars and lunges its fangs into Pyro side, she yelps in pain and tries to get it off by breathing fire at it. It did hurt the bigger dragon, but by command of the shadows, it refused to let go.
More pillars sprout up from the ground, on one of them, a grey unicorn dressed as a king with the tip of the horn blood red appears. His poison green and blood red eyes land on the Crystal Heart a certain baby dragon is holding in his claws.
‘The evil dragon is a distraction!” Balloonicorn cries, Pyro snaps her eyes to the surrounding and realizes he’s right. “Go!” Pyro commands Spike, and returns back to the bigger evil dragon. “I got this one!”

Spike hesitates, he knows bringing the heart will save the kingdom, but he just can’t leave Pyro! Determent to help his partner. Spike runs up her back and attacks the evil dragon. It flinches but refuses to let go, instead, it pieces its teeth deeper into Pyro’s body. “Let. Her. GO!” He cries, hitting the dragon’s head again and this time it lets go, but it happens so fast that Spike got flung off Pyro’s back. He cries in fear but still, he reaches out and grabs the Crystal Heart.

The Shadow King: Sombra appears on another pillar of dark crystals, right underneath the falling Spike. "Chosen by Harmony, you will die in dispair!" He roars and turns his glowing horn of dark magic at the falling dragon to strike him down.

Just then, Shining Armor takes a quick decision. He picks up his exhausted wife and the moment she spread her wings from feeling the Crystal Heart; powered by the same Love magic their elements represent. He throws her with all his might.
Cadence catches Spike and the Crystal Heart, feeling the hearts magic, she flies down to the crystal ponies and lands before them. "The Crystal Heart has returned! Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not win!" She returns the heart to its rightful place. The crystal ponies coats start to shine again and with a smile on their faces from the love and hope they now feel, they release their magic and powers the heart.

The Shadow Ponies sense the danger flees by their dark gems, right before the light from the crystal ponies destroys them. Sombra, however, refuses to follow his kin, he did once last attempt in stopping the heart from getting fully powered and attacks one of the bearers. The baby dragon cries, but before he could do the same he did to the others. The dragon lord’s jaw clams down on him and throws him off just as the heart unleashes its magic. Sombra roars as he is banished from the realm.

The Windigoes, feeling utter agony from being in the area flees and their everlasting winter draws back, revealing a field filled with statues of dragons and ponies. The city itself gets coated in an aura there makes everything look like crystals, something no dark creature will be able to handle. A single Windigo did not get away from the area fast enough and shatters into the snow it was created from, its brethren leave the area, returning to the mountains where no sentient being ever go.

"This better not be permanent." Sniper grumbles from seeing his body has been turned crystal looking. The other mercenaries are also quite surprised seeing themselves like this, Spy isn't really bothered, in fact, he is busier adoring Zecora's now crystal looking coat. Rolling his eyes Sniper turns his attention to Pyro who struggles on her feet from the battle from that fight with that bigger dragon— at least that one seems to be on their side now as it throws off the evil armor.
This bigger, light blue with darker stripes, orange spikes dragon glances once at Pyro before turning to the very shaken up Spike.
It goes down on all four, saying with a female voice and to everyone’s huge surprise; especially Spike. “My son.”

Spike stares up at the same dragon there not long ago tried to kill him and Pyro, now claiming him to be her son. Which means she is… “M-Mom?” He stutters slowly, not sure how to react to this.
The female dragon claiming to be his mother nods and explains. “The Crystal Heart banished the darkness there held me trapped for so long. Thank to you and—“ turning to Pyro who has, fortunately, more or less recovered, at least enough to giggle seeing herself being all sparkly. “and your friend, I am free once again.” She turns back to him, this time with tears in her own green eyes. “My son, you have no idea how proud and happy I am seeing you alive and well.”
That broke the ice, Spike’s eyes well up in tears, he runs over, lets her hold him in her huge claws and does something he has only dreamed about; he hugs his own mother.

“Wait, that’s Spike’s mom?” Engineer asks rather startled, he eyes Pyro who is far from being that size and whistle. “Boy, you still have some growing to do.” Pyro giggles in response. She and the others turn to the Crystal Ponies when one of them exclaims: “The Drakes! I remember now!” and she turns to Spike with huge eyes of awe. “Dragonlord Nila’s son saved us all!” and every Crystal Pony cheers Spike’s name. Spike laughs weakly, not sure how to properly react on the praise, less so when his newfound mother gives him the proudest smile ever.

Up in the tower, Twilight watches the scene down below, smiling just as proudly and relieved that Spike saved this kingdom and returned that huge dragon back to normal. “Well done Spike.” She muses before turning to Medic, like everyone else has his coat glittering as crystal. Her smile fades slightly, for like with Spy and Sniper when they faced a Shadow Pony, he gave into it scarily quickly. “Medic, are you alright?” She asks him worried.

Medic sighs, he is far too aware of his shortcoming. “I told you; I am not a good person.” Nodding to where the pegasus shadow pony got destroyed. “And they know it.”

“The Elements chose you” Twilight argues, but that only seems to make Medic angrier as he laughs darkly. “The Elements didn’t choose us! The people we work for used the banished shards for the machine keeping us alive!” He yells at her, shaking his head in anger. “We were only the lucky bastards there didn’t die, we do not deserve them…!”
But Twilight does not believe that. All of the turned humans has shown— proven themselves to be an Element bearer, even Medic. “You’re wrong.” He snorts, Twilight ignores it and walks up beside to him. He needs to hear this. “I admit that none of you are paragons, but neither are I and my friends! None of us are perfect nor the greatest example and that’s okay!” She taps Medic lightly on the chest, happy he didn’t hit it away. “You have done some horrible things, you all have; I get that but I and my friends have seen the goodness in you." He does not look convinced so she tries another approach. "Would a bad pony try and heal others?”

“I only heal because it’s my job.”

“Wasn’t your job helping anypony here, you can deny it all you want but I know you want to help others.” Twilight retorts, Medic looks away but she is not done with him.
“If you are so bad as you say, then why didn’t you let that dragon attack me?” She didn’t get an answer, but the gleam in his eyes reveals he knows exactly why but too proud to admit it’s because he cares.
Twilight smiles up at him. “Would he have friends to lecture him?”

Medic can’t hold back a smile there, he pushes her a bit away. “Alright, that’s enough.” Twilight giggles but does stop on her lecture. Glad she did it though, he feels a bit better.

They meet up with the others in the throne room, Medic and Twilight blink when a zealous Spike tells them that the dragon there attacked them happens to be his mother. “But she’s good now!" Spike beams and turns to his mother. “Mom, this is Twilight Sparkle I told you about.”
Nila lowers her head so it’s on the same level as this purple unicorn, giving Twilight Sparkle a smile. “Many thanks for taking care of my son, it eases up my heart knowing one of my children are alive and well.”
Twilight nods politeful back, then both she and Spike notices the same thing. Spike is the one voicing it first. “Wait?” He gasps and eyes twice as big as before. “I have siblings?!”
Nila smiles, although sad. “Yes, a brother and a sister. Your father and I gave you three to Celestial as she foresaw a Drake hatched by pony magic would save our clan but…” She bares her teeth in anger. “Sombra and his minions attacked us. They turned me against my own clan, against my own mate. Forced me to protect the Crystal Heart from the crystal ponies while they turned the Drakes into black crystals!”

Everyone in the room gasp, horrified by what those they thought were statues really are. “They were once living dragons?” Shining Armor asks in a low tone, trying but cannot comprehend how it must feel seeing his own people get turned into statures and not able to do anything about it.
Nila nods slowly to him, anger but mostly sadness in her green eyes. “The Drakes sacrificed themselves to ensure the safety of this empire. Don’t let it get to waste.”
Cadence steps forward, although still exhausted, she speaks clearly and solemnly. “We won’t, neither will we forget what your son did for us today.” She smiles to Spike. Said baby dragon chuckles weakly. Nila scrowl fades and she nods to the two new protectors of the empire. “Good.”

*Later*

Twilight and her friends head back to the train station, now that the empire is safe it is time to return back to Canterlot and… tell Celestia that she failed.
Shining Armor nudges her, saying ensuring. “Everything's gonna be okay.” But she is not so sure. “Wasn't me who saved you in the end. It was Spike.”
Said baby dragon walks behind her, unbeknown to her, he feels dread that he might be the cause of her failure.

Shining Armor is not entirely sure how important tests means for his sister, only that she is very worried about this. “It's just a test. Maybe she'll let you retake it.” He tells her lighthearted but does start to understand how serious this is when Cadence stops him.

“I don't think she's gonna give me a new test.” Twilight muses, not seeing her brother lifting his hoof as if trying to comfort her. She walks into the train, sadly watching the others follow her.
As the train heads back to Canterlot and Twilight too caught up in her own dreads of failing, she did not notice Medic, not before he takes a seat beside her.
“You really think your teacher will say you failed your test?” He asks her. Twilight does not turn to meet his eyes, too gloomy to really acknowledge him.
Not that it mattered to him. “You may not have brought the heart, but you were the part there saved the kingdom.” Twilight turns to him, he gives her a smile. “If your teacher cannot see you did a wonderful thing, then she doesn't deserve you as her student.”
She smiles weakly, feeling better, enough to remark something Demo once said. “And they said you only rubbed off me.”

Medic laughs, she got that one right. “You are a very bad influence on me Twilight Sparkle.” and it is really starting to ruin his insane doctor image.

“Yeup, we have been in this world for too long.” Engineer laughs, the others closely follow and the before tense atmosphere disappears. Engineer turns to the others, asking still chuckling. “You think past us would recognize us?”

“Don’t give Twilight any ideas or she might do time-travel again.” Sniper remarks, giving the purple unicorn a smile. Twilight laughs embarrassed but is way better mood than before.
“Thank you, I couldn’t have done this without you.” Twilight says, turning her eyes to Medic there nods in return.

Rarity smiles, glad that Twilight more or less back to normal. “Whatever you pass or not, we will all be right there with you, darling.” But as fate would have it, the turned humans won't be there to get the answer for just then, a surge of magic surrounds all of the turned humans.

Looking down, Sniper sees a circle is forming underneath his feet. "Cricky! is this the summoning spell?" He asks startled.

Twilight only needs to give the forming spell a quick look. "It is!" and feels this is very sudden but... "I... I guess this is goodbye."
Her friends eye each of their partners, all sad that this is it.

"I don't want to leave." Spy says in a state of panic and tries but can't take flight which only made him panic further. "I don't want to go back!" He sends Twilight a begging look of stopping this spell on him. Twilight Sparkle hesitates but a beam and Spy feels his hooves getting loose. He flees from the circle, turning around and sees the others giving him their form of saying goodbye. By either nodding or smiling. His eyes land on Scout and although his boy is smiling, it is a sad one.
Then they are gone.
Spy stares at the spots his team was a second ago, barely believing that this... well this is it, he sits down and feels a bit lightheaded that unless there is another way, he is stuck here. But he is reminded why he is fine with that when Zecora nuzzles him lovingly. Wrapping a hoof around her, he muses to Twilight. "Thank you."

Twilight simply nods, not sure how to feel that their partners of the Elements are gone, and for all she knows, she will never see them again... It's a bittersweet feeling, but she hopes the guys will be happy being home again and hopefully, they won't forget Twilight and her friends.

Author's Note

well, this is it. the mercynaries have returned back to their own world. not the end though, far from it!
this might be spoilers for those of you who haven't seen the newer MLP episodes, but before any of you start telling me that Spike should have wings. in this story he won't get wings, he is a Drake and that kind of dragon does not get wings.
Nila is an OC of mine, and dragonlord of the Drakes. not that she is much lord of anything with all Drakes imprison in black crystals.

Spirit of Disharmony

Note: this happens six months after the last chapter.
part 1 and guess who we are going to see when this one is made from the episode "Return of Harmony"

At first, it had started out with a few minor changes such as the weather would act up without the pegasi influence, plants would grow huge fruits or suddenly get different colors and animals acting weird. But then, a few days past, all logic got thrown out of the window. Clouds got turned into cotton candy there would rain chocolate and this rain makes things such a corn pop into popcorn. Apples grow so big that the trees would bend in danger of snapping and any animal eating those apples would get ridicules long legs and go on a trampling spree. Rivers would freeze even if it was boiling hot around the area there made the grass run around with ridicules high pitched screams. The fish in those rivers would not be frozen as thought, instead, they kept changing colors as they swam through the ice.
The ponies all over Equestria would report these unnatural occurrences and cry for answers of what was causing something not even a group of powerful unicorns can do.
Celestia didn’t want to believe it but with more reports coming in of this increasing chaos, she feared that the seal she and Luna have put on him was broken when they no longer are connected to the Elements, that and she has a feeling that the Shadow ponies there fled from the Crystal Empire has released him from his prison.
Celestia’s fears proved true when she checked the Canterlot sculpture garden where she and Luna placed him and saw his statue was gone. It was clear what did it from the whole area being coated in black crystals. That is enough proof and Celestia right away sends a letter to her faithful student that she and the other Element bearers need to come to Canterlot as soon as possible.
After about three hours of agonizing waiting, Celestia can finally stop her worried pacing when Twilight and the eight others of the Element bearers run into the hall.

“Princess Celestia, we came as fast as we could!” Twilight says, knowing this must be big if Celestia has asked them to come this quickly.

And Celestia is relieved that they responded this quickly. “Thank you, Twilight. Thank you, all.” And Twilight does not waste any time asking; “Is this about the weather? And the animals' weird behavior? What's happening out there? Why isn't my magic working? Is there–“ Celestia stops her by simply lifting her hoof, when her faithful student has stopped her river of questions, she asks them to follow her. Celestia takes them down the Hall of the Memorial. “I've called you here for a matter of great importance. It seems an old foe of mine, someone I thought we had defeated long ago, has returned. His name...” She stops near one of the stained glasses there shows one of the images of this great foe from the far past. “is Discord.” And explains the new bearers of Harmony of who this Discord is. “Discord is the mischievous spirit of Disharmony. Before my sister, I and a friend of ours stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness. Luna and I saw how miserable life was for Earth ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns alike.” She turns to the stained glass showing how Discord played the three pony races as if they were his playthings. “After our old teacher; Star Swirl showed us the location of the Elements of Harmony, I, Luna and a friend of ours combined our powers and rose up against him, turning him to stone.” Looking at the stained window showing her, Luna and their friend, another alicorn, ancient and one of the night. Sadly Celestia has forgotten his name, only this stained glass helps her and Luna to remember that his pelt was dark steel blue and hair a mass of several green colors. Because he was the strongest of them, he was the one who used the Element of Magic against Discord while she and Luna- barely adults- aided him with the other Elements.

“All right, Princess!” Rainbow Dash cheers, almost knocking down Zecora. Other than giving the excited pegasus a quick stare of annoyance, she is otherwise not bothered.

Celestia brings them further down the hallway, admitting somewhat sadly. “I thought the spell we cast would keep him contained forever, but since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements and our friend left Equestria long ago, the Shadow Ponies were able to free him.”

Twilight has to stop there, hearing that her teacher and sister no longer can use the Elements does take her a bit off guard. “No longer connected? But I thought only those unworthy couldn’t use them.” She points out, remembering what Ignis told her that the Elements won't work if the bearer ever gets corrupted for too long. Celestia is not corrupted, so why can she no longer use them? And this friend of the princesses, according to the stained glass, he was an alicorn. Does that mean there are more alicorns out there than everypony think?

Celestia stops as well, turning so her purple eyes meet her student's. “That’s right, and unfortunately, after Luna turned into Nightmare Moon, the Elements rejected her and although I could use them to banish her to the moon. The Elements never truly accepted me and Luna nor our friend as their bearers. This way.” She brings the group where the Elements of Harmony has been stored ever since Twilight returned from the Crystal Empire. “I need you to wield the Elements of Harmony once again and stop Discord before he thrusts all of Equestria into eternal chaos.” She tells her student, for the land has never fully recovered the last time Discord was out doing his chaos.

Twilight nods that she understands they have to use the Elements again, but there is something she does not understand. “Princess, why can’t you use the Elements of Harmony anymore?” Before Celestia can answer, Pinkie calls out joyfully.
“Hey, look! We’re famous!”
Turning around, Twilight sees that one of these many stained glasses holds a memorial to when she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon with the newly restored of the six Elements of Harmony. It was before they discovered there are a few more Elements out there.
Celestia walks up beside her, Twilight casts a quick glance up to her before following her eyes to the stained glass showing their victory against Nightmare Moon.

“When the Elements has chosen a bearer, only that pony can harness the Element they represent.” Celestia explains the group. “You not only defeated Nightmare Moon and discovered more Elements there has been lost to history. You used them to defend the Crystal Empire against the Shadow Ponies, proving the Elements are the only weapon against these dark powers in play.”

Twilight suddenly remembers what Ignis wrote to her in one of his letters. “Ignis told me we are destined to fight the Shadow Ponies, to ensure Harmony on the land.” Guess that means only they can defeat this Discord… wish the turned humans are here, they knew how to fight but there is nothing they can do about it now. “Princess Celestia, you can count on– “ before she can finish the sentence, Pinkie Pie interrupts her. “Hold on a second! Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!”

“I like chocolate, but I don’t like it raining with it every day.” Derpy remarks softly, of course, Pinkie does not really see the problem and argues with the grey mare. “Who wouldn’t want chocolate rain and candy cotton clouds? It’s like being out in a humongous candy store!”
Derpy titles her head at her. “Wouldn’t you get tired of it at some point?” She asks and Pinkie Pie giggles. “Nuh uh!”

Twilight rolls her eyes and tells the princess. “Don't listen to her, Princess. We'd be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again.“
Celestia smiles weakly before she goes over and unlocks the door with her own magic. She takes out a somewhat large box coated in crystals.

“Ooh. You can keep the Elements. I'll take that case!” Rarity points out in awe how beautiful that box is.

Celestia levitates out the box. “I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord with these!” She opens the box but to everyone’s horror, the Elements are not inside. Celestia gets so startled that something has been able to get past the door locked by her magic and steal the Elements that she drops the box.

Pinkie is however quick to recover. “Oh, well. If anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw.” Before she can leave though, Zecora stops her and drags her back to the group, lecturing the pink pony. “I suggest you stop this childish behavior, if not, we are all sure of failure.”
Pinkie huffs annoyed but do not try and go outside to enjoy the chocolate rain.

The two along with the rest of the Element bearers turn to Celestia when the princess starts to pace back and forward, muttering to herself. “That chamber was protected by a powerful spell that only I can break. This doesn't make sense!”
Suddenly an ominous laugher rings thought the hallway, having no source of where it is coming from, that along with the voice asking. “Make sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?”
The new Element bearers did not recognize the voice, but Celestia sure did. “Discord… show yourself!” She commands, just hearing his voice makes her greatly agitated.

Discord chuckles. “Did you miss me, Celestia?” A flash and the glass Discord comes to life, speaking with his voice. “I missed you.” He leaves his original window and flies over to a stained glass showing all of the Element bearers, he takes a seat up against the one showing Fluttershy. “It's quite lonely being encased in stone, but you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone.” After all, what's the fun in that?

“Enough!” Celestia shouts, she is far from being in mood playing with this chaos spirit. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?”

Now pretending he is one of the Element bearers, Discord replies casually. “Oh, I just borrowed them for a teensy little while.” Snapping his lion paw and the elements on the stained window disappears, he takes their spot as Celestia tells him angrily that he won’t get away with this. “Oh, I had forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It's really quite boring.” Then again, all alicorns were so stuck up and boring, good thing they are gone. The common ponies are funnier to mess with anyway.

Rainbow Dash is quick to lash out on this Discord from firing that comment on their princess. “Hey! Nopony insults the Princess!” She charges at the stained glass but all that reckless behavior got her is getting smeared up against the window.

Now that this pegasus decides to drop in. “Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash, famed for her loyalty, the Element of Harmony you represent.”
“That's right! I'll always be loyal to the Princess!” Rainbow Dash declares to him, Discord teleports off with; “We'll see about that.”
“I can't believe we're wasting our time talking to a tacky window.” Rarity points out, Zecora nods in agreement. “If we do not hurry, Discord will do more than mess with us, that I guarantee.” and just then, Discord appears on the window right beside the two. “The beautiful Rarity, representing the element of generosity, if I'm not mistaken? And the wise Zecora, the new representative of the once lost element of Guidance.”

“So you know who we are, big deal.” Applejack snorts, walking over to the window where Discord is currently. The spirit of Disharmony grows bigger so he now fills most of the stained window, saying.
“Oh, I know much more than that, honest Applejack.”

"You seem to know our strengths too.” Twilight remarks.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord teleports onto one of the circles showing the element bearers. “and yours is the most powerful and elusive element: magic. Fluttershy's is kindness, Derpy is Courage, Spike is Hope—“
said two pegasi blink a bit surprised before turning to Spike there seems most surprised as he had still been unsure what his Element represented. But Discord is not done. “– and Pinkie Pie's is a personal favorite of mine - laughter.” And said pink pony former snickering burst out laughing, much to Twilight Sparkle’s annoyance but Pinkie Pie cannot stop, pointing at Discord doing a dance on the window. “He's standing on your head!”

“Stop stalling, Discord!” Celestia commands him, for she has gotten about enough about his goofing around. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?

And the fun is ruined. “Oh, so boring, Celestia. Really?” Yeah, alicorns are sooo boring, but he guesses he might as well tell her before she starts shooting at the windows. “Fine, I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you my way.” And starts appearing and disappearing on the many windows in this hallway. “To retrieve your missing Elements, just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.“ and with that, he disappears.

Applejack turns to the wisest of the group. “What do you reckon he meant?” she asks Zecora “Twists and turns and ending back where we started?”
The zebra taps her chin, pondering for a moment but can’t come up with where he placed them, only that she knows one thing for sure. “Wherever he decided to hide them, we will become his playthings in his twisted experiment.” That did not sound good, but Applejack got the feeling that’s to be expected from someone like Discord.

Derpy walks over to the windows, looking outside she spots something there could be what this creature spoke about. “Twists and turns… could he have spoken about a maze?” She asks the others, pointing at the palace labyrinth.

“It’s far too easy and that makes me very uneasy.” Zecora points out. “Wherever he wants us on the map, always be prepared for his trap.”

“That’s just great.” Rainbow snorts, crossing her hooves. “No matter where we go, we’ll still end up right where he wants us.” and groans greatly annoyed when their zebra companion nods that she got that right.

Twilight joins Derpy at the window, gazing at the labyrinth, it sounds to be the place but if what Zecora said is true then they can expect a trap for each of them in there. Well, no matter they like it or not; they need the Elements of Harmony. “There’s no choice, we have to play his game.”

And thus the group heads over to the labyrinth, even though there is a possibility the Elements won’t be there, Twilight still thinks they have to check just in case. Approaching the labyrinth gate, Fluttershy asks fearfully. “W-We have to go in there?” and Rainbow Dash replies her confidently while flapping her wings. “Discord forgot about these babies!” She takes to the sky and flies upward, telling the others stranded on the ground. “I'll just do a quick fly over and we'll have the Elements in no time.” But just then, her wings suddenly disappears, making Rainbow Dash crash to the ground, and when she realizes she no longer has her wings, she freaks out. The others either having horn or wings straight out panics when theirs disappear as well. Just then, the chaos spirit makes his appearance. Discord laughs at first menacingly, but it quickly turns into a laugher a school bully uses on his victim as he taunts the still horrified ponies there lost their horns or wings. ”You should see the looks on your faces. Priceless!”

“Give us our wings and horns back!” Twilight Sparkle demands angrily.

But Discord is not playing that way. “You'll get them back in good time.” He teleports off and reappears behind Applejack, nudging her as in his mind he made it fair for those without wings or horns. “I simply took them to ensure there's no cheating. You see, this is the first rule of our game: no flying.” He eyes the three wingless pegasi, before going over to Twilight. “and no magic.”

"The first rule?” Derpy asks with Rainbow Dash frowning in confusions as well, both turn around when Discord appears behind them, now chilling on the maze’s hedge gate.
“The second rule is everypony has to play or the game is over, and I win.” He explains them menacingly, but just as quickly, he is back to be cheerful as if he’s inviting friends to a fun game. “Good luck, everypony!” and with a laugh, he disappears once again.

The ponies and dragon eye one another worried and also a bit scared, however, Twilight Sparkle is quick to raise their spirit by reminding everypony. “Never fear. We have each other!”

“Yeah! Like Twilight said, there's nothing we can't overcome if we all stick together!” Rainbow encourage the others and with a once again raised spirit, the group heads to the maze. However, after just have taken one step inside, they get separated when hedge walls sprout up between them. Twilight is quick to recover and tells her friends. “Stay calm! Everypony head to the middle as fast as you can, and we'll regroup there!” All except Fluttershy agrees and head out to find the center of the maze.

Applejack gallops steadfast towards the center, however at a crossroad, she stops when noticing three apples lying on the ground. A bit confused what three fresh apples are doing in a maze with no apple tree in sight. Applejack walks over to the apples, her confusions perks higher when said three apples suddenly starts to roll away. “What in tarnation?” She voices her confusions and against her better judgment, follows the apples. They lead her to a glade filled with apple trees, most curious indeed, Applejack didn’t know the castle maze has a glade filled with apple trees. She winches when one of the apples falls onto her head and Applejack backs a bit away when many more apples fall to the ground, then, much to her confusions and awe; the apples roll towards her. Then the apples split up into three groups, green, orange and red and Applejack swears the hear them laughing. Are these apples… sentient? “Who are you all?” She asks and the red pile of apples replies, forming a face as it speaks.

“The keepers of the grove of truth. You may ask us.. “ and the orange pile takes over. “one question” and the sentence goes over to the green apple pile. “past, future or present.” To then back to the red apples. “But be warned,” the orange apples “that the truth” and lastly the green pile finishes the sentence “may not always be pleasant.”

Okay, this place does not seem that trustworthy to be honest, and Applejack voices that to the three so-called Keepers of this grove. However, if these really can show the future then… shouldn’t she give it a try? “I got a really bad feeling about this feller Discord. What's gonna come of this mission we're on?” She decides to ask the three apple piles. They lead her over to a small pond and by their request, she looks into the water. Instead of a reflection, the water shows her and the others… fighting before finally… turn their backs on one another. “No!” Applejack backs away from the vision. “Our friendship? Over?!” Is that’s really how it’s going to end? No, no it can’t be! “It can't be true. It just can't!” Turning to the orange apple pile as it speaks. “When all the truth does,” to then turns to the green apples “is make your heart ache” unaware she has fallen right into Discord’s trap. “Sometimes a lie is easier to take.” And in the moment of weakness in her own Element, Discord turned it and her whole person on its head.

With Applejack dealt with, Discord then turns his attention to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie is not really worried about being separated from her friends and joyfully jumps towards where she thinks the center is, she does not slow down but do giggles when she gets into a garden filled with balloons, all having a joyfully face painted on them. “This is the greatest balloon garden I've ever seen! It's the first balloon garden I've ever seen, but still!” She smiles, to then yelp in surprise when something makes her stumble, she falls flat into a mud pole there wasn’t there a second ago, with face and most of her body filled with mud, Pinkie Pie quickly takes notice of the laughter, laugher at her stumble. “Hey, what gives?” She asks confused about how this before cheerful place suddenly has turned… mean.
Discord appears not far from her place, asking; “What's the matter, Pinkie Pie? I thought you appreciated a good laugh?” and Pinkie replies to him as she does not really consider him a, well evil guy, Discord does have a good sense of humor. “It's different. They're laughing at me.”

“It's hardly different.” Discord muses, he sticks his head behind one of the balloons and just like that, his head has become the balloon, smirking down to the pink pony. “Your friends laugh at you all the time.”

Getting the mud off, Pinkie Pie states out to the balloon of Discord. “My friends laugh with me, not at me.” But her happy smile quickly disappears when Discord challenges her statement and starts laughing at her. Soon all the balloons are laughing mockingly at her, those closet to her gets her friends faces, but instead of a happy laugh of her funny antics, they laugh mockingly at her as if she is a joke by just being there. “Stop laughing at me!” She cries close to tears and covers her head in hope to muffle the mocking laughing aimed at her.

and that is where Discord strikes.

Not far from the place, Derpy is walking carefully through the maze, all the times keeping her good eye to the ground so she won’t stumble. She does stop and snap her head up when noticing bubbles. Curious she follows the gentle road of the same thing earning her cutie mark. Her small wonder does come to a sudden halt when she hears some of the others cry for help. Derpy searches the area and when finding where the cries for help is coming from, she runs as fast as she can towards the place. Turning around the corner, Derpy spots Applejack and Rainbow are having trouble with a manticore. She hesitates but quickly decides to jump into action it as Soldier would and leaps at the Manticore. “R-Run!” She tells the two others but just then, the manticore stumbles and falls right onto the two. Derpy gets thrown off and after taking a moment to get the world straight again, she trots over to the now trapped ponies. Reaching out to help, she stops when Discord suddenly appears beside the fallen manticore, warning her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Derpy titles her head slightly. “They need my help.” She points out, about to go over and do just that but freezes up when he retorts back. “Your help what was caused this.” Derpy stares at the scene of Applejack and Rainbow lying unconscious underneath the fallen manticore, lowering her gaze in shame of what she did. “But I… I just wanted to help them”.

Smirking Discord claps this cross-eyed pony over the head as in a friendly manner. “Ah my sweet Derpy Hooves, maybe you should consider:” He gently but firmly forces her to look into his eyes. “Others would be better off if you stopped to pretend that bravery is inside your shaking little heart.”
and a moment of doubt in herself is all he needed to ensure this Element won’t work anymore.
With her been taken care off, Discord moves to Rarity, making her turn against her own Element is rather easy. He tempts her with the most beautiful gem she has ever laid eyes on. The pony did try and resist but her weakness to beautiful gems soon got the better off her. Grinning at how easy this goes, Discord leaves Rarity to dig out a useless rock she fully believes to be a huge diamond.

Spike trots nervously through the maze, desperately listing to any sound there might lead him to one of the others. But no matter how much he listens, all he hears is his own footsteps and breathing. Spike lets out a small sigh, musing gloomy. “What a savor of the Crystal Empire I am… can’t even find the center of a stupid maze..” Scanning the towering hedges he muses wistfully. “I wish Twilight was here.”

“Spike.”

Spike stops and looks around for the owner of this voice. “Hello?” He calls weakly, feeling very unsure about this situation.

“Spike” The voice calls again.

Slowly Spike walks the way he thinks where the voice is coming from, as he moves forward, more and more voices are calling for him. All the voices lead him to what looks at first glance a statue section, but when he takes an extra look, Spike realizes that all of these statues are Drakes.

“Spike.”

He looks up to one of the statues, a male dragon there seems to have been fighting against something before being turned into stone.

“Spike, please save us.” this statue begs of him, the others start crying to be saved as well.

Spike spins around himself, starting to hyperventilate from how much all of these Drakes- his kind need his help to be free. “I…” he wants to help them, but he… “I don’t know how…!” He turns to the statues crying for his help, asking them desperately. “What do you want me to do?!” To his great horror, the statues start to crack.
“Help us!” The statues cry as they crack and still calling for help, they crumble right before Spike’s eyes. The drake’s head rolls over to his feet, whispering up to the now crying baby dragon. “...why didn’t you help us? You were our only hope…”
Spike breaks down in tears before the head, unable to stop his tears and does not see the statues disappear nor Discord walking over to him with a devilishly smirk on his face.

Deeper in the maze Zecora walks calmly yet determent towards the center. She stops when Twilight suddenly appears. “Oh Zecora, thank goodness you’re here. I need—“ Zecora doesn’t bother listing to Twilight’s request, in fact, she knows this is not the real Twilight Sparkle and moves on, completely ignoring this fake Twilight begs for her advice. It does get a bit hard when more illusions of the others appear, begging for the same thing. She has to stop, take a deep breath before moving on her goal.

Hiding as one of the illusions, Discord grumbles annoyed that this zebra just refuses to take the bait. More so when he can’t figure out how in the world this bearer of Guidance can see through his illusions. Well, he can figure that out later. It seems tricks won’t work on this one, so he guesses he has to use stronger means. However, before he can appear before this zebra there refuses to go his way. Zecora suddenly changes directions and to his bigger confusions and frustrations, struggles through one of the hedges and thus unite with Fluttershy there just happens to be there.

Unaware they are being watched, Fluttershy is so relieved that somepony found her. “Oh Zecora, I am so happy you found me!” She cries and hugs the zebra.
Zecora somewhat awkwardly pats Fluttershy’s back. Opening her eyes, Fluttershy notices a small flock of butterflies, stepping away from the older zebra, in wonder Fluttershy stares after the butterflies.

“Oh, Fluttershy, how upsetting it must be knowing you cannot go alone without any of your so-called friends thinking how weak and helpless you are.” The butterflies speak.

Zecora steps over to Fluttershy, reminding her. “Discord is aiming at our inner torment, remember what is truly your strength.” and just like that, Fluttershy remembers something her partner told her and smiles. “I am weak and helpless, but that’s okay, my friends understand and they will help me become stronger.”

The butterflies stutter for a moment before trying again. “Well, surely it burns you up... I mean, that they're always pointing out your flaws, right?”

And this time Fluttershy replies without hesitation or doubts in her friends. “Not really. In fact, I think I am awfully lucky to have friends who want me to be the best I can be.” She eyes Zecora who nods with a smile that she fully agrees.

That does it! Discord takes his true form before the two there have resisted his tricks. “Oh, for goodness sake! Doing this is so boring but you two leave me no choice.” He grabs both and with his magic forces their mind to bend into their darker self. To Fluttershy he says. “You've been kind for far too long, my dear. Time to be cruel.” And to Zecora. “Your wisdom is getting on my nerves, time to put ponies on the wrong track.” He lets go and as expected, Fluttershy’s coat dims as she gets affected by the dark magic of the Shadow Ponies. But to Discord surprise, Zecora is more than he expected.
The zebra cries and convulses in pain, then a hiss no pony can make, a green magic surrounds her and Discord suddenly finds himself staring at a hissing and weird looking bug pony, something he has never seen before. “And what are you suppose to be?” He asks this bug pony, then decides he doesn't really care. “No matter, go out and do your thing!”

“Already tried” Spy sneers in pain from this Discord’s magic trying to bend his mind like that Shadow Pony did, but it won’t work. Already feeling the magic of the Element of Guidance is cleansing his being. He stumbles but fortunately, his legs do not give under him. He laughs weakly from that magical struggle he just went through, relived the light magic won. “You do not want to see my darker self, it is not pretty.” He straightens up, eyeing the spirit of Disharmony.

Discord blinks, admittedly pretty surprised this one resisted his mind-twisting magic, then his eyes find the reason to why, around this bug pony’s neck is a silver necklace, having the ocean blue crystal of Guidance. But that can’t be, he took that Element along with the others. “Where did you get it?” Discord demands in a low, dangerous tone.

Spy, however, is not really bothered by the threat, he has dealt with such things pretty much all his life. Although must admit that he never thought he would stand face to face with a creature there can smite all of his former enemies with the snap of his finger. However, Spy has taken notice they have one advantage against Discord: he does not know about the twin Elements. He smirks up to the spirit of Disharmony. “That’s the question, isn’t it? You may know a lot about the bearers, but from how caught off guard you were seeing me. I figure you are not completely up to date.” Discord growls annoyed. Seems like he struck a nerve there, good.

He found the zebra annoying, but this bug pony is really getting on his nerves. Discord teleports up beside him and tries once again to turn him against his Element, however this time, he felt a jolt of pain as the Element of Guidance lashed out to protect its bearer. That takes Discord truly off guard. “The Elements never did that before.” He muses, caressing his lion paw from the sudden strike. Did not make it better than this unexpected bearer is giving him a very and infuriating smug look. Discord has his work cut out from this one, he cannot trick this bug pony and he cannot twist his mind by brute magic thanks to the Element around his neck. That one is playing dirty, well in that case. “Ooh Fluttershy~” he calls and she looks to them, having an angry frown on her before kindhearted face. “Do you have anything to say to your friend?” He asks devilishly.

“Friend?” Fluttershy repeats slowly, she snorts and gets on her hooves, walking over to Spy. “Why would I be friends with somepony like him? All he does is keeping secrets, why would anypony want him as a friend?”

Spy merely raises a brow by this, he has gotten very thick skinned when it comes to being insulted. So whatever the now cruel Fluttershy is going to throw at him, well, he has already heard it before.

“Nothing to say?” Discord asks with a smirk, does quickly fade when this bug pony gives him ‘you gonna try harder than that’ look. Okay, that’s it! He summons a cage around the bug pony as he can’t have this one doing more meddling. And with that one more or less dealt with, he moves on to the last of the bearers.

Ignoring Fluttershy’s mocking laughter at his predicament, Spy taps on the cage he now finds himself trapped inside. “Powerful yes, but not that very smart— oh hello Twilight.” He greets Twilight when she and the rest approach him and Fluttershy.

Twilight is very confused seeing Spy here but also relieved that he at least is not being affected by this labyrinth. “I’m so glad to see a friendly face. This awful labyrinth is getting to everypony.” She turns to the others, Pinkie Pie is very agitated, Applejack keeps avoiding the subject, Derpy has become a scaredy-cat, Spike is straight out depressive and Rarity thinks the huge boulder she is carrying is a diamond.
But it seems they aren’t the only ones as Fluttershy replies her in a mean-spirited tone. “Aw, boo-hoo-hoo! Why don't you wave your magic little horn and make everything all right?” Twilight stares dumbfounded on how, well mean Fluttershy suddenly has become.

“Oh, that's right, you can't. You don't have one.” Fluttershy reminds herself and slaps her tail at Twilight’s face when she strolls off.

Twilight stares after them, slowly turning to Spy. “What is happening to my friends?” She asks confused and hurt. Spy transforms into a small bird, flies out from the cage and after have taken his pegasus form, he replies. “Discord happened. I saw him turning Fluttershy into what you see now.” Both turn their eyes to the scene of Fluttershy on purpose showing Pinkie Pie into the nearby hedge and Applejack laughing at Pinkie’s predicament which made the already agitated Pinkie attack her which in turn made Derpy flee behind a pot.
Spy turns back to Twilight. “Perhaps it was a good thing I made a switcharoo, or you would’ve dealt with a very deceitful zebra.”
That Twilight is very happy she does not have to deal with, so she’s glad Spy fooled them all he was Zecora, speaking of the zebra. “Why did you switch place?” Blinking when Spy avoids the question by telling her instead. “I doubt the Elements are here. We better regroup and find them fast.” Confused why he refuses to tell but aware that now isn’t the time, Twilight agrees on taking the subject up later and after have gathered the others— which isn’t easy with them as a darker self of themselves. They begin searching for Rainbow Dash.
They didn’t get far though, for when Applejack calls out Rainbow Dash for abandoning them, Twilight fears the worst when spotting the loyal of them is flying away from the maze.

Just then, the whole maze disappears and Discord appears, grinning victoriously. “Well, well, well. Somepony broke the "no wings; no magic" rule.” He snaps his fingers and the ponies lost horns and wings return, not that they would be much use anymore. “Game's over my little ponies. You didn't find your precious Elements.” He summons an umbrella there folds upward with a cat mewl. “Looks like we might be due for a big old storm of chaos.” He laughs loudly, more amused than angry when Pinkie Pie demands him angrily. “And what are you laughing at!?” He dries off his tears and must say. “Oh, you ponies are just the most fun I've had in eons.” Smiling when Pinkie Pie tells him to quit having fun, so does quickly turns to Fluttershy when she starts mocking her by laughing.

Spike sighs in defeat up to Twilight. “Told you it was no use…” and in a beaten matter walks off, passing Applejack pushing Rarity by lying the others want her imaginary boulder which earns her a kick to the face.

Getting about enough about this, Twilight steps over to the chuckling Discord “Stop it, Discord. You're not playing fair.“
and he replies at first with a question as if he didn’t hear her right. “I'm not playing fair? Perhaps we haven't met. I'm Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony. Hello?” The last he says right before her face, grinningly. Discord then notices Spy and remarks. “Besides, I’m not the only one playing fair.”
Twilight eyes the Changeling for a moment, about to turn back to Discord, then remembers how she and her friends fooled Trixie by not exactly playing fair. Okay, now she really feels stupid for have fallen for pretty much the same thing. “Alright, so fair play is not an option...” She grumbles to the chaos spirit.

Discord points at her. “I like to see you try, good luck finding your precious Elements of Friendship Twilight Sparkle. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some chaos to wreak.” And by that, he disappears.

The candy cotton clouds return and it once again rain chocolate milk, the now reversed Pinkie Pie does not like that one bit and begins yelling at the clouds to cut that out.
Twilight groans frustrated by how well this is going and sure hope the only sane pony here has something to help her out. “Any suggestions how we fix this?” She asks Spy with gritted teeth. He nods and that helps her to live a bit more up.

Author's Note

must admit I was at first thinking on this has already happened before the mercs came to Equestria but I changed my mind as you can see. the mercs may be out of the picture for now but we still have Spy and good thing too for otherwise, Twilight would've been in trouble.

Help is always around

Note: This happens a couple hours after the last chapter.
part 2 and made from the episode "Return of Harmony"

By Spy's suggestion, Twilight follows the Changeling back to Ponyville, the trip, however, does take way longer than wanted. First, it’s because the train no longer is available as Discord made it into a crazy rollercoaster and the walk back is agonizingly slow. Partly because the others rotten attitude keeps stalling them but also Discord messing up the world like making day and night go by in minutes, turns every road into soap and the before harmless critters do everything to harm everypony daring to approach them.
“Ugh… Discord is not making this easy.” Twilight grumbles, once again getting back on her hooves after have slipped on the soap road. Spy is lucky that he has wings and thus can fly over this slippery road, he does end flat onto a cloud of soap when his pegasus wings suddenly disappear. He emerges from the soap cloud just as Discord skates by them, asking both: “Beautiful, isn't it?” He stops on a small hill where a grand view of what has happened to Ponyville can be seen. The grassy fields have been turned into a square pattern, half of the town is flying in the air and chocolate rain is filling the nearby river. Discord looks quite proud of his work. “This is the new and improved Ponyville, and these are only my first of changes.” He grabs the now earth pony Spy, holding him towards the town just as night arrives. “Picture it. The chaos capital of the world!” Spy doesn’t answer, he only lets out some angry words Twilight does not understand when Discord rudely drops him back to the ground as the Draconis disappears once again. Twilight dreads how worse Discord can do from how bad things already are, but she is still determent to put a stop to this madness. “Not if I have anything to say about it.“

“Don't worry, you won't.” Fluttershy tells her and laughs at her own joke as she skates past and makes sure she hits the Changeling on her way.

Twilight and Spy both groan but does move on, approaching the Golden Oak Library, here Twilight is very surprised when she sees her older brother waiting for them at the door. “Shining Armor?” She gallops over to him, does has to stop when Derpy runs past her to get away from the agitated Pinkie. Getting past her jerk friends, Twilight hugs her brother, stepping away she asks confused. “What are you doing here?” However is it Spy there speaks.

“After the Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia trusted me again for missions. On my latest mission, I took notice the Shadow Ponies were starting to converge near Canterlot. Since they have possessed me, I had the advantage of spotting ponies being possessed by them. I knew they were up to no good.”

“Did you report it to Celestia?” Twilight asks.

Spy nods he did that indeed. “She feared this might happen, that’s why she sealed the Elements behind that safe; in hope to keep them away from Discord's grasp. Too bad that part did not work." Spy muses mostly to himself as that would've made things so much easier, anyway, nodding to the captain of the royal guard. "I lettered Shining Armor and Cadence a few days past. Requesting Shining Armor to come and aid us."

“After I saw what the Shadow Ponies can do to ponies mind, I asked Cadence to stay in the Crystal Empire for her own safety.” Shining Armor takes over, conjuring a shield there works as an umbrella against the chocolate milk rain. He hates to say this to his sister but… “I’m sorry Twilly, I knew Discord might have the same powers as the Shadow Ponies, but we needed to know what we stand up against.” He knows a lot about sacrifice thanks to his position as a captain of the royal guard. He knows it’s no excuse but it was a calculated risk.

Hearing that her brother pretty much used her friends as bait is heart-wrenching. “How could you?” She asks in a whisper, Shining Armor lowers his head in regret for a moment, then with his head raised again says hard. “It was a risk we had to take, I did ask Spy to make sure none of you would get truly hurt when facing Discord.”

Spy nods, that was one of the main reasons why he disguised himself as Zecora, but also to observe their new enemy. “Discord might think he has the advantages but when he changed the others to their worst selves. He revealed his own weakness: he is arrogant in his powers.” He turns his gaze to the corrupted group of ponies and single dragon. “He is confident you won’t be any danger now that he has turned your friends against you. We can use this overconfidence against him.” Spy finishes, eyeing the pony much in despair of their situation.

“One thing first though.” Shining Armor eyes lands on his heartbroken sister, ignoring his own regret for his choice, he asks her. “Did Discord say anything to hint you towards the Elements?”
Twilight nods and cipher what the draconequus said. “’Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.’ That’s what he said.” Twilight says and taps her own head to ponder what it meant. “but what does it mean?”

“I’m sorry sis, that’s on you.” Shining Armor smiles weakly, “I have always been bad at riddles.”

Spy does have an idea, had it for a while now but he couldn’t say it back when he was in Zecora’s form as he needed to see what Discord’s master plan was. “’Back where you began.’ Twilight, where did you get the Elements the first time they appeared before you?”

“It was when we fought Nightmare Moon.” Twilight replies, she gasps and has to ask just to be sure. “You think he hid them inside the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters?!”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t trust Discord.” Spy replies, reminding her. “He is, after all, someone who loves to play others for a fool. He will do anything to turn friends and family against each other.”

“All allied with the Shadow Ponies do that.” Shining Armor remarks. Eyeing his sister, he notices how tired she is. “You should get some rest Twilly, I will check the ruins for the Elements”

Even though she is exhausted from being active for over 24 hours, Twilight Sparkle just can’t make herself get some rest, her friends- Equestria depends on her! “No, I can rest when Discord is defeated.” But her brother won’t hear of it. “A soldier cannot fight without a good night rest. Spy, take care of her.”
Said Changeling nods and with that, her brother heads out to search the ruins for the Elements, ensuring the very worried Twilight. “Don’t worry about me Twily. Discord can’t corrupt me as long I wear this.” Pointing at his silver necklace. Twilight has to admit defeat and trust her brother in knowing what he is doing. After having picked up the depressive Spike, Twilight follows Spy into the Everfree forest for some much-needed rest. She might be exhausted, both from having traveled from Canterlot and back without any chance of rest plus has dealt with a lot of mental stress from Discord’s antics and her corrupted friends.
But even though she is exhausted, Twilight still notices the strange, glowing mushrooms forming a circle around Zecora’s hut.
“It’s a safety measure.” Spy explains to her as they step over this strange barrier.
Twilight looks behind to get a better look at the mushrooms, asking Spy. “Is it to keep out Discord?”

“No, to keep someone inside.”

Twilight frowns at his remarks, about to ask what he meant but got her answer when stepping into the hut. A very young filly runs under her and would’ve gone outside if not Spy caught that little one. Twilight stares at this unicorn baby, noticing this young one looks very much like a zebra with those stripes but… she has fangs and a tail like Scout. Dumbfounded of what this filly inclines but hasn’t seen any past sign Twilight turns to Zecora who has another baby on her back, playfully biting the rings around her neck. “You… Zecora are they—“

Zecora nods. “They are our children, not the way I expected you would meet them.” She admits and can also understand Twilight’s great confusions. “I understand your great shock, Spy still is having problems with this whole trust.”

“Apologies.” Spy says and puts down the foal he caught trying to leave the safety of the hut. “Letting others know my secrets is still an issue I am working on.”

Twilight Sparkle nods slowly, still quite taken aback that she hasn’t spotted any signs that Zecora has been pregnant, and if she has been more awake and aware then she would’ve realized that Zecora is together with Spy; a master of disguises and Zecora can do some crazy things with her potion making. So having her to keep her pregnancy hidden wouldn’t be that hard for them. All Twilight can think about is the two foals skittering around the floor, the one there tried to escape is looking curiously up at her with bright brown eyes. Slowly Twilight gets over her shock and after Zecora has served her some of the herb tea, she asks the parents. “How old are they?”

“About three months.” Spy replies and once again has to grab the flint colored foal as she again tries to get outside. Putting that little escape artist beside her sister. “Believe it or not.” For human babies are far from that lively at that age. He swears it’s because of their Changeling side but at least they are easy to distract. Picking up Jeremy’s baseball, he rolls it over the floor and that gets both babies attention. He points at the little escape artist, now currently pushing the baseball around with her muzzle. “This is Lavernia.” Her coat is flint colored, what little hair she has is the same dark red as Jeremy. She has grey stripes on the hindquarters and around the eyes from her mother's side. What she got from him is the holes at the ears, legs, fangs and the ability to sense emotions. Oh and she has a horn, not sure if that means Lavernia one day will be able to shapeshift.
The second baby leaps off her mother and bites into the ball but has to use her hooves to keep it in place. Pointing at the baby mistaking the ball for food. “And that is Sauda, don't stick your hoof over to her: she will bite you.” Seemly her teeth itch as she has to bite everything, one of the reasons why he has this baseball. Her coat is slate grey with black stripes down her neck, back and all the way down her lion tail. Her hair is dark grey and striped like Zecora, and even has a light grey muzzle as her mother. That little one drops the ball and turns her rose-colored eyes up to him when hearing her name before she returns to chasing her sister who has snatched the ball.

Twilight smiles weakly at the two foals playing around, even though she is still startled seeing them. “Wish you had told me sooner....” Her smile drops when the still very depressive Spike points out. “It’s not like they trust you… why would they?” Twilight groans and slams her head against the table, at least the babies are having fun as they giggles of her action.

***

Twilight did not get much sleep but enough to feel a bit more ready to face her jerk friends, Spy and Zecora’s two children helped on her mood too, even Spike had trouble being depressive around the two cute and very curious foals.
This breather might have been good but it hasn’t changed the fact that her friends are not themselves. “How can I help them when they don’t want to be helped?” Twilight asks the two bearers of Guidance.

“The task is simple, Discord made your friends get lost,” Zecora taps Twilight chest “you will have to remind your friends of the virtue they forgot.”

Spy nods in agreement of what his beloved have said. “Discord messed with them like a Shadow Pony. Remembering what is important will snap them out from it.” He knows that through experience, his maternal love for Scout made him able to fight the Shadow Pony possessing him.

Twilight gasps, understanding what she needs to do. “Discord's trying to distract us from what's important. He knows how powerful our friendships are, and he's trying to keep us from seeing it! Thank you! Oh, thank you both so much!” Twilight cheers and with: “Tell my brother to meet me at the library when he returns!” She grabs Spike and leaves the hut in haste.
When back inside the Golden Oak Library Twilight performs a memory spell on Spike, as hoped he returns back to normal, but still is greatly affected by Discord’s deception.
“The— The statues of the Drakes— I was their only hope but I… I don’t know how to save them...” Spike explains, looking ready to burst into tears.
Twilight feels sorry and angry that Discord threw that huge bolder of responsibility onto Spike, he may be the hope for the Drakes but- “Spike, we may not know how to save your kind at the moment, but that doesn't mean they never will be free again.” Spike dries away his tears, still look heartbroken though so Twilight gives him a hug as he really seems to need one. “We won’t give up on them; like I didn’t give up on you.”

Spike returns the hug, feeling much better and happy she reminded him he does not stand alone in this. “Thanks, Twilight.” She puts him down and when more certain on himself again, Spike asks. “What’s the plan?” Blinking when she explains that Shining Armor is currently searching the ruins of Luna and Celestia’s former castle. “Your brother is here?” Realizing how much he has been missing.

Twilight nods and although not really happy that he used her friends as bait, she can forgive Shining Armor since he did it to give them a fighting chance and is currently risking his own skin to find the lost Elements. “Spy and my brother have been making a backup plan in the case this would happen. It seems everypony with the silver necklaces are immune towards the mind-bending corruption— but only as long their partner is out of harm’s way.”

“Now I really wish the others with the silver necklace are here.” Spike muses, he picks up a scroll and swings it like it’s a sword. “With them, we could’ve defeated Discord, no problem!”

Spike’s right and Twilight is getting the idea that the Shadow Ponies waited for the turned humans departure before releasing Discord when they realized that those with the twin Element can fight them head-on. “Yeah, but they aren’t here, so we have to figure this out on our own.” Twilight says, Spike nods before both turns to the door when a tired and quite ruffled up Shining Armor walks inside, however, he does not have the Elements. Twilight feared that would be the case. “Oh no, they weren’t there?”

Shining Armor shakes his head. “No, but Discord sure made it look as if they were there.” He shakes and dust flies off his pelt from the hourglass sand Discord threw at him as his form of a sick joke that he was running out of time. While brushing the sand out from his mane, Shining Armor asks his very smart sister. “Any other idea where they might be?”

“No, but I have a reference guide on the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight says and just as she said it, Spike trots over to the place where he last saw that book. “Found it!” He calls but just to his luck, a now really grey and thus really greedy Rarity just passed by and when hearing someone has something she doesn't, Rarity levitates it out from his claws and runs off, yelling: “Mine!”
Spike falls to the floor, getting up he and the unicorn siblings stare at where the corrupted Rarity ran off with the book.

Twilight groans greatly annoyed by this. “Oh for the love of— let’s go!” She gets Spike on her back and they follow Rarity. Catching up to her is somewhat easy, sure Rarity made them chase her through half the town, but when Twilight gets close enough to grab the book with her own magic. The corrupted unicorn goes all psycho on them. “IT’S MINE!”
Twilight would've gotten seriously hurt if Shining Armor hasn't jumped in between and taken the attacking unicorn right to the face. He can take it though, wouldn’t be much of a royal guard if he can’t handle a single manic unicorn.
Twilight hesitates for a moment, considering running over and help her brother, but decides otherwise as it seems he is handling the greedy Rarity well enough. She turns to the book and opens it, Twilight gasps when the Elements of Harmony are inside the book. “Brother I found them! The Elements are here!”

“Good.” He smiles and with a quick spell, traps the raging Rarity inside a shield bubble. “Now let’s get your friends back to normal.” Twilight nods and lets her memory spell return Rarity back to normal.
Rarity is quite embarrassed she let herself get turned against her generous nature, more so she did it because of a useless rock. “Let’s us never speak of it again.” She tells the others before following to find another of the bearers.

Applejack is easy enough to find for even with a corrupted mind, Applejack’s heart knows the importance of family. Getting to the farm is a bit tricky because of all the chaos going around, but arrive they do and Twilight declares to the lying through her teeth Applejack. “I'm here to fight for our friendship!” Of course, Applejack’s mind is so clouded with her darker self that she does not see it that way.
“Oh, now you want to fight. Where you went when I was battling Discord?” She demands and starts pretending she is fighting something. It comes to a sudden halt when Twilight tackles and throws Applejack to the ground, Twilight must admit that part of her does find a small satisfaction doing that from how much frustrations her friends put her through on the way back. But that feeling is very fleeting as Twilight Sparkle much rather want her honest friend back. “Snap out of it! This isn’t you!” and does her memory spell. She only steps away when Applejack natural coat colors return.

“Wh-What happened? Twilight!” Applejack then realizes what happened and feels really bad about it. “I saw a vision of us feuding' and fighting'. I couldn't face the truth, so I started telling lies.” And has to ask the friend she probably hurt the most. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Twilight smiles. “I already have,” with Rarity nodding in agreement, saying “If we do fight, don’t hesitate to tell us your true feelings, that’s what friends are for, after all.”
Applejack smiles and on Twilight Sparkle’s battle-cry, she follows the group to find more of their corrupted friends.

They find Derpy by mere accident, poor pony is more terrified than Fluttershy when she is standing in a large crowd. It takes another chase and Applejack using her lasso skills to capture the cross-eyed grey mare. When Twilight is done using her spell, Derpy explains what Discord did to her. “My attempt to help only made everything worse… I got so afraid that I didn’t dare do anything…”
Twilight taps friendly the grey mare’s shoulder, telling her with a soft smile. “Derpy, never be afraid to act, even if you think it might make it worse.” Both turning their gaze down to Spike when he reminds the grey mare. “Yeah, remember how you saved us from the hydra?”
Derpy smiles and nods she remembers that, reminded that reckless actions are at times needed, even if somepony might get a bit hurt. “I won’t back down this time, promise.” She tells them and follows- although do accidentally flies into a passing flying pig. The others are fortunately patient and allow their cross-eyed friend recover before hurrying over to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Dealing with Fluttershy is very troublesome, her brutal behavior and ability to speak with animals sure makes it hard getting in close. So Twilight and the others are happy they got Derpy before dealing with Fluttershy as the grey mare ignores the danger of the attacking bear and catches Fluttershy. Shining Armor swiftly deals with the raging bear by giving it a timeout inside one of his shields, Applejack helps Derpy to hold down Fluttershy and while Rarity keeps the small but quite aggressive critters under control with a levitation spell. Twilight hurries over and performs her memory spell on Fluttershy. Unlike the others, Fluttershy does not remember much as she didn’t fall for Discord’s trick and instead got forced to become bad. In fact. “I just had the worst dream, I was mean and cruel and… oh, it was so horrible.” She tells her friends.
Twilight and the others decide that perhaps it is best not to tell her that was her a moment ago. Instead, they all ensure her the bad dream is over before moving on to find Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

Finding Pinkie is a bit tricky and so is it getting in close, but not so much when Rarity can smooth talk herself to the agitated Pinkie Pie, making the angry pony put her guard down and thus allow Twilight to perform her spell without having to resolve to yet another fight. When Pinkie is back to normal, she does need a quick ensuring that they don’t laugh at her.
“Of course not Pinkie.” Twilight says and Fluttershy adding. “We’re laughing with you and well, your antics.”
That’s all Pinkie needed to hear and she can instead have a laugh that she not long ago was grey. Twilight and the others smile hearing their friend is back to her bubbly and cheerful self.

“Anypony else missing?” Shining Armor asks his sister

“Yes, Rainbow Dash; the Element of Loyalty.” Twilight replies and they head to Rainbow's home. However, she is not there but instead chilling on a small patch of a cloud. As expected Rainbow Dash is not really herself but does not stop Twilight from trying and calls up to the pegasus. “Discord's still on the loose! We need you to help us defeat him with your element: Loyalty!” Not sure if she should have expected this or get annoyed when Rainbow Dash replies apprehensive. “Pfft. Loyalty, schmoyalty! Have you guys seen Ponyville? It's a disaster!” and returns back to napping on her cloud. “I'm staying here in Cloudsdale where everything's awesome.”

“How in Equestria can she think that tiny patch of clouds is Cloudsdale?” Rarity asks herself out loud, growling pretty annoyed when Applejack points out teasingly. “The same way he got you to think that cheap rock was a diamond.” And has to remind the orange pony that did not want to be reminded; that was so embarrassing!

“Time to plan B.” Twilight declares and explain to her friends about the plan. After have gotten a hold on the air balloon, Twilight tells the two pegasi to grab Rainbow Dash and hold her down. “Applejack will lower me down from this rope so I can cast the memory spell on her.” Fluttershy and Derpy nod and flies down to the sleeping Rainbow Dash, however just as luck would have it, Derpy miscalculate the distance and completely misses, thus waking Rainbow Dash up and Fluttershy meek side is out at full swing as she asks the corrupted pegasus. “Um...I'm just wondering if it's okay if I hold you down against your will for a little bit?”
The unicorn siblings face-hoof at the same time how bad this plan has gone.
Of course, the now disloyal Rainbow Dash won’t have anything to do with the group and tells Fluttershy grinningly. “Nice try! Ponyville's your problem, not mine.” By those words, she grabs the cloud she thinks is Cloudsdale and speeds away.
Twilight wraps a rope around both her hooves and throws the robe down to Fluttershy, calling her. “Come on, Fluttershy, we've got to catch her!” Fluttershy bites the robe and flies after Rainbow Dash, and that moment Twilight realizes her brother’s action against her friends as she is forced to leave Derpy behind.

Said grey mare gets up from the ground and watches a sheepishly the chase going on above.

Twilight Sparkle throws a rope up to Applejack, letting her catch Rainbow with it, to Rarity and Pinkie Pie luck Shining Armor saw the rob isn’t secured the last second and grabs it right before the two got thrown overboard, he does almost get thrown over the edge himself from how strong a flyer Rainbow Dash is. “Secure the rope!” He commands the two mares.
Pinkie grabs the robe and in a cartoonishly manner wraps it more than enough to the air balloon. It only slowed Rainbow Dash down, so they have to put more ropes around her, for that however they need to get in closer. “Fluttershy, you have to fly faster!” Twilight calls down to the yellow pegasus.

Fluttershy tries with tears in her eyes but just cannot catch up to Rainbow Dash. “I can’t!” She cries. However does get the needed push when Twilight tells her. “If you can't catch her, Discord wins!” and hearing his name makes her realize that horrible dream of her being cruel was real and Discord was the one who did it. “That big... dumb... MEANIE!” and with anger aimed towards the draconequus , she flies past her limit, exactly like during the tornado made to bring water to Cloudsdale.
With the needed speed, Twilight tries desperately to figure out a way to reel Rainbow Dash onto the ground, she gets an idea and after a quick spell, about ten minutes later, another flyer appears and when seeing him Twilight throws the second rope up to Applejack. “Okay, Applejack, last rope! Make it count!” Applejack throws it and when Rainbow Dash has it strapped to her. Applejack gives the rope to Spy and he transforms into a rock, and not even Rainbow Dash is strong enough for both flying with an air balloon filled with ponies and a rock, so she gets forced to the ground. With Rainbow Dash secured onto the ground, Pinkie Pie remarks to Spy there returns back to his pegasus form. “I didn’t know you could turn into rocks.”

“It’s not something I will do often.” He replies and shudders of how it felt being a rock. “Turning into inanimate objects is very discomforting, but it served its purpose.” and must admit to Twilight. “Nice conjuring, almost fooled us it was a talking bird.” Twilight beams and enjoys the moment of pride before she turns to Rainbow Dash and casts the memory spell on her.
After a moment of disorientation, Rainbow Dash pretty much goes into a frantic panic. “How's Ponyville? Where are the Elements?! Did we stop Discord?” The last she asks after have tackled Applejack down, she didn’t get her answer though as her friends are so happy everyone is back to normal and makes group hug.
The moment is quickly broken when a line of buffalo ballad dance past them.

Twilight Sparkle smile sheepishly. “Maybe it's a little early for a group hug.”
“It’s not like the whole world is depending on you.” Spy remarks dryly, earning a stare from Shining Armor, which he completely ignores.

After Zecora has joined the group and gotten her Element necklace around her neck, Twilight and her friends head to the center of this chaotic place, as expected, they find Discord sitting on a throne there and he better enjoy this as long as he can. “Discord!” She calls, stepping towards the chaos spirit with her friends right behind her. Discord pretends he’s impressed but in fact mocks them as he still thinks he has the upper hand. “Well, well, well, I see you've found the Elements of Harmony. How terrifying!”
Twilight smirks. “You better! Friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for!” about make her speech longer by revealing why he failed but a tap from Applejack and the orange mare whispering. “Let’s not give him the heads-up.”
Oh, right, Twilight smiles embarrassed of that very close call, so skipping a speech she turns to Discord who gags of her already said words. And as Spy predicted, Discord is so arrogant in his powers that he does not see he no longer has the advantages. “Fine, go ahead. Try and use your little Elements. Friend me. Just make it quick. I'm missing some excellent chaos here.”
Well, better not keep his stone prison waiting. Twilight turns to her friends. “Alright, let's show him what friendship can do!” However before she can activate the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie stops them and slurps the chocolate milk falling from a nearby candy cloud. Fortunately, she does quickly cut that out and joins the formation.
Twilight Sparkle activates the Elements, and at first, Discord is not at all bothered and when he finally realizes that they no longer are corrupted, it is too late. The Element of Loyalty, Kindness, and Courage forms magical robes in their respective colors which wraps around Discord’s wrists and neck, keeping him in place. It’s where he starts to panic but no matter how much he struggles, he cannot get free from his bindings.
The rest of the Elements shoots out projectiles, hitting the restrained Discord and robbing away any powers he could’ve used to get free, not even the Shadow Ponies would be able to free him and lastly, after a shockwave of the raw strength of the Elements, a rainbow strikes the spirit of chaos, entrapping him into stone and the last thought he has before being fully turned is wondering where he had failed.
Another shockwave from the Elements of Harmony and all of Discord’s chaos disappears, returning Ponyville and the whole surrounding area back to its former self.

The bearers land back onto the ground, all beaming of this grand victory and more than happy letting Celestia decide what to do with the once again imprison Discord.

Author's Note

well a lot happened in this chapter. did several changes as well such as putting Shining Armor into the story again, I wanted him to be more active and working as a supporting source for Twilight.
this is also the introduction of two new OC's, Zecora and Spy's two new daughters. I am not entirely sure how often you will see to them, up to you how much you want to see these two

Family of Breeze Wheat Granary

Note: This happens two days after the last chapter. it is not made after any episodes, simply me trying to show what one of Cadence duties might be.

Just as Luna has lowered the moon and Celestia is about to raise the sun, most of the residents in the Crystal Empire are still fast asleep except the night patrol and a quite young but very dutiful guard pony. This pegasus guard pony gathers all the reports he got from the other guards— both those from the night and day duty and with them in the saddleback attached to his Canterlot golden royal armor, Flash Sentry flies to the throne room in order to give their captain Shining Armor today’s reports. He steps inside just as the sun raises, wanting to be punctual on the command that Shining Armor wishes the morning reports at dawn. It does take about ten to fifteen minutes before the captain arrives, something Flash Sentry finds a bit off as the captain is a pony who comes on time. He does get a very strong idea to the reason of why when he sees that Shining Armor does look dead tired. However, not wanting to be rude against the captain, Flash simply gives him the morning reports— which takes Shining Armor several seconds to comprehend he is been handing something, when the captain does, he levitates the bag and Flash Sentry, a bit unsure walks over to his post until the captain is ready to move out on today’s duty. His fellow guard, a crystal pony, also realizes that their captain is exhausted and quietly asks the not crystal pegasus. “Any idea why the captain is…” Eyeing Shining Armor reads the reports half asleep. “drained?”
Flash Sentry has one, about a small week past the captain was asked to aid the heroines in Ponyville, probably to solve the strange pheromones going on, for when Shining Armor returned, the weird magic occurrences disappeared. “He was needed somewhere else.” He explains the older crystal pony and while carefully watching their captain. “Must’ve been some battle if he yet has recovered from it.” The crystal guard pony can only nod in agreement and quietly they both return back to guard the doors, waiting patiently for the captain to read the morning reports.

Cadence walks into the room about an hour later, blinking in surprise seeing that her husband is still reading the reports, usually, he would be ready to eat breakfast with her at this time. At first she is worried that there is something really wrong somewhere in the Crystal Empire, then, after having checked Shining Armor’s face, she gets worried about his well being. “You look terrible.” She points out softly and puts a hoof on his forehead, just to be sure he isn’t running a fever. Fortunately, he isn’t.
Shining Armor gives her a weak smile. “Is it really that—“ he yawns “bad?” Cadence nods and asks of what is causing this exhausting. “Haven’t you gotten enough sleep?”

She could say that. Ever since the battle against Discord, Shining Armor has been dealing with— well he can’t call them nightmares for those dreams aren’t scary per say. Just… weird. Like his mind can’t get rid of the chaos Discord threw at him, it is quite annoying really. “Sort of.” He admits to Cadence and while the castle servants serve them their breakfast, he explains to his wife what Discord did to Ponyville and threw at him when he walked through the Everfree forest. “He almost drowned me inside an hourglass- and don't get me started on the so called "party" he threw when I entered the ruins.” But there is also another reason why he has trouble sleeping, one he is not really proud of. “And… well, I feel really bad I used Twilly and her friends as bait— I know it was necessary and was the only way getting any idea what Discord weakness was but…”

“It does not remove the regret.” Cadence finishes for him, she must admit she can see why if Twilight got angry by her brother's choice, but she also knows that Shining Armor only did it because he didn’t see any other options. He adores his little sister and would much rather get hurt himself than risk Twilight getting harmed. “Is she still angry at you?”

Shining Armor sighs but shakes his head. “No, she did forgive me. but I still feel bad.”

Leaving her seat and food, Cadence steps over and nuzzle her husband’s head. “You did what you have to and Twilight realized that, now:” She levitates the morning reports from the guards, it’s clear Shining Armor shouldn’t do his duties like this. “You will relax today and I will take care of the reports.” Shining Armor opens his mouth but she will not hear any arguments from him. “You cannot work when barely awake.”

She got a point, Shining Armor knows he is being stupid ignoring his own needs in the sake of duty. With a sigh of defeat, he nods. “Alright.” and promises he will rest so he will be more ready tomorrow. Still worried of Cadence handling both of their duties. “Are you sure you can handle this?”
Cadence looks at the reports with a smile. “I may have a bit trouble with the patrols or other guard related subjects but I am sure the guards can help me with that.” He smiles in return that she got that right. And to be sure she has somepony to help her properly. “Flash Sentry can help you out, I have been giving him more responsibility after I got more ‘royal’ duties.” After all, after he got married to Cadence, Shining Armor did become a prince and thus got more responsibility than just ensuring ponies safety.

Cadence lets out a soft laugh of Shining Armor lighthearted joking that he has become a prince even though he refuses to let anyone speak that title to him. He much rather wants to be known as the captain of the royal guard. “Be careful you don’t suddenly start wearing a crown instead of a helmet.” He laughs and after have eaten the crystal berry pancakes, he gives her a kiss, saying. “A crown suit you better, dear.” And leaves with: “Good luck with today’s duties. Don’t hesitate to call for me if you stumble into a problem.”
Even if she does, Cadence will not call for his aid, Shining Armor needs his rest and she is certain that a problem can wait a day or two. it’s not like they are dealing with those Shadow Ponies or Windigoes at the moment. Finishing her own breakfast, Cadence reads the reports and is sort of relieved that none of them are urgent.
She asks Flash Sentry to come with her and together with this young guard, she heads out to the empire and helps solve whatever problem they might have. Most of the problems the empire has are the crystal ponies still being out of time and has the problem connecting with the rest of Equestria, but nothing a good conversation and advice from somepony who knows today’s way of life can’t handle.
Cadence finishes most of the tasks past noon. “A nice timing, I am starting to get quite hungry.” She tells the pegasus guard and after a moment of thoughts if she should head back to the castle.
Cadence changes her mind as she much rather wishes to try out food from one of the many stalls in the Crystal Empire. She buys a crystal berry pie, shares part of it to Flash Sentry who is quite taken aback by this but does take the piece out of politeness. While enjoying her lunch Cadence watches the crystal ponies going about their day in a joyous manner.
All except two.
Cadance’s eyes land on two crystal ponies arguing intensely with one another, having so much anger that their coats have started to go dim. Worried about this Cadence abandon her half eaten pie and walk over to see what is the problem. “Excuse me.” She calls for the two, but her voice goes to deaf ears.

“Isn’t it enough you’re his favorite?” The stallion snorts to the mare, his coat is grayish hazel, although not long ago it was in a shining sand-colored but his anger made the color fade. His hair has faded in color too, now a grayish cobalt and flatten from his negative emotions. “Now you have to smear it in my face I can’t do what I like!”
The mare laughs as if he just told a joke, her before pale amber coat, and amethyst hair and tail have paled in color, her laughter comes to a sudden halt and she shoots the stallion a downgraded look with her blue eyes. “Hobbies are fine, but you are treating your hobby as a future job. Father is right, you need to pull yourself together and help us—“ she winches when her brother stomps hard on the ground, shouting. “Don’t speak to me as if I’m a colt!”

Cadence decides to step before this fight escalates further, she uses her magic to calm their anger and with them no longer in the red zone, she asks them. “May I ask what this fight was about?” The two now calmer ponies gasp in surprise seeing her. “Princess.” The mare says and bows along with her brother. Straighten up the mare explains. “It’s nothing worth the time of a royal. Simply a small disagreement on how my brother Sifting Citrine should spend his time.“
The brother snorts, it startles Cadence how quickly the stallion shakes off the calming spell, that only happens if the root to the anger is deep. “Oh yes, you and father have no idea what the word fun means anymore.” and his sister retort, also showing her anger is deep. “Work is not supposed to be fun! We work to earn bits we then can use to do the fun stuff!” She glances almost uncaring to the stallion. “That silly ice arrow thing you have going should stay as one.”

“It’s a hobby I earn bits on, Agate Gale!” Sifting Citrine snaps back, his tail swings in his agitation. “Besides, I am helping out with the family business; by selling our bread to the rest of Equestria!”

“Ha!” Agate Gale laughs mockingly and turns to the starting to get the uncomfortable princess. “He’s just saying that so he can get away from our father and play with that bow of his.”

Before the two can really start fighting again, Cadence asks. “Who is your father?”

“It’s Ivory Storm.” Sifting Citrine explains. “He’s the boss of the Breeze Wheat Granary.”

Cadence recognizes that name if she remembers correctly that middle-aged stallion is the one most of the Crystal Empire get its flour from. “I have heard about him.” She tells the two.

“It would’ve surprised me if you haven’t. He is well known in the empire and when he retires, I and my brother will take over the granary.” Agate Gale says in a matter of fact tone. She shoots her brother a glare when he rolls his eyes. “My dear brother of mine however does not care about the family trade as he much rather wants to play around.”

And he retorts back with a fair reason. “I earned my mark thanks to that bow! Do you really want me to ignore my special talent?”

Again Cadence has to stop them, a bit more aware of the problem and yet she still feels far from being able to help her new subjects. Perhaps she better speak with Mr. Storm about this and hears what his thoughts are about his children fighting. “Could I speak with your father?”
“Of course, princess.” Agate Gale says and starts to leave. Cadence does not like how the brother grumpily walks the other way, it seems that if nothing is going to change soon, then this family will lose a son.
Before leaving with Agate Gale, Cadence turns to Flash Sentry who has been listing to the conversation but stayed quiet as he didn’t want to be rude in interrupting a princess talking with her subjects, only would if he sense the princess is in any danger. “Could you keep an eye on that stallion? I would like to speak with him after this.” Flash Sentry salutes and leaves to follow Sifting Citrine. With that done, Cadence follows Agate Gale to the wheat granary.
Like everything else in the Crystal Empire, the Breeze Wheat Granary is made out of crystals, having several clusters of crystals dotting the area and although it’s hard to see thanks to the summer sun, Cadence does notice a dim shine coming from those clusters. She has a feeling they offer the workers light in darker times. She also notices two statues in form of ponies are standing in the middle of the wheat field, now knowing that these aren’t just art but trapped ponies, she feels sorry watching this scene of two guard ponies trying to fight off whatever there had attacked them before they got frozen in time. This does explain why there are so few crystal pony guards; most of them have been entrapped in the black crystals. But as it stands now, there is nothing anypony can do for them, the crystal heart and not even Celestia or Luna know a spell to free them or the drakes.
Putting aside of the tragedy that all those trapped in the crystal might never be free again, Cadence instead turn her attention on something, she hopes, she can help with.
Agate Gale takes her inside the granary, several crystal ponies are trotting around, preparing the wheat for future use to bread or cakes. In the middle of this buzzing place walks a middle-aged indigo colored stallion, and from how the workers go to him for advice Cadence is very sure this is Ivory Storm, and so right she is, for when Agate Gale calls for her father, this pony turns to them, asking with a frown. “Where’s your brother?” He walks over to them. “Didn’t you tell him I need him out in the fields?”

“I did, but Sifting refused to come.” Agate Gale replies, her father snorts. “He's supposed to be the oldest and yet he’s acting like a foal.” That she agrees on but they can talk about that later, when they do not have royal on visit. “Father, Princess Cadence asked for your audience.” Nodding to said princess.

This catches Ivory Storm by surprise. He bows and is sort of happy he chose to wear his formal attire in form of a senate scarf and golden hoof-bands, after having paid his respect by bowing, Ivory Storm asks a bit confused. “What brings you here? Come to talk business?” The princess shakes her head, explaining. “No, I came because of your son.” He starts to get worried what his rebellious son has done to make the princess come. “What did he do?”

“Nothing” Cadence quickly says before this father gets the wrong idea. “I simply overheard the fight between him and your daughter, it troubled me how unhappy he seemed.” Adding to both father and daughter that she does sort of understand their side of this argument. “I understand why you need him here at the granary, but… are you really trying to make him abandon the very thing there earned him his cutie mark?”

“Of course not.” Ivory Storm shakes his head. “I respect Sifting Citrine has a talent with a bow, but although it’s his special talent, he can’t live on it as he wants.” He gestures the princess to follow and he leads her outside where he shows the large wheat fields. “All I want him to understand that his bow and arrow is an enjoyable hobby while this:“ he waves out to the fields. “is where he will earn his bits. Sifting Citrine still thinks that his special talent shows he is destined to be a world known archer, but we both know that’s not how a cutie mark always works.”

Cadence smiles weakly to this elderly pony, she can see his point of view but she can see why Sifting Citrine feels so… lost. After have thanked Ivory Storm for his audience, Cadence leaves the granary and heads out to speak with Sifting Citrine about this family problem they have going. Thanks to Flash Sentry, she tracks the stallion down fairly easily. Walking into the stadium, Cadence swiftly realizes why this stallion earned a bow and arrow as his cutie mark, he is very talented in using it.

Just as Sifting Citrine covers the target fully in ice, he notices the approaching princess, he gives her a polite bow and asks both curious but also grumpy as he already knows what his father said: “Did you talk with my father?”

“I did.” Cadence replies and since she does not want to take a side of who is right, she instead asks this stallion. “Do you hate working at the granary?”

Sifting Citrine shrugs. “Not really, it’s just… boring.” He replies and starts heading over to the frozen target. Cadence follows him, allowing the stallion to explain his side of this. “Tending crops is just not me, I find it tedious and, well boring.” He kicks at the target, letting the ice fall off. “Don't get me wrong, I want to help father and my sister keeping the family business going, I am rather good at crunching numbers but…” He sighs and for a moment forgets about the ice to explain the listing princess. “because I am one of the stronger ponies at the granary and know how to do it properly. Father keeps sending me out to the plow and harvest duty.”
He sighs again and returns to remove the ice on the target. “Maybe I would be better off leaving the empire and follow my dream, you know?” He sends Cadence a weak smile. “That way we all would get out from each other’s hair, so all happy.”

Cadence is not so sure, it’s clear Sifting Citrine still cares for his family, if not then he would’ve left long ago. And it’s also clear Ivory Storm simply wants the best for his son, even when he is doing it wrong. Cadence also has a sense Agate Gale loves her brother, but the tension has made a bad wrap around her and she chose to side with her father; making Sifting Citrine feel as if something wrong with him. “Won’t it be lonely?” She asks and from how the stallion drops his gaze, she knows his answer that it will. Cadence is really close to tell Sifting Citrine that he should follow his dream, but in this case, it will only tear the family apart for good and this stallion won’t be happy if he did chase after his dream as he wouldn’t have his family to share it with. He won’t be happy being stuck at the granary either. This is quite troublesome, and as Cadence leave the stadium, she is not entirely sure how to help this family.
Unlike Sifting Citrine, she never dealt with a personal crisis, she has always been sure who she is, even before she accented into alicornhood.
That evening, during dinner with a well-rested Shining Armor, Cadence tells him about her meeting with that family. “It made me realize I can’t step in Sifting Limestone’s place.” She explains her beloved. “For I have never dealt with uncertainty where I belong in the world.”

Shining Armor scratches his chin in thoughts about this family issue his wife wants to help with. “Hm… I did deal with some during my training as a royal guard.” He admits as many of the ponies kept poking him at the fact he was too young. Usually ponies in the age of sixty would become a guard, not somepony at the age of twenty as he did when he joined. “A lot of the trained guards looked down on me for being ‘still a colt’ as they said.” He did earn respect when he proved he wasn’t a whiny foal as they thought he would, but Shining Armor does still have bit trouble with the older captains, one of them is Quick Lance. “It got easier as I got older but if it wasn’t for the support of my parents, I am not sure I could’ve handled the pressure.”

“But this stallion does not have the support of his father.” Cadence points out, sighting from how helpless she feels of not having really a clue how to help this slowly breaking apart family. “If he follows his talent and dream, then he might lose all contact to his family.”

“And he doesn’t want that I take?”

Cadence shakes her head. “No, Sifting Citrine wishes to be with his family but the frustrations he’s dealing with is him making walk further away from them.”

Shining Armor can relate a bit on this other stallion there. After Twilly left Canterlot to live in Ponyville, it has been really hard to keep the contact with his little sister. They both tried to keep a certain flow of letters, but that tactic dried up after a month thanks to both occupied with their tasks. Him in being one of the captains of the royal guard, in other words: he is never really off duty. And Twilly schedule might be more open than his but from the few letters they managed to send to one another, he quickly got the idea that she rarely had a boring day in Ponyville and when she does have some free time. Twilly was spending it studying on magic which he completely understands as she has the honor of being Princess Celestia’s personal student. And sadly, they are dealing with the very same problem with him being in the Crystal Empire. Perhaps more so now he is sort of the prince of this place. But there is a major difference with his lack of seeing his own family and this Sifting Citrine. If this other stallion turns his back on his family then his sister and father really need to love him to open the door if Sifting Citrine returns back to them, if not then he will be more alone than ever. “I can’t tell you how to fix this dear.” He admits honestly. “But if you really want to help them, then perhaps… just listen to them?”

Cadence nods slowly and after a moment of silence, she says with a smile. “I can think about this tomorrow. Right now, it’s only you and I.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.“ Shining Armor smirks, he abandons his mostly eaten plate and his seat, walking over to Cadence and after a kiss asks her. “Any plans in particular?”

She replies after has learned her horn against his. “If you’re not too tired, I did notice how certain crystal shines in Luna’s night.”

A nightly walk huh? Sure, that does sound romantic and Shining Armor knows Cadence is a sucker for that. It’s a wonder how he managed to earn her gaze for behind that golden armor and soldier attitude is a giant socially awkward nerd. Shining Armor might be an adult but his mind is still young, and thus he enjoys comic books and other nerdy things. Cadence knows of that side of him and he has a feeling that what she fell for, maybe both his royal guard aura and dorky colt? Whatever the case he feels like a very lucky stallion. “Alright, let’s go for this walk after I have checked on the night patrol” She nods and after giving her a kiss, Shining Armor heads out to speak with the pony responsible keeping track on the night patrol. When done, he and Cadence go for this walk, must say that even at night; the Crystal Empire is a remarkable sight. Can’t beat the alicorn walking beside him, though.

******

Cadence return back to the Breeze Granary as soon as she is done with her other royal duties and when she find Agate Gale, she asks the mare about her views on this family problem.

“Don’t get me wrong, Princess, I love my brother but-” Agate Gale lets out a long sigh, clearly tired from this situation. “I just wish he would stop fooling around and help us out. I don’t have the mentality to deal with the workers and father is too busy to teach them how to work on the field correctly.”

Cadence nods, starting to see why Ivory Storm wanted his son out in the fields. It seems Sifting Citrine also has a talent for conversing with other ponies, something his father and sister really need. “Have you told your brother this?” She asks.
Agate Gale blinks almost surprised by this suggestion. “Not directly, I mean my brother should be aware of this. Why else would father keep sending him out in the fields?”
And Cadence tells her what Sifting Citrine told her. “He thinks it’s because you need somepony doing hard labor, something he finds tedious and boring.”
Agate Gale lowers her gaze. “Oh… what else did he say?” That question does give Cadence an idea, instead of working as the communication device between this family. “What about we find your brother and let him explain?” She suggests and after this crystal pony agrees, although unsure, they head over to where Sifting Citrine lives.

The stallion is quite surprised at seeing both the princess and his sister at his door, the latter he is not that happy to see. “I’m not in the mood for a lecture today.” He points out hard and about to shut the door, Agate Gale stops him. “Brother wait, I’m… I’m not here to lecture you.” The stallion eyes her suspiciously, turning to surprise when the princess says. “We’re here to hear you out.”

“Oh, alright.” Sifting Citrine muses and after some hesitating, he lets them inside his house. A very awkward moment of brother and sister standing, not sure how to start this as they have been arguing for quite some time.

So Cadence decides to get this hopefully first step to redemption started. “Sifting Citrine, please tell us again what you told me.” He nods and after having taken a deep breath, he tells both princess and his sister. “I don’t like tending the crops, it tedious and very boring throwing seeds, plowing and harvest the wheat. I think I will be way more of use crunching the numbers or maybe getting our flour sold to the rest of Equestria.”
Cadence then turns to the sister, requesting. “Can you tell us what you told me not long ago?”
Agate Gale nods and tells her brother mostly. “The main reason to why father keeps sending you out on the fields is not because of your strength but because you know how to talk with our employees. Teach them how to do things correctly way faster than I and father can do.”

Sifting Citrine blinks and after a moment of silence he points out quietly. “I don’t have to be out in the fields to teach them that…” He eyes his sister, for the first time ever since they got free from Sombra’s control, he does not feel frustrations around her. “I can teach them or a new employee in a matter of days, quicker if I wasn’t exhausted from working on a stupid field.” His sister nods slowly in understanding, she shifts on her hooves, asking. “Why didn’t you tell us?” He groans somewhat annoyed. “I did try and tell you.” He explains exaggerated, “but neither of you listened! You were too busy thinking I was lazy and I much rather want to play with my bow than to hear me out!”

“But you want to play with your bow.” Agate Gale points out, feeling a bit annoyed.

He snorts loudly. “It’s my special talent for the crystal heart sake.” and throws that back to her. “What would you do if ponies kept telling you got the wrong cutie mark? That your special talent is not worth it?” She shifts on her hooves, really uncomfortable of that mere thought of her talent tending the crop wouldn’t be appreciated. Now she knows how he feels, yes he is aware that having the talent of being good with a bow is not as important as being able to have a good harvest pretty much all the time, but it’s still important for him. “Do you now understand why I react the way I do when you and father keep telling me to ‘grow up and start helping in the granary’? When you tell me that…” He turns his back to his younger sister, unable to look into her eyes. “It feels like you want me to be somepony I am not...”

“Brother, I never meant you to feel like this.” Agate Gale steps over to her brother, feeling really sorry how she has pushed him away without thinking about it. “And I am so sorry I did it.” She learns her head up against his neck, a sign she does still care about him. “I will try and listen to you better in the future, even if I don’t understand why it’s so important to you.”
Her brother nuzzle’s her over the mane, replying softly. “That’s alright, I don’t understand why you like wheat so much either.” That last remark she laughs lightly about. Both siblings then turn to the politely watching princess, Agate Gale speaks for both when she says this: “Thank you, if it wasn’t for you, I might have lost my brother.” Sifting Citrine nods in agreement.

Cadence is glad the two siblings have made peace, still, the main issue hasn’t yet been solved. “Will you speak with your father?” They nod and the younger sister must admit. “Father might not change his mind right away. He’s very set in habits, but,” she eyes her brother with a soft smile “I think it will be easier if both I and Sifting work together on this.”

“As we should from the very start instead of fighting like foals.” Sifting Citrine says.

Cadence leaves the house not long after, feeling a sense of pride that she helped two siblings to remember the love they feel towards one another and together can make life easier for the older brother.

Author's Note

boy, this chapter was harder than I thought. I think it's because there aren't that much of Cadence I can take from the mlp episodes. still I think this chapter came out well, gave me a chance to visit the Crystal Empire again and do my take on character not seen so much in the TV series.

the Breeze family are OC's but Agate Gale and Shifting Citrine are both based on already existing crystal ponies. I will let you figure out which one that is.
also NightmareAdagio helped me making Shifting Citrine's name, so thanks friend!

Hatched by a Pony

Note: this happens a week after the last chapter. it's not made after an episode but does have touches of Equestria girl in it.

Twilight is very relieved they have dealt with Discord and everything is back to normal, however even though Discord is gone, Equestria still deals with the aftereffects of his chaotic magic, including her friends. Spike is probably the one dealing with it worst, he continually has nightmares from when Discord made him lose hope for his own kind. So when Spike began dealing with extreme insomnia there is really starting to affect his mental and physiological state, Twilight Sparkle decided to bring Spike back to the Crystal Empire and hopefully, his own mother can ensure him that the drakes fate does not lie on his tiny shoulders.
She and Spike arrive at the Crystal Empire, at the train station Cadence awaits her. Twilight hugs her sister-in-law and after have done the small dance, Cadence explains the reason why Shining Armor couldn't greet her as well. "Patrol encountered a small flock of changelings, it shouldn't be much of a problem but you know how dangerous they can be in bigger groups."
Twilight sure knows and fully understand why her brother took that as his first priority, hopefully, she can speak with him later tonight but now her own priority is Spike. After have explained Cadence of the problem Spike is dealing with. “Do you know where his mother is?” She asks Cadence, casting a worried glance to Spike there stares heartbroken at the statues of the fallen drake dotting the field around the Crystal Empire.

Noticing that as well, Cadence gestures the guards to take the luggage before requesting Twilight and Spike to follow. She leads them to a mine where several crystal ponies are in full swing excavating the extremely shiny and pure crystals only this empire has. “This mine leads directly down to the drakes former home. You will find Nila down there.” Cadence explains the two.

Twilight Sparkle thanks her and with the guide Cadence suggested them, she and Spike head into the mine.
In the wonder of how many and very sparkly gems this single mine has Twilight can't help but wonder how Rarity would react if she- her thoughts get interrupted when she accidentally bumps into someone else. Embarrassed that she did not pay attention to where she was going, she gives the orange pegasus guard an apologetic smile. After he has recovered he returns it with a bit more confident 'no worries' smile and steps aside for her. Twilight walks past this guard and swiftly follows the crystal pony guide, levitates Spike away from a cart filled with gems.

The crystal pony leads them deep underground and yet for some reason, it does not get darker but lighter, Twilight and Spike realizes why when they step into the huge cave at the end of the mine.
They gasp in awe at the same time when their guide leads them into a city carved into the very walls of this huge underground cave, crystals coats every wall and house, lighting the whole cave in a soft aurora of light. Twilight notices that a few bobbles having a green flame inside are placed here and there around this city.

“This way.” The crystal pony says. Twilight and Spike follow him down huge stairs there truly shows this city was build for a dragon. After having seen how the winged dragons live, this underground city is truly a wonder to behold, but the eerily silence is a constant reminder that there are no drakes to inhabitant this beautiful city.
Spike looks up to a pillar, noticing it has tunnels spiral up to a sort of the second floor of this cave, it makes him wonder. “This place must’ve been quite a sight back when the drakes were around.” He muses his thoughts out loud.

“It was.”

The two ponies and young drake turn their heads, on an edge, Nila is lying. With his task over, the crystal pony leaves, letting Nila have her guests in peace. The huge female drake smiles warmly but the hint of sadness can be seen. “It feels like yesterday I was watching young drakes, just reached adulthood but still had the mind of a hatching. They would play around in the tunnels. The elders' fires lighting the magical bobbles and lecture the next generation how to make such magical flames.” Gesturing out to the larger tunnels. “One of my sisters prided herself as the head digger, last time I saw her, she was mapping a new section for our wonderful home, you would’ve liked her my child.”

Spike smiles weakly, but it never reached his eyes, the dread that the drakes forever is going to stay as statues decorating an ancient old battlefield haunts his young mind. Twilight Sparkle knows it’s rude but decides to explain Nila about Spike’s mentally issue. “I am sorry to ruin your nostalgia moment, but Spike has been dealing with bad dreams for quite a while. You see:” She puts a hoof around Spike’s neck as a comforting hug. “He was tricked to believe he was the only hope for the drakes freedom.”

Nila jerks her head upward hearing this, eyeing her son she can almost see the burden he feels from this belief. Yes, Celestia did say a drake hatched by pony magic would save them but, Spike is still so young. His spikes haven’t yet started to sharpen. “Spike, I do not expect you— let alone any hatchling take on such a heavy burden. Whatever it is you who will save the others or someone else, there is no time limit on this task.”

Spike blinks, not sure what his mother meant by that. “What do you mean? Wouldn’t they get hurt being stuck as a stature for too long?”

“The black crystals imprisoning them will keep them alive.” Nila explains, thinking that at least one good thing came out from this unfortunate fate. “These crystals were formed by the shadow ponies, like the crystals forming the Elements of Harmony; time has no meaning. The drakes imprison is trapped in a place where time does not exist.”

Hold up, is Nila saying the drakes are trapped in… “You mean they all are in Limbo?”

Nila eyes the unicorn, admitting. “Perhaps, all I know that when the drakes get free, not a single day has passed for them, like when this empire disappeared one thousand years ago. The drakes will think they have just been imprisoned by the living shadows.” She turns back to her son. “You are still young, my son. Do not think about this for now. When your spikes have sharpened and you’re a bit wiser, then we can discuss the fate of the drakes.”

“So you want me to forget about them?” Spike asks. That does not really sit well in his head. One of those dragons out there might be his father, and perhaps even his aunt. He can't just ignore them.
His mother shakes her head, saying. “I did not say that my son. I said you should not think about how to free them until you are older. “ Spike fiddle a bit with his claws, still not really fancying the thought that he has to leave this alone for now. “It doesn't feel right, mother… I want to help them.”
Nila jumps down from her spot, lowering her head so she at least doesn’t tower over him. “Patience my son. A mountain is not formed in one day.” And starts walking away, he and Twilight follow her.

‘Listen here my son, I know it’s not easy but all time will come.
if you’re just a little patience.’

She brings them into a dark tunnel.

‘Like the ground under our claws, the path will show if we take the time to walk.
like the mountain, it once was small but as it waited, it grew up and reached the sun.
Listen here my son, with a little patience, your path will be shown.’

The tunnel brings them outside, out here Nila lifts Spike up in her claws, gently poking his chest.

‘Waiting is never easy, I know you want to do your part.
You have the fire in your heart, burning fiercely for justice on what was brought on us.
But you are young and still has so much to learn.’

They both turn their gaze to the large mountains on the horizon

‘Listen here my son, be patience like the hill wanting to be a mountain.
We have fire; we are dragons, fierce and strong but you my son is a Drake.
We do not rush like the fire, do not wave in the wind nor stay aside in the sea.
We are Drakes, we are wise and patient, we know when the time is right, we will strike with the fury of the old earth breaking apart.’

Putting him down again besides Twilight.

‘My son, do not rush, you are a Drake, so listen to the wise mountain and take your time to reach the sun.’

Spike stare a few seconds up to his mother before turning his gaze to the mountains. “I think I understand.” He muses, giggling when his mother nuzzles her muzzle against him.
Nila straightens up with a smile, saying: “Don’t let this trouble your mind. When you are wiser and older, then you can think about this.”
Spike nods, he will try and not stress over something he cannot change as it stands now. He will study this but only if he stumbles across the knowledge, for now, he will worry about others things more suited for his age. One of them is; “Mom, which one of the statues is dad?”

“I’ll show you.” Nila lets them both ride on her back and she takes them out to the statue coated field. Much to Spike’s surprise, she stops at the statue of the dragon with the lost spikes on the shoulders. It’s first now when his mother stands beside it he realizes how big she is compared to the others. “That’s dad?”
His mother nods, lovingly but sad strokes her claw over the statue’s face. “Yes, his name is Ragnar. Before this unfortunate battle, he used to be my consort— a magical protégée.” Eyeing Twilight with a sad smile. “I’m sure he and your pony friend could get a lot of long night conversation about the subject.”

Twilight chuckles sheepishly by that statement but does wonder. “Is dragon magic like pony?”

“That I have no idea.” Nila replies, nodding to her petrified mate. “You will have to ask Ragnar when he gets free.”

“Mom?"

Nila turns to him, Spike points at the missing spikes on his dad’s back. “How did he lose his spikes?” Blinking when his mother laughs almost fondly of that particular memory. “He lost them when a roc bird got the idea to ransack our nest. I was so horrified and furious when that roc bird took your egg, I almost burned down the whole area in the attempt to reach it. Now I find it very ironic that you got the very name your father sacrificed in order to protect you.” She eyes Twilight, barring her teeth in her amusement. “If I didn’t know better, I say your pony guardian knew about this incident.”

“I swear I had no idea!” Twilight exclaims in a small panic Nila might think she knew about this, which she didn’t. She named Spike because of his spikes, not the best name perhaps but she was very young and has never been that good at name giving. Nila laughs, loud enough to make a small wind. “Still quite the irony, don’t you think my little pony?” She asks Twilight grinningly. Twilight Sparkle chuckles weakly up to her, a bit nervously for even though Nila is friendly, she is still a huge dragon.

Spike watches the statue of his father, doing his best getting the picture of him right so he can recognize him when he one day will be free. He won’t know his dad’s colors, but the lost spike will make it easier. He can’t help but laugh lightly from the story how Ragnar lost them. There is indeed a bit of irony there.

* A few days later*

Once again back in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle feels so much more at ease watching Spike is back to his old, childish self. Happy that small crisis is over, Twilight returns back to her reading, only noticing how late it has become when Spike, truly living up to the title being her number 1 assistance holds up a light for her. “Thanks, Spike.” She smiles but even though she would love to read more, both she and Spike needs their rest.
Heading over to the bed, Twilight tells Spike. “Better get some rest, I would like to be well rested to when I visit our partner’s home tomorrow.”

Oh yeah, now that she mentions it. “The portal opens soon, right?” Spike asks and jumps into his bed that is a basket. Twilight nods, saying. “That’s right, according to Princess Celestia, the portal should open tomorrow and be open for about two weeks. Spy agreed on taking me there for a quick visit.”
“Can’t I come too?” Spike asks, he would like to see the human world. Doing the best puppy eyes he can make. “Please~?”

Twilight wants to resists but it’s hard with that look on Spike’s face, she groans. “Fine, but you won’t leave my side.” She tells him hard, according to Spy, the human world is not as peacefully as Equestria. Spike promises he will and after have told him goodnight, both go to sleep. Unaware that the portal has already opened.

In the cover of night, two strangers approach the Golden Oak Library, the pony of the two, proving to be a unicorn puts away the tracker used to find their target, they nod to their partner, a slender and bit big creature with spikes and a long tail. That one walks over to the door and picks the lock rather easy. Inside the two walk over to the case holding the Elements of Harmony. The unicorn takes the case with magic, to then jump startled when an alarm goes off. Swiftly the unicorn grabs the crown and flees with the other one right behind.

Twilight and Spike fly out from bed, Twilight the first down the stairs and just in last second spots the thief which is an amber coated unicorn mare with fire pattern mane and tail. She gasps seeing the thief has stolen the Element of Magic. “No!” She cries and pursues the other unicorn. ”Stop thief!” Does catch up to the thief near the train station, but just as she bites out after the bag holding the Element of Magic, Twilight gets smacked onto the ground. Looking up to who did it Twilight gasps seeing a young Drake, this one is way older than Spike and has a military shirt on.
This jade colored with gold curved spikes drake glares at Twilight with his ice blue eyes. “Consider this a warning.” This young drake sneers and after have pushed her hard against the ground, he follows the unicorn, letting her teleport them onto the last departing train. Twilight gets up but far from done letting them get away this easy.
Throwing Spike onto her back, Twilight gallops after the train and when in reach, she teleports onto it.
“Give me back that crown!” She demands the amber unicorn.

“You want it; come and get it.” The unicorn challenges her menacingly. Her older drake gets into a fighting stance.

Twilight would like to charge at this other unicorn but after having seen this one can teleport, which means she is talented in magic like her, plus her partner has proven to be quite a nimble and dangerous fighter. Still, she has to try. Getting Spike off, Twilight charges at the two thieves. The amber unicorn fires a magical beam at her, Twilight blocks it with a shield spell but did not expect that teen drake used that spell to drop-kick her and almost throwing her off the train. Pure luck saves her from that, leavening her clinging to the edge of the train roof.

“Twilight!” Spike cries and runs over to help his unicorn friend, he stops and stares fearfully up to this older drake now standing his way. The jade teen drake smirks devilishly down to him. “You really want to pick a fight with me squirt?” Spike freezes up, but a cry from Twilight snaps him out from it. He tries to give this teen drake his best intimidating glare. “I- I’m not afraid of you!” He cries and charges at the teen, but his heroic attempt literarily falls flat on the nose when the teen drake easily dodges him and trips Spike, making the baby drake stumbles onto the roof. Before Spike can get back up, the older drakes grab his arm and hurl him over to the edge of this railcar. The teen laughs. “Gutsy one aren’t you?” He walks over to the struggling to his feet Spike. “Not that’s going to help you.”

“Rhys!”

The teen drake turns away from Spike, eyes the amber unicorn there tells him hard as she levitates Twilight’s hooves off the roof, making her fall off. “Stop fooling around.” The teen drake snorts, grabs Spike and with: “Bye-bye squirt!” He throws the younger drake off.

Twilight and Spike roll several times before stopping, battered they watch the train with the two thieves leave them behind. “Who were they?” Spike asks, but Twilight has no idea.

*Hours later, Canterlot castle.*

“Sunset Shimmer. A former student of mine.” Celestia says after Twilight has explained what has happened, Celestia had been hoping Sunset would see the wrong in her path she chose those years ago and return. But it seems her former student still is set on her goal. “She was chosen to study by my side when she showed great magical potential by hatching the drake you saw. But when she did not get what she wanted as quickly as she liked, she turned cruel and dishonest, something the young Rhys unfortunately learned. Like Spike, Rhys is incredibly loyal to Sunset Shimmer. I tried to help Sunset see that where she was heading would not end well, but eventually, she decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path.” Celestia sighs, feeling bad she in a way allowed this to happen. “I was hoping that Sunset has seen the wrong of her chosen path but it’s clear she and Rhys still walk it, one that has sadly led them in stealing your crown.”

Spike steps forward, scared of this fact but everything points to it. “Rhys… he’s my brother, isn’t he?” He asks Celestia. The princess nods slowly down to him, saying softly. “Yes, I had hoped your reunion wouldn’t have been like this.” Spike lowers his head, having mixed feelings that he met his older brother and… got his scales tanned by him, he does not look forward in meeting Rhys again.

Eyeing Spike worried briefly, Twilight turns back to the princess. “Why did she take the crown?” She asks worried and also a bit confused about where Sunset and Rhys disappeared. “Do you know where they went?”
Celestia signs them to follow her. They do and the princess of the sun leads them to a room, currently having two guards watching this place.
Celestia stops before a mirror held by a giant purple horseshoe with several crystals embedded into it.
“This is the portal Sunset and Rhys used, the same portal there would’ve taken the humans back home.”
Twilight blinks surprised, turning to the mirror— the portal to the human world as Celestia explains to her. “Your Element does not belong in the place Sunset Shimmer now calls home. You need to retrieve it and return it back to Equestria before the portal closes again. Without it, the other Elements of Harmony have no power and Equestria is left without one of its most important means of defense against the Shadow Ponies.”

Twilight Sparkle does not fully understand why Sunset Shimmer took her Element back to the human world, she has her guesses though, such as rendering the Elements of Harmony useless like the Shadow Ponies did back when they threw the lost Elements into the same world. She had hoped the trip to the human world would’ve been without any sense of urgency but it seems that’s not the case.

“You understand the importance of your task?” Celestia asks her.

“Of course.” Twilight replies.

The princess of the sun steps away from the portal. “Good. Then you must go at once, there is no time to lose. I will send Spy after you the moment he arrives.”
Twilight Sparkle nods, relieved knowing she won’t be fully alone in this. She walks over to the portal, touches the mirror and hesitates but knowing there is no time to waste, she walks into the other world.

Spike, getting into a panic when he lost sight of Twilight, ignores the princess indirectly command not to go and runs into the portal.
Celestia is surprised by this action, and yet not really, very aware of how loyal a drake is to the ones they consider family. With both gone, she swiftly conjures a letter, writing to the remaining human that Twilight requires him to return back to his world.

Author's Note

I apologize if the song of Nila is cringe worthy, I wholeheartedly admit that I do not know how to write song lyrics, so if you have a talent in doing such things then you are more than welcome to help me improve on it.
and yet another OC of mine is making his debut. like Ignis, Rhys is an older OC but I haven't been able to make a proper background story to him, so I hope you will like this teen drake as much you have come to like Ignis.

Assemble the Team

Note: this happens some hours after the last chapter. it is very loosely based on the TF2 comics.

Spy has to break into a facility of Mann Co to find any information on where Miss Pauling might be hiding, the job getting inside is surprisingly easy. After reuniting his two selves, Spy mind is sharper and his body stronger than ever, his movements easy and much more ‘activity’ needs to happen before he struggles for air. It’s startling feeling this strength as if… Spy has to check. He leaves for a moment going after his target, find a mirror and tears off the mask. The face meeting him is still the same he has seen ever since he knew what a reflection is, but unlike the last time he— as the RED Spy saw his human reflection, it was a man no longer in his prime and back then he sure could feel it.
Has the Elements of Harmony and the respawn de-aged him to what a pony in this age would look like? That’s his only explanation for this change. Putting back on the mask, Spy returns back to his task, unable to remove the smug smirk on his face from the fact that he is going to relive his prime and this time, it is going to stay for a very long time if he’s continually connected to the respawn. The once dread that the one he loves will outlive him many times over can finally be put to rest and for that he is glad.
Spy gets the data, kills a guard on his way out and the location he drives the car over to Miss Pauling’s current safehouse.
As expected, she is incredibly shocked seeing him again, but they don’t really have time for it.
“We need your help.” and explains her the current event.

Well, it seems that the horse world really has affected the mercenaries. Not only they pretended Spy to be dead in order to protect him, but from the looks of it; have pleaded their alliance to Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies. Miss Pauling is not sure how to react on this, less so she not long ago got a message from Helen that she needs to gather the team again and find a lost cache of Australium. Letting out a long sigh, Miss Pauling tells the two former hired men. “I will help you on one condition: you will help me track down a cache of Australium someone stole from the Administrator and get it back.”

“Sure.” Scout replies without thinking.

Spy, on the other hand, he crosses his arms and his mask cannot hide the suspicious frown. “And our former boss only wants that?” For he has no plans on staying here, less so if it means fighting a senseless war again.

“That’s it.” Miss Pauling says, for after the death of Redmond and Bluetach; “The Gravel War is over. After this, you can go back home and… well I guess She will turn off the respawn after—“

“What?!” Scout exclaims in disbelief hearing that. “Don’t turn it off! We need the respawn.”

Spy nods, he has no wish in losing his prolonged lifespan. “Surely she knows we are more useful when death has little meaning to us.”

“The Administrator doesn’t need you anymore.” Miss Pauling points out, yeah sure getting a prolonged life does sound nice but she would like being able to get a boyfriend who she does not has to leave after a small decade because she’s aging way slower than normal. “There is no reason letting it stay on. Do you really want to watch loved ones die while you keep on living?” She retorts, eyeing Scout; he has a lot of brothers and a mother, all he will outlive and their grandchildren if the respawn stays on. “There is no joy in watching your parents, siblings and their children disappear by age while you have to watch from the sideline.”

Scout blinks, quite caught off guard that Miss Pauling has just revealed that she is far older than she appears, so the question is: “How old are you exactly?” gasping as she replies. “Thirty-eight.” Wow, that’s way older than excepted, must say. “You’re looking good for someone in that age.”

Twilight, on the other hand, forgets for a moment that humans do not live that long, her mind is still set on pony lifespan, so for her. “That’s not that old. Fluttershy is thirty-four, so you’re only a few years older than her— but you look like somepony who has just reached marehood.” She points out.
Miss Pauling sends her a confused look, turning to Spy when he explains what Twilight forgot. “Ponies live up to three hundred years, for them, a human life is very fleeting.” He grabs a small white stick and lights it. “They do grow up like us as children up to the twenties, but stays in their prime way longer than a human.” Twilight smiled sheepishly that she forgot, and ponder how a human can do anything with such a short lifespan?

Well isn’t that a surprise. “I wasn’t aware those pastel ponies were a long-living species.” Miss Pauling remarks, she ignores the offended stare Twilight gives her. Instead, she turns to the latest information where the mercenaries are located. “We can think about the respawn later. Right now we have to gather those not under Grey’s control.”

“And retrieve Twilight’s Element.” Spike points out.

Miss Pauling eyes the small boy. “Oh right, of course.” Asking in a low voice only meant for Spy. “Why did you bring a small child?” Sure he does seem to have a soft spot for children, did show that one Smissmass or maybe he used that boy to get that crazy guy. Who knows?

“Spike refuses to leave Twilight’s side.” Spy replies, yes he would prefer Spike and Twilight return back to Equestria when things are far worse than he thought, but- “and we need Twilight, she is the owner of that artifact and I do not know what will happen if a wrong person gets hold of it.”

Seems like they have to deal with those two. “Point taken, but you are aware she will be a hindrance?” Both eye Twilight there walks very ungrateful over to the nearby sink, trying to hold the glass but has to ask Scout for help when she drops the first one.
Spy gives her a look there clearly says she does not has to remind him. “That’s why we need the others.”

***

As hoped, Miss Pauling knows the location of the other mercenaries. The first one they head over to get is Soldier, they find him inside an old castle with the backyard overrun by raccoons and a bit surprisingly, Merasmus is there as well. At least the wizard is not in a bad mood so they are spared a fight against him casting all kind of magic at their faces.

“The trip to Equestria have made Soldier more tolerable.” Merasmus admits to the three others as he offers them something to eat, which Spike gladly take. Glancing to the outside where Soldier is currently trying to train those rapid raccoons. “So I agreed to let him live here- with a few rules, one of them is that his "pets" stay outside.”

Twilight turns her gaze to the human she remembers as an olive green pegasus, looking closely she can sort of see the resembles, mostly because of that helmet Soldier always wear. Turning back to this Merasmus. “Maybe I should let Fluttershy speak with Soldier about pets if he ever—“

“Fluttershy?” Merasmus blinks, that is not a human name and now that he thinks about it, this young woman never introduced herself when the others came to fetch Soldier. “What was it you called yourself again young one?”

“Oh, I'm Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight introduces herself and nods to Spike who is busy stuffing his face in biscuits. “and this is Spike.”

“I take you both are ponies.” Merasmus presumes and is a bit surprised when Twilight replies. “I’m a pony, Spike is a dragon- a drake actually.” Eyeing the young child there is suppose to be a drake. Merasmus is quite surprised a drake hatchling was allowed to leave his clan. Drake parents are very protective of their eggs, he learned that when a male drake almost bit his head off when he stepped too close one of the nests while a friend of his- he sadly can no longer remember her name- went to speak with the drake queen. Brushing that ancient memory aside, Merasmus suggests the woman and two other mercenaries as not all humans will be as understanding as him. “I suggest you find a human name for Twilight Sparkle and Spike. No one will take them seriously with those names here in the human world.”

Twilight and Spike blink at this elderly man’s word, turning to Spy there replies Merasmus. “I will come up with some, but for now there is no need.”

“Very well, and before you go; miss Twilight.” Merasmus turns to the young pony. “What of the pony race are you?”

“Um, unicorn.” Twilight replies, quite taken off guard meeting somepo- someone outside the turned humans having a knowledge about Equestria.

“Your special talent?”

“Magic. Sir, how do you know about all of this?” Twilight asks.

“That makes it easier.” Merasmus muses and heads over to a door having big letters spelling ‘Soldier not allowed’. He disappears inside and calls back to reply to her question. “It’s a long story Miss Twilight, the short vision is that I once visited your world.” He searches his personal room and library, filled with books and artifacts he uses for his magic. Finding what he is looking for Merasmus grabs a wristband holding a yellow gem and hands it to Twilight. “This gem is infused with the wind of a great tornado. It will allow you to blow away any threat as I am sure you will encounter danger in your time here.” He puts it on her wrist, Twilight stares at it a few seconds, to then jump when he summons a doll there looks like Soldier. “Try it out.” He requests.

“I thought people can’t do magic in this world.” Twilight gasps seeing this human is using magic.

Merasmus chuckles. “A few people can and I; Merasmus, a wizard from ancient times are one of them!” He declares loudly, before clearing his throat, returning to normal volume. “Now, try and see you can use this artifact.”
Twilight waves her hand, being a unicorn makes it easier as she already knows how to activate magic back when she had a horn. A powerful wind blows the Soldier doll into the nearby wall, it disappears in a small explosion of magic. Merasmus nods. “Good.” and eyes the young child there is supposed to be a drake, that young kid eyes him with huge exciting eyes if he too will get a magical artifact but here, Merasmus hesitates. Sure drakes are the most magical of the four dragon species but he is not sure if he should give a child any artifacts. They can be dangerous for him.

“If you have something for Spike, kindly let him have it.” Spy says, well aware that even if he and the others will do their utmost in protecting them, danger can still come to them.

Merasmus nods and walks into his room, moments later he returns with a necklace holding a small flame. “This is the fire of a phoenix, with it; you can heal the wounds of your friends and do minor damage on your enemy.”

Spike lets this human put on the necklace, not as cool as Twilight wind hoofband but still useful as he can heal others- speaking of which. He turns to Twilight and while holding the necklace in the left, he lets this healing magic over the wound and heals it. Twilight stares at the now healed arm and Spike beams he can be useful in this world too. Both he and Twilight turns to this Merasmus, with Twilight saying. “Thank you.” The magical user of a human nod with a smile.

Not long after, the group- now with Soldier moves out. While driving in Spy’s car Twilight wonders out loud. “I wonder if he would be a unicorn in our world?”

“Probably.” Scout replies besides her. “Wouldn’t surprise me with all that magic he usually throws at us when Soldier pisses him off too much, we usually fight him every Halloween. Don’t worry he’s really tough.” He ensures Twilight when she gives him a worried look. “We haven't been able to kill him no matter how much crap we throw at him.”

“Sounds like a powerful unicorn.”

“He’s powerful but not very skilled.” Spy muses from his seat, he keeps a sharp eye on the car Miss Pauling drives with Soldier in the back, it does make him a bit calmer having a conversation. “Not that it matters, even though you two can now defend yourselves, don’t try and help us in a fight.” He glances briefly to the two Equestrians. “We aside from Miss Pauling cannot die if we get killed; we will return about ten minutes later.”

“Yeah, so don’t worry if you see one of us get blown up.” Scout grins to the two. Both nod with a very uncomfortable look on their faces. Not really seeing it Scout continues. “Still hurts like hell though, I still remember the first time I got blown up by Demo—“

“That's enough, Scout.”

Noticing the horrifying looks on Twilight and Spike faces, Scout realizes he might have said too much, he smiles weakly. “As we said; don’t worry about us. We will be fine.”

“… You sure?” Twilight asks slowly, it is not Scout there replies, instead it is Spy. “Remember, we are used of getting killed every single day in the War Games. We are all trained warriors, so whatever we are going to face will simply be another battle.” And the man glances back at her with a faint smirk. “Although it can’t beat what we have faced in Equestria, that last one was quite something.”
Twilight quirks a smile, that eases her down knowing that although this world is violent compared to Equestria, at least the enemy won’t be as world-changing dangerous to those they have faced in the past.
“Hold up, who did you fight?” Scout asks and Twilight spends the drive telling Scout about the battle against Discord. The youngest of the humans she knows to groan. “Aw man~! Why do I always miss the cool fights?”

“Says the one who saved the capital by tackling into a changeling queen and kicked some senses into another.” Spy remarks dryly, he hears his son snicker of that memory, followed by Scout says somewhat smugly. “Oh yeah, I got praised by the queen of the land itself. That was pretty cool.”

They drive into a mansion looking place, here Miss Pauling and Soldier step out from their car, his father does not bother leaving and apparently Scout's expression revealed his confusions as Spy explains soon after. “If memory serves correctly, this is Demoman’s home.”
Ah, so they are simply getting Cyclops, in their time of disbandment Scout realized he actually missed the team’s drunkard. Demo often treated him like a younger brother- speaking of which. “Say, um... how are things going in Equestria?” Scout asks unsure how to say this. For thinking about it again, he is still unsure about the fact that he is now an older brother.
Spy eyes him, after a moment he replies in a softer tone. “Everything is going well, quite busy with the two girls.”
Scout blinks, did he hear that right? “Girls?” Has he gotten two new siblings and they are girls?? But he has no idea how to act around girls unless he wants to date them!

“Twins, and quite the handful.” Spy replies with a smirk of the dumbfounded face Scout have.

“Besides from the stripes, they look like you.” Twilight adds in, and the two times she has seen those two fillies she must admit they are adorable. “And are very much how you were when Trixie turned you into a foal.”

Well, that’s unexpected, still, Scout is not entirely sure how to react on this, not that he needs to worry about it now as they have a job to do.

***

Miss Pauling stop the car outside a workshop by the name of Frontier Engineering; according to her files on the mercenaries, this is where Engineer is working. She walks inside but does stop halfway when Demo’s voice says in pleasured surprise. “Ey Twilight, didn’t recognize you there without that purple coat of yours.”
“Must say Demo, you have been the easiest one to recognize.” Twilight replies.
Miss Pauling turns around and watches Demo kneels down before the young child with a large grin. “And you must be Spike, how’s it doing little dragon?” The child smiles weakly, much to Demo’s surprise. Twilight explains him and Scout about a fight against some creature with the name of Discord there could bend reality just by snapping his fingers. Boy, is Miss Pauling happy she wasn’t in Equestria when that happened, dealing with minor stuff in that place was bad enough. She is quite happy being human and merely has to worry about getting that cache of Australium back to Helen and gather the team in order to fulfill that command.
After have told what would’ve sounded as a farfetched story but everyone in this group know better, Twilight turns to Miss Pauling, asking. “Who are we going to find here?” and Miss Pauling replies the once pony. “Engineer.” She walks into the workshop, inside they find two engineers but either is their Engineer.

Sitting on a table nearby is a chubby woman with short brown messy hair, several burn scars on the tan skin, the biggest on the right arm. This one turns to them, revealing she has yellow eyes, and those eyes shine when she spots the group walking inside. “Hia guys!” She greets them, jump off the table and in a cheerful manner trots over to them.
Spy, Demo and Scout stare at her for a few seconds, then Scout speaks when he realizes who she is. “Wait, Pyro?”
She nods. “That’s me!”

“Man, you look different without the suit and uh… scales.” Scout chuckles, seeing Pyro with a face and not that gasmask did remove several intimation points but those many burn scars along with Pyro having yellow eyes and being very muscular compared to other women he has seen still makes the team's firebug dangerous looking.

Pyro giggles. “Engie said I didn’t have to hide from the world anymore. So, I dropped the suit.“ Turning to the brown-haired young woman, unlike the others she recognizes her instantly. “Hia Twilight.” and picks up the boy she knows is her Element partner. “Aww~ you look cute as human Spike!” Pulling him into a bear hug.

Besides from getting almost crushed by his partner- who is now one of the smallest of these guys- he is quite happy to see Pyro again. It still does not change the embarrassment he feels what she just called him. “C-Cute? I’m not cute!” He argues up to her, face completely red from his fluster. Not that she cares
“You are a cute little boy, just as you were a cute little dragon.” Spike wishes he can make himself invisible as his mother from how the other guys (except Spy) are laughing at what Pyro is calling him.

“Pyro, where is Engineer?” Miss Pauling asks, probably saving that young boy further embarrassment as Pyro does put him down and replies her with a tilted head. “He’s not here. The woman from the speakers has him and Logan at her place.” That is the surprise to anyone, yes even Miss Pauling. “He’s with the Administrator? Why?”
Pyro shrugs. “Dunno, Engie only asked me to keep his workshop going until he returns.”
Well, if Helen has him then it means there is no way getting him on the team as she probably needs him more. No matter. “Pyro, I am assembling the team again, so I would ask you to join us.” Adding. “You can use your fire as much as you like.”

She has missed using her flamethrower, Dell only allows her setting things on fire at certain points. And Pyro would love to go with them, but… “I can’t, Engie told me to stay here.” Pyro nods to the somewhat busy workshop. She thinks that’s the least she can do after everything he has done for her, not only did he help her get real friends but also make sure she won’t return to that horrible hospital there caused Pyroland to be created in the first place.
Miss Pauling blinks, seemly being confused by her refusal, well Pyro is a bit surprised herself, usually knowing she can use fire and get invited back to Pyroland has been enough but after having seen the truth after have become whole again, well there was no longer need hiding in Pyroland. “I’m sorry, but… I’m not the monster you want any more.”

Wow, Pyro has actually declined the chance to set things and people on fire, she really has changed. No longer the mindless thing she hired in that cell of the insane asylum. “Do you mean you have gotten uncomfortable using the flamethrower?”
Pyro shakes her head with an almost innocent smile. “Oh no, I still have a ton of fun doing that, and if it has been on the playground- oh sorry War Games, I would’ve still set the others on fire, screams of terror doesn’t really bother me anymore.”

Said others shudder that even their bit saner firebug, Pyro still hasn’t lost the sinister side of setting anything ablaze. Explains why she got turned into a dragon.

“But I need to stay here, protect Engie’s workshop.” Pyro says steadfastly in her decision. Her partner thinks he understands why, after all, he is a dragon too. Spike cannot really voice this deep-rooted need to be with Twilight, want to make sure she is happy. All he knows that he understands why Pyro wants to protect Engineer’s home until he returns, but he also would like to have her on their search for the Element of Magic. “I know the feeling Pyro.” His partner eyes him, Spike scratches his arm slightly as he tries to voice something he hasn’t done much thought about before now. “I too wish to protect mine and Twilight’s home, and… watching her leave, it scares me more than anything, so when she leaves me in the library… I need to protect our home until she returns- until my clan is back.”

“Spike…” Twilight muses softly, somewhat startled of what Spike is saying, explains why he always clung to her when she returned after has been gone for hours, why he followed her to this world. It’s part of his Drake heritage, it seems unlike those with wings, those without wings are flock creatures and thus needs to be with their clan in order to feel safe.

Spike eyes her briefly before he turns back to Pyro. “You want to protect the home of what remains of your clan, but your clan is here.” He gestures at the other mercenaries, all being wise enough to stay quiet while he speaks with Pyro as a fellow dragon even though neither are one this very moment. The instincts of a Drake aren’t there, but even a human needs to be with those they care about. “And we need your strength.” Spike eyes his partner with a very important question in his mind. “Isn’t that more important?”

“Ay, lass, we could use that fire of yours.” Demo speaks, must say he is quite touched by how that kid to Spike spoke to Pyro on such an equal level. He realizes that only Engineer has done that and that was before she had scales and a face to show.

Scout may still be afraid of Pyro but at least has learned that she will not kill him as long he is friendly towards their pyromaniac. “Yeah, no one does Spy checking better than you.” Said Spy rolls his eyes from the wall he stands up against but otherwise does not speak. Scout has the feeling his old man does this to make those he does not trust think he does not care about the situation, but he knows better.

Pyro hesitates for a painfully long time, then she tells Miss Pauling. “Let me send the two workers home, and I’ll come with you.”
Miss Pauling nods and Pyro walk over to the two engineer’s, she sends them home, telling them this place won’t open for quite a while, but still with getting paid. With them out, she puts on her old suit, the red one for that’s the one she likes best and after having closed and locked the workshop Pyro follows the team on this mission.

Miss Pauling is quite happy how this team assembling is going, now she only needs Medic, Heavy and Sniper. Two of them she knows the location about, Medic is a bit of a mystery as he disappeared not long after they got attacked by their evil other.
She tries to call Heavy, hoping he will come on own account but all she got out from that was an old woman there told something she already knew: that Heavy lives so far out in the mountains that it is practically impossible to get a hold on him. But since he did not take the call, it seems she has to send the others to get him.
She commands Soldier, Pyro and Scout to go, after a moment of pondering she adds that Twilight should go as well. Mostly because she has noticed that everyone on the team, yes even Spy has somewhat of a soft spot for this young girl and figure that Twilight will have a good chance butter Heavy up to join them. Miss Pauling, along with Demo, Spy and Spike will go to Teufort for two reasons, one because Helen asked her to meet her there and two, Spy mention something about he would like to capture Scout’s other. Miss Pauling does wonder the reason to why, part of her doesn’t want him to torture info out from Scout, but another reminds her that she cannot change the fact that Spy just doesn’t care about his own son.
With that set, Miss Pauling send the first team to Siberia.

At Teufort, Spy disappears in his own mission, no surprise there. Miss Pauling put Demoman on babysitting the very nervous Spike and she hurries over to the ally the note said the meeting would happen, and at the strike of noon, Miss Pauling hears her boss and mentor’s voice.

“Miss Pauling.”

Miss Pauling steps into the alley, spotting Helen who is keeping her identity hidden by wearing a large hat and coat, no surprise there, the woman does have a lot of enemies. “Oh thank god.” Miss Pauling is so relieved to see her boss alive and alright, quickly giving Helen her progress. “I’ve almost gotten the team together like you asked. I found out Spy was still alive, he’s currently dealing with Scout’s other. I tracked Heavy to Siberia and—“
“Don’t come in here!” The Administrator commands her harshly.
Miss Pauling stops and cannot help but feel… well rejected by this. She is Helen’s most trusted assistant and she is getting shunned away? “Um okay?” Still, she knows her loyalty and leaves the ally, instead learns up against the wall but unable not to worry about the only person she could form any attachment to after she was forced to abandon her mother when she no longer could hide her slow aging. “Are you… are you alright Admini—“

“No, I am NOT alright!” Helen interrupts her assistance harshly. “Nothing is alright, and I do not have time to pretend to be your friend, Miss Pauling!” She loathes the thoughts of having such a hindrance, all she needs is a loyal assistance. “Now shut up and listen to me!” Miss Pauling is quiet and looking at her body language of feeling rejected, Helen sighs and pretends she cares for this young looking woman. “I apologize. You’ve done well and I’m… proud of you” Even though Miss Pauling should be a middle age woman, thanks to the respawn. Her mind and body are still stuck as one at the early age of twenty. Helen has more than once considered connecting herself to that machine, but after having lost over a hundred mercenaries to it, several of them just dropped dead on the spot. She realized it was just too risky and instead stuck to prolong her life with Australium. And speaking of the very stuff keeping her alive. “But we don’t have time. Please just listen.”
And she is glad that Miss Pauling does just that. “The cache of Australium you are after, you are no longer the only one looking for it. Grey has hired former mercenaries, all are still connected to the respawn but not the same way as your team. They went AWOL not long after they got connected and has been working as guns for hires ever since. That's not all: According to my sources, those who stole the cache has dropped it for the time being.” She lights up a cigarette. “In other words: you are running out of time. If Grey gets the hand of this cache, we are looking forward to several decades of long battles and if the thieves return, we will never see this cache again.” She pulls out a note and hands it to her loyal assistance. “Finish gathering your men and get to that cache quickly. Meet me at these coordinates once you have it.”

Miss Pauling takes the note. “Yes ma’am” and has to ask the Administrator about what Pyro told her. “Is it true you have Engineer with you?”

Helen nods. “Correct, he is currently working on a project of mine.”
Mr. Conagher was unwilling at first thanks to the reveal of what the company did to his soul, but after have ensured his brat’s safety, the man is now dutifully working on a better machine to refine the Australium there keeps her alive.

“I still haven’t found Medic.”

That one is a lost cause. “Forget about him.” Helen tells her hard. Getting Medic and the others back from those three women mind-bending control is straight out impossible, they are on Greys side now. “Gather the men you have and get my Australium. And if you run into any of those Grey has on his side or the thieves…”

Miss Pauling wants to say that they can handle them, but with Twilight and Spike in tow and several of the mercenaries other halves on this new team’s side… well, Miss Pauling is not so sure they can fight them. “It will be problematic but I am sure the mercs can handle it.”

Helen thinks otherwise. “No, you have to get the Australium first and run. Do not engage those men, especially not the thieves, do you hear me?”

Okay, it seems this is a bigger issue than she thought. “I understand.” Miss Pauling nods

Meanwhile, deeper in town, Spy is not as lucky, Scout’s evil side has left and there is a great chance he’s with Grey. So all he can hope now is even in that state that Scout has been smart enough to keep his mouth shut about the relationship he shares with him. With no other option, he has to return back to the others— oh, before he does so, he might as well report back to his new boss in form of the princess. He goes through the portal, does stumble a bit when he is back in his changeling form. Spy walks outside the room holding this portal mirror and stops at the guard pony keeping watch of this room. “Get the princess, it’s urgent.” The guard pony nods and runs off. Not long after, Celestia, along with her sister Luna arrive.

“Is everything alright on the other side? Are Twilight and Spike safe?” Celestia asks him, the hint of worry does not go unnoticed for the changeling.

“No to both, a fight is brewing and they soon will be stuck in the middle of it.” Spy replies and must admit. “I would prefer those two returned back here. Question about the Element; can any of us take the Element of Magic without any consequence?”

Celestia frowns lightly on what this changeling has told her, it is quite worrying indeed. “Here in Equestria, a none bearer can carry it but not use it. However, I do not know the same rule applies in your world.” She admits and has no idea how it will react in a world without magic. “As much I hate to say it, Twilight needs to stay.”

Luna eyes her sister once, well aware that this commands pains her. Turning to the changeling, she does her own command. “You who came here got chosen for a reason. You need to protect Twilight and Spike, return them and the Element of Magic back to where they belong.”

Spy nods that he understands and after a small bow of respect, he jumps back to the human world. Again he stumbles a bit when getting turned into a two-legged form. Does quickly recover and after have corrected the suit Rarity gave him, he returns back to where Miss Pauling left Demo and Spike.
The Administrator assistance is already there.
“Where’s Scout?” She asks and Spy replies in his usual stoic tone. “I couldn’t find him, probably already returned back to Grey’s base.”

“Bloody hell.” Demo gasps, getting the strong sense that with one of Scout’s halves around Grey, Spy might be blackmailed if Scout has revealed he is the son of this man. Pretty much anyone on the team now knows the secret between him and Scout, so that secret can very easy get revealed. “You’re going to have one hell of a time.”

Spy groans, covering his eyes. “Yes, I am aware.” This is exactly what he feared would happen if the truth about his relationship with Jeremy got out. Only one good thing that he’s not alone with this issue anymore.

Miss Pauling shift her eyes between the two, she does not like this sense of being left out of what they are talking about. Whatever it is, it worries Spy greatly. “We better hurry and get the rest of the team.” She tells them and heads over to the car, Spy follows and Demo does as well- after he has lifted Spike up on his shoulders.

Author's Note

whew, this was quite the long chapter. must give Miss Pauling the credit for gathering the team this fast.
must admit that I was highly considering taking the comic way on how they got Pyro, but my vision of the firebug is way saner and can be talked to. of course if Miss Pauling did set a whole floor on fire my Pyro would still come to admire the flames.

The Frozen Frontier

Note: This happens four days after the last chapter and is strongly based on the Team Fortress comic "A Cold Day in Hell"

*Siberia mountains*

Wandering in a snow there isn’t made by Windigoes but is just as cold and deadly, Twilight seek protection against the harsh wind by staying close to Pyro who does her best protecting her and Scout against the freezing cold.
Soldier has been doing the same for a while, but when hunger and cold got to him, well… his already loose logic completely got blown away.
“You will get closer when I crawl towards you, mountain!” Soldier screams at the still very far away mountain and he is the one crawling towards it. “Don’t crawl away from me! That’s an order!”

Scout glances at the man as they pass him, grumbling when pretty sure this idiot lead them to their death. “I swear to god that if we die and has to do this freaking trip again I— auch!” He turns to Pyro, about to demand why she hit him. He realizes why when seeing the horrified look on Twilight’s face. Oh, he forgot she does not has the respawn to count on. “Aw man, I’m sorry Twi.” He apologizes to her. It does not matter if he freezes to death- hell doesn't matter if any of them does as they will simply respawn, but Twilight, well she will stay dead. Eyeing Soldier who clearly has lost it, so counting on him is out. Eyeing Pyro watching him behind that gasmask, Scout realizes that she is waiting for him to make a decision. Wait what?! “Hey stop staring at me like that mumbles!” He snaps at her, he knows he is awesome and all but leading someone: that is not his thing. “I don’t know where the hell Soldier brought us! You know what? Let’s leave him and just get moving, he’ll respawn, our worries are Twi here.” Pyro nods and picks up Twilight, completely ignoring her objections of getting carried.
They leave the hallucinating Soldier behind, Scout does stop when they encounter a crashed plane. “Hey isn’t that—“ Pyro eyes him. “Maybe there is something we can... alright fine, we can’t investigate the plane.“ He gives in to the Firebug's silent stare and they pass the plane.
However, they do not get far. For out at the distance they can see a small pack of bears and unlike the bear Fluttershy has back at her cottage, these bears are not friendly.
“Aw, crap!” Scout swears that things are just not going their way. “How did they find us?”

Pyro eyes him quietly, then both turn when Soldier starts yelling something about they have been very stealthy— which they haven’t, before the crazier than normal man hurries over to the plane, shouting louder. “Good lord! This plane is filled with honey! Amelia Earhart’s famous sweet tooth has doomed us all!!” Soldier then takes out a crate and start eating the honey, commanding the three others. “We need to eat all this honey before the bears get here!”

“You’re just cowering yourself in it…” Scout points out dryly.

So Soldier corrects himself. “Eat this honey off me before the bears get here!” and pretty much forces Scout to eat the honey along with him. He doesn't seem to notice Pyro, then again, not many notices the firebug when she isn’t using her flames.

Pyro stares at the scene for a moment, then turns to the bears out in the horizon, back at the two honey eating people and with a muffled grumbling she puts Twilight down and takes her over to the plane that can at least spare her from the freezing wind.
Pyro glances to the only remnants of her once whole world of fantasy when Ballonicorn suggests. ‘Better find a weapon, those teddybears do not look like they want a hug.’ Pyro agrees on that and does find it quite the pity, she likes teddybears. She spots a fire-ax, grabs it and leaves the plane just as the bears attacks. One of them wounds Scout with its long claws, he does quickly recover and jumps onto the bear, trying to snap its neck like Soldier did. Not working though, Scout is not strong enough, so Pyro helps him out by lunging the ax into the bear’s face.
“Hey! I had this one!” Scout complains greatly annoyed but does changes his tune when Pyro merely gives him a long stare; no need taking off the mask for him to feel the sinister smirk she has on her face. “Yeah, I probably needed the aid, thanks mumbles.” Pyro gives him a thumbs up along with a muffled giggle.
Both, however, snap their attention to the plane when they hear Twilight's cry of fear, the remaining bear has realized she is an easy prey and now trying to claw its way inside. It does get blown away by that magical wind Merasmus gave her, but that only worked on the smaller one. A way bigger bear arrive, one Pyro highly doubts either of them can kill without weapons other than a rusty ax.
Before this huge bear can harm any of them. Heavy suddenly appears and as if the bear weighted nothing, he throws it away from the group. The bear roars in anger but winches in fear of the glare Heavy sends it and knowing this is a fight they cannot win, the two bears run off.

With that nuisance over, Heavy turns to the group and is not sure he should roll his eyes of the stupidity they have walked into the Siberian wilderness without the proper gear or be impressed they did it just to find him.
He turns to Scout when the youngster greets him. “Hey Heavy, nice timing showing up! We have been looking for you… hey, you look kinda different.” Heavy ignores that last comment, he instead turns his moss-colored eyes to the young girl leaving the plane in a shaken up manner. She is the only one he does not recognize. “Who is girl?” He asks, glancing back to Scout that explains. “That’s Twilight, hard to imagine I know, but I’m sure she felt the same when we—“
“Come.” Heavy interrupts him and leads the group back to his home.

After have ensured the turned pony no longer is in danger of freezing to death, Heavy asks her. “Why are you here?” and Twilight explains as he gently puts a warmed sheet over her shoulders. “A pony named Sunset Shimmer stole the crown holding the Element of Magic and brought it here. I am searching for it, but according to Spy there is a big chance she is working for somep- I mean somebody named Grey and I can’t go near him without those of you who came to Equestria.” Heavy nods, he can see why Twilight went through all this trouble to find him and although he doesn’t want to return back to the War Games. “Because of hospitality you showed us, I will help.” He tells the turned pony, thinking he at least owes her that much. But there must be more to this, only very few know where he has been hiding. “What does Miss Pauling want?” He asks.

“Something about Australium.” Twilight muses and must admit. “No idea what it is, but it sounds important.”

That it does. Heavy hums and leaves the turned pony, he turns his gaze out to the dining room where his mother is currently trying to aid the very delusional Soldier. As long the man does not try and attack his family he will let Soldier live, his mother does manage to get Soldier to eat and Heavy is not sure how worried he should be when the man is shouting about the ghost of America's presidents is not playing fair with him.

“Hey Heavy, what happened to you after that mind-twisting song came?” Scout asks from his spot, doing his best to ignore Soldier's idiotic shouting. And now he’s onto the question, he can’t be the only one noticing that Heavy looks different. “How did you get away and how come you don’t look old anymore and your eyes are green now?”

Heavy sigh, figures some of them would notice this eventually. But how can he explain this?

When he ran over to get Medic out from the base, those women song rapidly twisted his mind to suit their need. It had only been in a matter of seconds before he- like his other was under their control. They commanded him to obey, give into his dark thoughts and adore them like nothing else matters, the first he could but the second, no matter how loud the song became, how much it twisted his mind, he kept on refusing to adore them as they wanted. Letting them inside the spot in his heart only meant for one… and that one is Josef, that he could not give them.
That made him able to fight against the song, resist the command to hurt the man he loved. His other did the very same, even went so far to fight against those women. He had turned his attention to Josef, feeling his heart shatter watching him suffer under their control. “I won’t let them take you.” He had promised and carried him out, Soldier’s dark other had attacked there, almost blowing them both up with his rockets, yet he refused to let him hurt the doctor. His other killed Soldier and did his utmost to protect him and Josef. They had resisted the song, but both felt the control was slipping out of their grasp. He fought for control, and although he never would let them into his heart, those beings were still capable of destroying his very mind. His other had died about there when he fought against Scout’s other and there was no chance he could fight the evil speedster while holding their healer.
Josef must’ve realized this, for after he kissed him, the doctor plunged his bonesaw into his chest and before he died; he saw Josef gave into the song, as he burst into maniacal laughter.
He does not know how, but that respawn did it. There did not come two Heavies but one- he came out. His memories, a mix of both, he was no longer old but young and very strong and his eyes have returned back to the color he was born with. He knew almost instantly what has happened, so with a better resistance to the song, he ran back to where Josef was. He got them both out from there but… even if he was a full strength, there was nothing he could do to save Josef’s mind…

Eyeing the team, Heavy dreads how they will react if he told them, about this forbidden love this world does not tolerate had been what saved him. “Medic helped me.” He explains them carefully. “He killed me after other me died … only one respawned: me.”

“Hold up.” Scout almost jump up from his chair, flabbergasted of this. Is Heavy telling them. “You managed to become whole?!” Heavy nods and Scout asks. “How? What made you and your other not kill one another when you did it during the War Games?” But Heavy did not answer, much to his frustrations. “Come on man, don’t leave us hanging!” He, along with the others— except Soldier, he left not long ago for some reason, turns to Pyro when she says dreamily.
“Aww it’s so sweet, love does really conquer all.”
Scout raises a brow. “Huh?” Not sure if she’s aware that they are not in Equestria anymore. ”In Equestria yeah, hell we defeated a whole army by the power of love. But we can’t pull such stunts off here, I know Heavy love Medic very much, but really, I don’t think that will be enough to resist that mind-twisting song.”

Pyro merely shrugs. “Maybe we took some of the magic with us.” and returns back to adoring the fire she has been doing ever since they came to Heavy's home.

Dumbfounded by those two so casually speak about what he for a long time saw as his shame. “You know?” He asks them, startled that they— especially Scout took it this knowledge so calmly.
Scout waves his hand around his chest. “Yeah, that sense of love is hard to ignore when you are part of something there feeds on that stuff.”
Oh right, Scout can sense emotions and most in tune with love. So, of course, he would’ve felt his love for Josef, still, it is a surprise how casual he is about this revelation. “I am surprised you did not freak out about it.” Heavy remarks, and not really sure how to react on someone he thought would’ve been very against the very term that the same gender can be together is one of the most accepting about it. Eyeing Twilight, Heavy is not that surprised she does not have a negative opinion on this. After all Ponyville has a lesbian couple. When he saw those two be so casual about it out in the open, he felt very relieved, Josef too but was not quite ready to be so open about it.

Scout sends Heavy an offending look for thinking this low on him. “Uh, have you been living in the snow for too long? Our souls are split in half, we return back from the dead every single day, fight monsters every Halloween, got turned into ponies- where I was turned into one there fed on love and my father is dating a zebra.” Crossing his arms that Heavy thought he would find this the weirdest thing he has experienced these past two years. “So no, I do not ‘freak out’ knowing you’re dating Medic.” That is, in fact, one of the more normal things he had to deal with ever since he became a mercenary for Mann Co.
Heavy does look very relieved for some reason, Scout is not entirely sure why but he can make an educated guess as he has never seen those two kiss in the open and frankly. “So what about you two just make it official and get done with it?”

For some reason, Heavy is quite amused by that last remark. Maybe, they can take the next step around the team. Some of them might not like the idea of having a gay couple on the team, but if they could accept Spy’s secret; couldn’t they accept his and Josef’s?
Speaking of which, “Medic is here.” Scout and Twilight both jump surprised and Pyro snap away from admiring the fire. But before they demand him to drag the doctor into the living room. “He is not himself. The song has him.” He tells them.

Scout winches, he knows how that feels and is glad he got away from it before the song’s chains really got a hold on him. “Where are you keeping him?” He asks, knowing how Medic can be when he gets too excited on the battlefield, Scout has no wish in meeting a turned evil Medic. Man is going to tear them apart just for the thrill of it!
And from the sad look on Heavy’s face, it’s clear he knows that too. “He is in hut not long from here.” The big man lets out a sigh, turning his gaze to the door. “Wish it not like this. But doctor is dangerous. He will hurt family if let inside.”

“Maybe Twilight can fix him?” Pyro suggests, after all; “She did that last time he turned into scary doctor.” Medic is probably the only one she fears of the team, but only when he started wanting to do experiments. It reminds her of those doctors in that hospital, they were the cause she created Pyroland. “I will not go with you, if Medic scares me, I will kill him.” and she will enjoy every second of it.

Heavy does not want Josef to be killed, for if he respawn the man might return to Grey and that’s the last thing he wants. Eyeing Twilight, he does recall she helped Josef back to normal back when they all lost it back in Equestria. So maybe... but what if she can’t? What if Josef tries to kill her? He will never forgive himself if that happens. “Will you help?” He asks Twilight. She nods, he figured she would do that. “Scout, you keep Twilight safe.” He tells the speedster hard.

“Yeah, yeah sure.” Scout salutes with a weak smile. He does wish he could avoid the crazy Nazi Medic, but if Twilight is going to face him, then he better be there to make sure she does not get killed by her partner.

After have dressed to the harsh weather outside, Heavy brings Twilight and Scout to the small hut where Josef has been living for these past months. Getting near the hut, Heavy warns them to stay back. “He will attack.” and unlocks the door, opening it, Heavy catches Medic who tries to harm him with the only weapon he has: the same knife he uses for his food. “It’s okay doctor.” He tells the clearly crazed man and drags the now disappointed Josef back into the hut. “You have guests”
Medic snaps his eyes to them and smiles, not a friendly one, far from it “Wunderbar, meine Langeweile endlich etwas zu töten.” He speaks, Heavy does not understand, not been able since Josef decided to mainly speak German, all he knows that he won’t let the doctor near the two. So when the doctor steps over to them, he stops him and the crazed man gets quite annoyed, so much that Heavy gets the knife plunged into his arm. Heavy removes the knife and gently forces the German hissing man onto the chair.
With Josef secure, only there Heavy allows Twilight near.
She walks slowly over to him, like them aware of the danger the doctor now is.
“Medic?” Twilight calls softly, Josef reacts on her, but he does not recognize her as a friend. “Sind Sie nicht ein schönes thema sind?” He asks, Heavy does not know what Medic is saying, only that he does not like the tone the doctor has. “Careful.” He warns the turned pony. She hesitates for a moment before she reaches out to Medic, she yelps startled when he grabs her hand tightly, tries to get away but Josef won’t let what he sees as his new test subject get away. Heavy is about to make him let go but stops when magenta sparks appear.

Flinching from the sudden pain, Medic lets go of his new test subject, letting out a curse from a strong headache hitting him. Then slowly, the fog holding over the saner part of his mind eases up, Medic starts to realize what is going on. He collapses onto the floor, not sure how long he was passed out, only when he opens his eyes, his mind is clear again, the song there held him trapped is gone. Looking up he sees Misha, Scout and… a human Twilight. “H-How long?” He asks. Misha helps him up and when back on his feet, he expands his question. “How long was I trapped?”

“Almost six months.” Heavy answers, he is greatly relieved that Medic is back to normal. “Good see you back to normal again doctor.”

“Me too.” Medic sighs, although he is mostly relived he can control his urges to harm others. For that song made him attack Misha and a few of those attacks left scars. It’s a wonder the man put up with him all this time. He turns to Twilight. “Danke—” He grunts when the turned pony pretty much tackles him into a hug, it catches him quite off guard. Feeling quite awkward, Medic clears his throat and nudges the young woman away, it feels weird being all this touchy feelings.

With Josef back to normal and he is no longer a danger to his family, Heavy is more than happy invite him to dinner back at his home. On the way back, they encountered his two younger sisters returning back from their hunt, Heavy helps his mother cook the bear and explains to her that Twilight does not eat meat— well she can in this world due to being human now, but Heavy is not sure it’s a good idea to introduce her to meat, so the root stew it is.
During dinner, Heavy explains his family that he hates to do it but he has to leave them again, to his surprise though, his sisters were far from defenseless as back when he rescued them all from the gulag.
“Men came when you were out fighting in America and we killed them, but we never told you as we didn’t want you to worry.” Zhanna; the oldest of his younger sister explains before turning back to that strange game of getting fed by Soldier. Heavy can deal with it as long Soldier stays polite around his family.
And knowing his sisters has dealt with danger without his aid, well… “I see, I guess you have all grown up now. Big girls who do not need bossy old me anymore.” He remarks to his three younger sisters.

“Aw, Misha. You’re our big brother.” Zhanna says with a grin.
“You’ll always look out for us and we love you for it.” Yana, the middle of the three sisters says, adding soft but firmly. “But now you must let us look out for ourselves.”
The youngest Bronislava points out as she pokes his cheek. “Besides, aren’t the some other there needs you more than us?”

Heavy eyes those of the team there came to get him, settling on Josef. His sisters are right, he is needed back at the team. Heavy takes a bite of the chunk of bear meat, quietly agreeing with his sisters as he loudly chews on the meat. His sisters are strong, he realizes that now and so they do not need him to protect them anymore. “I will help you.” He tells the others- his team. “And I will kill anyone getting in our way!” and so, Heavy and his family leave behind this cottage there has been their home for years, all of them sort of happy knowing they will never return. It is time for this family to start a new life and for Heavy to fight once again.

(Meanwhile at an unknown location)

A young boy at the age of six walks carefully into the very room where his father often works. Logan knows he is welcome to pay his father a visit, but he is scared of that woman. She reminds him about his mother, someone who is mean and has no patience for kids like him. Against his cautions of not going inside, Logan steps into the room and scans it for his father. He does and although he wants to walk over, his fear against that woman makes him stay at the door, clutching his favorite teddy bear there looks like his father.

Unaware of the visit, Engineer has gotten the task of replacing the Administrator’s old life machine with a better one, one there does not consume as much Australium as the former. One problem though, that machine is tightly attached to her arm and removing it like this will hurt like hell. “Tell you what, let’s put you under so I can—“

“Just do it.” Helen tells him sharply, she didn’t hire him to stall.

Engineer is admittedly taken aback by this command. “I, uh… well look, this is going to hurt, ma’am.” He warns her, but the Administrator, like many other things, does not care as she tells him. “Mister Conagher, I haven’t felt anything in a long time.” Well, she is indeed a cold bitch, explains why she didn’t give a crap splitting their souls and bodies in half for this staged war between the Mann brothers. “Suit yourself.” and he removes the small machine, skin and flesh gets torn off her arm and the Administrator does indeed not flinch from what should hurt a lot. “Let’s get this little number out.” He disconnects the wires from the small machine, letting them hang as bloody veins around her horrible looking arm. Putting the machine down, Engineer hears a gasp and turns around, at the door stand his son, staring horrified at the Administrator messed up arm. “Darn it…” He mutters, really hoped his boy did not have to see that. Engineer is about to go over and gently nudge his son out, but a certain woman will not let him.

“Finish your job, then you can cuddle the brat.”

Engineer shoots her a glare but does as he is told. Whatever he likes it or not, Logan is only safe here as long he works for the Administrator. He grabs the machine he has been working on these past five months, probably gone faster if he had a full soul but that’s nothing he can do about at the moment. After have attached the new machine, he explains the cold-hearted woman. “There, the mark five will run on the quarter of the Australium the mark four was gobbling up. If you have as much Australium as you say, you will at least live five hundred years, probably more.”

Good, for what she has been working on for all these years has yet to be reached. “Your family has given me more than any of us deserves.” Eyeing the man before her, now with his job done, her end of the bargain has to be held. “I will ensure you get the full rights over the boy.” She can’t help but find this rather stupid, a man like Dell Conagher could easily keep that woman he once called a wife away from the boy. “Why you didn’t demand to get your soul mended back instead is beyond me.”

“Well, we already figured out how to become whole.” Engineer replies as he takes off his welding goggles and revealing his grey eyes; the sign of his incompleteness. “Besides, Logan’s safety means more than my own soul— not that you’ll ever understand.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Helen replies coldly, watching the man walks over to his offspring. For her, such things are meaningless, a nuisance and no use for her. She picks up a cigarette. “I have no more use of your skills for the time being.”

Engineer lets his son take his hand and with: “What about we visit grandfather?” He leaves this safehouse, there is something he needs to do and Logan cannot go with him; where he will be going is too dangerous for a boy.

Author's Note

Man, coming up with a name to this chapter was hard. I was very close naming it "Frozen Heart" but then people probably just thinking of the opening song of Frozen with the same title XD
one of my friends helped me come up with this new title.

Lost Ties

Note: This happens a week after the last chapter and based on the Team Fortress 2 comics.
there will be several OC's in this chapter, some are loosely based on real-life people.

(Australia)

“I sure hope Twilight is alright…” Spike mutters softly, he knows he saw her a few days ago before she, and the others went to some location Miss Pauling sent them on, but he just can’t help but worry.
He feels a hand on his head, followed by Demo’s voice. “Don’t worry lad, she will be just fine.” Spike nods slowly, doesn’t help much on his worries though. He looks out from the car window, watches this new location passes by and sort of wish he could’ve been more excited about it since he is in another world but… he just can’t really enjoy it as he thought he would.

Miss Pauling stop the car before a farmhouse there seems to be pretty much out in the middle of nowhere.
But one look at the house and Miss Pauling dreads that they won’t find Sniper here and him leaving any clues behind is very unlikely. The house is dilapidation and from the looks of it, they haven’t been anyone here for quite some time.
Demo notices the same and remarks to her. “Bloody hell, I’ve slept on toilets nicer than this. Sniper’s parents live here?” and Miss Pauling must admit. “They did, but it looks like they have abandoned it.” Wondering what has happed for their place to turn out like this. Going inside, she starts calling for Mr. and Mrs. Mundy but gets no reply.

He might have a terrible sense of danger, but Demo does not feel comfortable intruding on Sniper’s “territory”. Maybe it’s just him or maybe it’s because he- including the others have seen how deadly and cruel their sharpshooter can get if provoked. “This does not feel right, we should leave.” He suggests, walking over to Miss Pauling who has stepped into the dusty living room, not seeing that they are indeed not alone. Of course, Miss Pauling is not in a hurry of getting out from here.

“We drove all this way, let’s search the place first.” Miss Pauling picks up a few scattered papers on the floor. “See if there is a clue where Sniper might be.”

Getting the sense of being watched, Spike checks behind his shoulder, the turned drake freezes on the spot when he spots a figure of a person staring at him in the shadows. He lets out a fearful scream and takes the run for it.

Demo and Miss Pauling snaps to the spot, but before they can get a grasp on the situation, Sniper has reached Demo and injected something into him, knocking him out in an instant and didn’t care she was his former boss assistance as he whacks her in the back of the head, knocking her out as well.
With those two out cold, Sniper turns to the young boy, he gets the bit of a startle when this boy suddenly throws a flame that came from seemly nowhere at him, his biggest surprise is hearing a familiar voice from this not so familiar face. “S-Stay back, I-I’m warning you!”
“Spike?” He asks and slowly the boy calms down. “Sn-Sniper? That’s you?” Sniper does not reply, the kid already knows it’s him. “What in the bloody hell are you doing here?” He asks the turned drake and starts drag Demo and Miss Pauling to the nearby chairs so he can restrain them.

“Somepony stole the Element of Magic, it is here somewhere.” Spike explains Sniper quietly.

Sniper stops his task for a moment to look at the kid. Cursing the very element that chose him and yet being happy he still has enough professionalism to realize that he owes Twilight that much. “I'll help.” He tells the turned dragon but must warn Spike.
“I’m not myself, I didn’t get away from the women fast enough.” Slowly he turns back to bind Miss Pauling to the chair, it takes a lot from him not to slice her throat over for the anger he feels of what her boss did to him. “You better leave, this might get nasty.”

“I’m staying.” Spike says with a way more brave voice than he feels. He is scared of Sniper, scared of what this song that turns someone evil will make the once griffin do.

“Suit yourself.” Sniper simply says.
When Miss Pauling and Demo get around, Sniper injects the scot, knocking him out once again. “Sorry, mate. Can’t have you up and about for what happens next.” Sniper tells the again unconscious man. He turns to Miss Pauling when she asks. “What is in that? Did you poison him, Sniper?” and he replies rather calmly.
“Nah, that was family’s moonshine. Doesn’t matter who you are, it will knock any wanker off his feet.”
Sniper replies and pulls out his knife, putting the subject back on track. “Anyway, let’s get to it.” It does take some resistance not to plunge his knife into her flesh, but fortunately, he can most of the time ignore the song of those women. So as a way to distract himself but also to get answers he hasn’t been able to find, he starts playing with the knife. “My parents… passed six months ago.” Worst of it was that he was the one who found them.

“Sniper, I’m sorry—“

“Not my point.” Sniper curtly interrupts Miss Pauling. He does not want her petty sympathy, all he wants is answers. “When I was cleaning out the house, I found something. They’re not my real parents. So I went off and started digging, around. Everything leaves a trail, Miss Pauling.” He knows that fact better than anyone, wouldn’t be much of a good sniper if he cannot track the prey, but this is not a prey he’s tracking but answers to where he really comes from. “Except me. It’s like I fell from the sky. Nobody knows nothing where I came from!” He sneers and the knife gets plunged deep into the back of Miss Pauling chair. Sniper meets Miss Pauling's somewhat nervous eyes. “So here’s is what is gonna happen. You will help me find out where I came from, or I will show how close I am to be like my other.”

“I will search for your answers the moment I am done with this current mission.” Miss Pauling promises, adding her condition. “If you in return help us.” Sniper does not look thrilled about this as he points his knife at her. “And what makes you think I will work for you people again? Last time I did that I ended up with a split soul and that other half is cutting people up. Wouldn’t surprise me he made a lamp out of those blokes skin.” And Miss Pauling retorts back. “You agreed when you took the contract, plus, I am sure that when this is all over. The administrator will help you become whole again.”

Sniper does not believe her. “I trust the spook’s words more than you Miss Pauling. People like you. You only keep your promises as long it benefits you. The only reason I haven’t thrown you into a shallow grave is that you are still an asset.” After a moment of silence, he speaks. “Both for me and for Twilight Sparkle. The moment I am done helping her retrieve the Element of Magic, and if you do not find me a track to follow.” His grey eyes meet her green. “You’ll be my next target.”

Miss Pauling can only nod, she does not like the thought of that turned pony has Sniper as his employee but as things stand now, she cannot argue. “Alright, if this is the only way of getting you on the team.” She sighs, and while Sniper gets her free Miss Pauling can’t help but wonder how much control she truly has on the mercenaries at this point?

***

(midday, near a submarine base)

Picking up part of the earth there has the sign of a car has driven past lately, Sniper sniffs to it and can say with certainty to the almost fully gathered team. “The thief went this way about fifteen minutes ago.”
“And you got that by sniffing to the ground?” Spy asks, clearly not believing that. It’s not like a fancypants like him knows how to do proper tracking without all those spy toys he has in his pockets. Behind his aviator, Sniper shoots him a glare. “You wouldn’t know proper tracking even if it hit you straight in the face.” He straightens up, nodding to the nearby submarine base. “You better have something better than your butter knife, place filled with Australium pumped blokes. Might be lucky that it is simply the cache Miss Pauling is after.”

Ignoring the insult of his choice of weapon. “And what makes you think it is either?” Spy asks and is pretty sure Sniper rolls his eyes behind those sunglasses of his. “Not so sharp as you think, spook. I am an Australian; which means I can hear Australium.”

“You can hear Australium?” Heavy asks quite taken aback by this.

Sniper nods and feels quite offended that they did not know this well-known fact among the Australians. “I may be a runt and barely have any of the stuff in me, but I am still a bloody Australian. It’s not only because of ego it’s called Australium, it’s because only we can hear this golden metal.” Grown up in a country filled with it does make the people very in tuned with the subtle sound it makes.

That is interesting info and all, but they don’t have time knowing why Sniper can hear something others can’t. “Spy, check the area.” Miss Pauling command and after a moment of thoughts. “Take Soldier with you.”
“Yes sir!” Soldier salute and runs towards the base, the woman there had joined them after Heavy and surprisingly Medic returned to the team follows- after have exchanged a few words with the big guy. Miss Pauling did not catch what they said but she can make a good guess it was the words to be careful.
Spy does not like her command of who he will team up with, he rolls his now reddish eyes. “And with that: all stealth got thrown out of the window.” Before he cloaks. Miss Pauling ignores him, Spy might not see it but Soldier will be a great help if he gets into trouble.

Leaving those two to ‘make plans’ outside this base, Spy sneaks inside. What he finds are several people there probably those tending and controlling the submarine ship, most of them are huge and muscular- not to mention having big mustaches. A clear sign they are indeed Australians, then there are those who have more Sniper’s build. One of those people passes his hiding spot and Spy raises a brow when he notices a purple shirt having a yellow logo of a circle cut up in four and has a bare circle in the middle underneath the marine clothing. That catches his attention, more so when he spots at least two more has these purple shirts. What does that— Spy tense up when he feels a gun being pressed up against the back of his head.

“And now would you kindly uncloak.”

He does and remarks to whoever is aiming their gun at him. “I presume you’re going to use me as a meat shield.” If not then this man would’ve shot him by now. “It won’t work.”

The shooter chuckles. “I know, and killing you will only grant you a headache.”

Spy hears a cloak getting dismissed and blinks when the gun gets lowered, he turns around and must say he is surprised to see a spy working for Mann Co. Except this spy is dressed in purple and has a ridicules festive mask and too big of a scarf around the neck. This spy seems amused by his disapproval of the choice of clothing.
“Oh lighten up already, Antoine.”
Spy’s eyes wide hearing his name from this stranger, how, how did this spy know his name?! Now it’s his turn to point a gun at him. “How do you know that name?” He demands, the purple spy doesn’t even seem to notice he has a gun at his face.

“Lower the gun Antoine, or one of my comrades will shoot you.”

Spy looks around but he cannot see any signs of a second shooter or the glint of a sniper rifle scope. And as if reading his mind, the other spy points out. “He does not use scopes, now lower the gun. You won’t win against us.” He hesitates but does lower the gun, the tone in this spy’s voice makes it clear he is not joking around.

The purple spy nods and asks whoever on the other side of his intercom. “What the status on the others?" A tapping sound comes from the intercom. "Alright, if they get in close, shoot anyone except the women and child.” Before turning back to Spy “I know you are after the Australium, that you cannot have. But if your team backs down, I will give you the information where this artifact you’re looking for is located.”

“Our boss won’t allow us to back down.” Spy points out, not sure why but he has a strong sense that if he and the others get into a fight with this guy’s team: they will lose. He can feel the same aura of years of hard experience around this man as he felt around his old teacher.
And lord and behold, the purple spy drops the best disguise he has ever seen, revealing his old teacher with a black cat lying on his shoulders. “Still hasn’t learned to think for yourself I see, Antoine.” and with that, the man disappears by cloak.
Spy stares at the now empty spot in utter shock of what he just saw. His old teacher is still alive? How?— No, never mind that, the same as to why he and this other team are after Australium. “Miss Pauling.” He calls her up from his wristwatch machine.

“How’s the situation?”

“One of the thieves caught me and left with the warning we need to back down.” He explains and knowing his old teacher, one he has heard from many others has been proclaimed the best spy by anyone who knew about him. Spy doubts that even though he is now younger and stronger can defeat his old teacher, that man taught him everything he knows! “I incline we do as told. These people are above us.”

“Spy, you are the best of the best. There aren’t other people out there better.” Miss Pauling argues to Spy, although she is worried about this warning the thieves gave Spy.
She can’t let the Administrator down, and besides; these guys cannot really die. “Is the Australium there?”

“Yes.”

Miss Pauling is just about to make the order for the others to move in, instead, she freezes on the spot when Heavy suddenly got headshot and he drops dead to the ground, scaring Twilight and Spike immensely.
Seconds later, the echo of a sniper rifle can be heard.

“Cricky!” Sniper ducks by mere reflex, now he knows how it feels being on the receiving end. “Get them out from here, they got a sniper!” and no matter how much he looks around, he cannot see a glint from the scope. While Demo gets the girls and Spike to safety at the truck, Sniper takes out his own rifle, only there he finds the other- it's a man dressed in grey, camouflaging him on the roof, the lower part of the face hidden by a scarf. The man stares directly at him while aiming his old rifle that does not have a scope. He points down to the ground, the sign to put down his weapon before removing the scarf showing a malformed jaw from a shot he took.
Sniper feels a chill runs down his back, every sniper in the world has heard about this guy. “… it’s the White Death!” He gasps, never thought he would ever meet the best sniper of them all.

Miss Pauling freezes up hearing that name, she too has heard about him, but… he disappeared a couple years past. “You sure?” If those guys have the White Death on the team, then sneaking inside is pretty much impossible.

Sniper lowers his weapon, no wish in risking this legend taking another shot at them. “No doubt about it, that's him alright."

“Spy, did you recognize the man there captured you?” Miss Pauling asks Spy, starting to see why Helen did not want them to engage these people.

“Yes, it was the Ace of Spies, I spotted some other I‘m certain is the Force of Nature.”

…. Okay, they are so screwed! Those three alone are the best of the best, the elite of their jobs. Miss Pauling can now see why Helen told her not to engage with these people.
“Okay, Spy, draw back.”
Never thought the thieves would be legends.

“Good to know our names still means something.” Ace of Spies grins, appearing beside Spy just after he finished the call.
Spy eyes his old teacher, the moment is bittersweet seeing him again. “It’s… good to see you again.” Ace of Spies is the closest thing he ever came to have a father.
“Likewise Antoine.“ Ace pets the cat on his shoulders before he hands Spy a piece of paper. “The artifact is at this location and before you go, if you kids behave; there is a small cache of Australium in the ruins of New Zealand.”
Spy scowls from being called a kid but he is more than aware that he won’t get any answer of what this team made out of legends are planning to do down there. “You will need to ask Miss Pauling about that, I’m merely an asset.”
Ace nods. “Very well.” and speaks into his intercom built into the wristwatch. “Force of Nature, could you take it up with them?”

“Do you want me to wipe their asses as well?” The man on the line replies in a mocking tone. “Some of them crapped their pants when Death shot at them, tsh, what a bunch of pussies.”

Spy never thought that the man there got the nickname Force of Nature would have Jeremy’s attitude, mixed with his snark.
Ace pinches the bridge of his nose, and Spy can’t help but feel amused that even a master spy can get annoyed by scouts. His amusement is quickly replaced with his own annoyance when Soldier suddenly charges into the base, to then get taken out by the White Death.
“Not the woman.” Ace says simply and those people having the purple shirt round Soldier’s girlfriend, forcing her to surrender. The master spy turns back to his student. “Let’s hope the rest of your team aren’t this reckless.”
Spy can only hope the same.

Waiting tensely outside, Miss Pauling can do little but watch the White Death handle Soldier in such a manner it seems more a nuisance than anything. Moments later, a man leaves the building, running with a speed worth of Scout. This other speedster stops not far from them, revealing a man dressed in a full body rubber suit there has several purple markings, he takes off the goggles just as a white bird lands on his shoulders. “Alright people, here’s the deal. If you keep your noses out of our business and don’t ask questions. We will allow you to go with us and grab a small cache of Australium located down in the ruins of New Zealand.”

Scout is about to asks his confusions that New Zealand is a real place, he doesn’t though as he’s too busy taking in that he is standing near THE Force of Nature! Hale got the weapon all wrong though, the man has a futuristic looking weapon and from the barrel, he can see electricity. This is so awesome!

“Alright.” Miss Pauling agrees, unlike Scout who is close to fan gasmen, she is incredible wary around one of these legends. There is a reason why this man is been called the Force of Nature. His weapons are all electric based and if not for that specially made suit: he and anyone else trying to use his weapons will be electrocuted. That and this man has the training from two elite forces, one from the UK and another from Russia, so he knows his fair share on how to raid buildings and take out the biggest threats.

“Only three of you may go.” The man says, he turns slightly, nodding to a parked truck can be seen. “The rest will head to the coordinates your spy was giving, it will bring you to where the artifact has been taken.”

Again Miss Pauling agrees, she picks Demo, Pyro and a very reluctant Sniper. “Rest of you, get Soldier and Heavy at the nearest respawn point, then go the coordinates Spy has.” They nod and leave, well almost everyone, Scout just had to embarrass himself by trying to talk to the Force of Nature. “Uh... hi, sorry to intrude but, uh could you sign my weapon? It’s just a sawed-off shotgun but it’s called by your name in fact, isn’t that cool—“
“Scout!” She snaps at him, and is quite surprised that this elite force man actually laughs at this fanboying he got from Scout, more so with his reply to Scout’s request. “Sure thing kid.” He grabs the force of nature weapon, taps it with one of his rods and electrocutes it, leaving behind a fried spot at the handle. “Here you go.” Returning the slightly burning weapon back to Scout.

Best day ever! “Thanks! Man, I am never throwing this one out!” and he trots after the others, holding the pretty much-destroyed weapon as if it’s the biggest thing ever, for him it sure is. This weapon was held by THE Force of Nature! Wait till his brothers hear about this!

Force of Nature grins while watching the first group heading off. The grin is quickly replaced with a serious scowl when turning to the remaining four, he simply has to sign them and they follow.
The team sniper leaves his spot when they walk into the base, the red-dressed sniper tips his hat at him as a polite but also a bit shaky greeting. The White Death returns it with his own polite nod before turning to the purple dressed Scout, giving him the sign they are ready. “Right, to the submarine people!” Force of Nature commands and all those people having the purple shirt head to the submarine ships, he points at one of the ships to their 'guests' and tells them. “You will take that one. When you have the prize you will leave immediately.”

“Understood.” Miss Pauling nods and does at the man told her and the others. She takes control of the sub and while following the three other submarine ships towards the land of New Zealand, Miss Pauling asks the three mercenaries. “What do you guys know about New Zealand?”

“Not a bloody thing.” Demo replies with Sniper saying in a pretty uncaring tone. “Mom told me they wanted to be left alone, so they sunk the whole godforsaken island.”

Well, he got that right. “True, and forty years ago they got their wish. They built a giant glass dome over the whole country and sunk it to the bottom of the ocean. It must’ve been a utopia, a paradise under the sea. But something happened.” She glances to the right, watching as they pass by the broken hole in this giant glass dome.
The submarine ships before them lead to a large door, it opens when approaching and Miss Pauling figures this is their stop. “Look alive everybody. We’re here.”
Leaving the sub, Miss Pauling only moves when the White Death allows them by a hand-sign, they walk along with this elite group of people further into this underground building.

Sniper, being just like Scout when it comes to the White Death- although is way calmer by walking beside this sniper legend. He eyes the man and asks carefully. “Mind if I ask you a question?” The White Death eyes him, no sign of annoyance in his eyes, only a hint of sadness.
The legendary spy explains why. “He lost his voice when a Russian soldier shot him in the face.” The White Death nods, eyeing Sniper again with eyes saying ‘sorry about that’.
Disappointing but it’s not like it’s the White Death’s fault he lost the ability to speak. “No worries.” So asking how he does the shots without using a scope is impossible, what he can ask though. “Is it true you have killed at least five hundred men?”

The White Death smirks before shrugging and holding up a notebook there has a lot of signs of battle.

Sniper thinks he understands that one. “That’s how many you were able to record down?”
The mute man nods, and if the battered book is any indication. “But you didn’t always have time to write down the kill.” The man shakes his head, the smirk widens when Sniper whistle impressed.
Sniper must admit he can see why this man became a legend, more so when this man did it in freezing cold in the Finish winter. Sniper would never have been able to do that, he couldn’t shoot straight from the cold when the teams fought in a base called Coldfront and less so without a scope.
One of the large doors opens, and an old man steps outside, he stares wary at the many people, that until his eyes land on Sniper. There he smiles and spread out his arms in a welcome. “Welcome to New Zealand, son. Welcome home.”
Sniper’s eyes wide hearing that from this old man claiming to be his father. Talk about coincidence, then again, this might be a trick. “How do I know you’re my real father?” He demands.

The man opens his mouth to explain but stops when the purple dressed people walk past him and think it’s best stopping them intruding before explaining why he is the father of this man. “Hold up, where do you think you are going? This is a private home!” He is about to grab the man in the rubber suit but stops when that one points a weapon sparking of electricity at him. “For your own safety; stay out of this.” and he, along with the others leave.
The man hesitates then slowly turns to the remaining group there includes his son. “I better explain what happen all those years ago." He clears his throat. "After many educated calculations, I realized we had to leave the ocean and head to space, but the council- those idiots did not listen so I had to take matters into my own hand. I built a rocket there would take us to space— that was my plan but I simply did not have time to build a bigger ship, so there was only one seat. I was planning on going myself but… um well, you got that seat instead.”

Sniper has trouble believing this story, he knows his parents aren’t his real parents. But he is the son of a scientist and…. he’s not truly an Australian. If this is the truth then that explains the files saying he does not have Australium in his blood… He’s not sure how to react on that fact. “After all this time I thought I was an Australian, why I never grew a mustache, why I never wanted to fist-fight the other kids… it’s because I’m not really an Australian…”
The old man— his real father nods. “That’s right son, you’re from New Zealand and—“
“… and thanks to your father, everyone in New Zealand DROWNED, and we’ve been stuck in this sealed lab ever since.” An elderly woman voice speaks at one large dinner table filled with wine bottles. His father groans, explaining to him. “Where your mother has been trying to drown herself, one bottle of wine at the time."
Sniper turns around to this woman. “Mom?”
She nods, but this reunion is far from what he expected, instead of being happy to see him, she instead turns to her husband, telling him slurred like Demo when he’s drunk. “Bill-Bel, when this wine runs out… I am going to shoot you and then kill myself…”

“You know what would be nice, Lar-Nah? To get through ONE day without you—“

Miss Pauling steps in here, thinking they can argue about this after they have left. “Um, hi, if I could butt in for just a second here…” The elderly pair eyes her, only one of them has their attention on her though. “I am looking for gold rocks. Does any of you happen to know where it is? It’s practically worthless, but my employer has a crazy fondness—” Sniper’s dad laughs, reminding her. “My good woman, I’m a Scientist! You can’t fool me. I know the true value of that metal.”
Both he and Miss Pauling cast a glance to the White Death walks past them with a crate filled with Australium. She would love to reclaim that crate, but she has noticed how sharply the Force of Nature is watching her and she really does not want to become another number on his kills list. So instead she turns to what this man of science has. “Dang… so um… any chance you would let us have it without coming to a fight?” She gets thrown to the floor by Sniper and he looks ready to kill.

“You can’t ask me to kill my biological parents.” Sniper sneers in anger, it takes a lot from him not to put a bullet through her. The only thing keeping him is what remains of his professionalism and the fact he has found his family again. His father is very glad about this and puts a hand on his shoulder. “That’s right son, family has to stick together.”

Sniper’s mother, on the other hand, is apathetic at the whole situation at best. She empties her wine bottle and leaves the table. “Sure you can get the paint.” She leads them to where a rocket is, the whole thing is painted in Australium. Much to Miss Pauling’s disbelief.

“You used it to paint your spaceship?!”

Bill-Bel snorts. “Hardly. This represents a fraction of the Australium I had.” Already knowing the question this young woman is going to asks when she opens her mouth, so he replies her. “I used most of it to paint the prototype spaceships.”

“And where—?”

“They exploded.”

Miss Pauling facepalm hard, somewhat hoping to knock herself out from this so-called scientist idiocy, pretty sure his wife is the smarter one for she is kind enough to offer her a drink, which she really needed.

Hold up, Bill-Bel just realized something. “Son, how did you get back from space?” and his son explains. “I never got to space, dad. I crash-landed on Australia!” But that can’t be right, he calculated the whole earth will be covered in magma. “But how did you survive? The earth was covered in magma years ago! I calculated it!” He jumps when a purple dressed man with a somewhat festive mask appears right beside him, saying in a deadpan tone. “Let’s just say you greatly miscalculated, all the earth is in danger of at the moment is nuclear fallout and three mind-bending women.” Before the man disappears again, leaving Bill-Bel very dumbfounded.

Sniper recovers quickly, he has been dealing with a man like this for years, although not as much of a know-it-all like that one. “The earth is fine dad. We can bring you back to—“

FOOOM!

Everyone snap their attention to the rocket, Demo shields Miss Pauling against the rocket’s fire in last second, causing only him in getting incinerated. Recovering from almost getting burned alive and happy Demo was beside her when she tried to get the Australium off the rocket- now crashed through the roof and causing water to flood inside. “No! The Australium!”

“Well, that’s one way to do it.” The Force of Nature remarks a bit surprised by this sudden develop before commanding the rest of his team. “Time to get the hell out from here! Echo, do your thing!” The sniper nods, pulls out a double-edged knife and after a moment of holding his little and ring missing hand out in the air, he finds what he is looking for and cut into the very air with that knife, space rips open and reveals another room. The people dressed in purple runs through. Ace gives the others a single look before disappearing along with the two others.

Before Miss Pauling can ask what kind of portal that is, the cut to this other area gets closed, leaving them behind in this rapidly flooding area. There is still a chance to salvage just a bit Australium to Helen, she runs over to the computer to figure out where the rocket is heading, but to her horror, this rocket did not crash land like Sniper’s… this one managed to get to space. “It’s gone… I failed my mission retrieving the Australium- the Administrator is going to kill me!” But there is nothing to do about it now. “Guys! Get to the sub!” She commands the remaining two.
Sniper does stop half-way, asking worried. “Where’s my dad?” and by the look in his eyes, she knows what he is about to do. “Sniper, don’t go looking for him! If we don’t leave now we will drown!”

True, drowning is possible the worst way to die, but death means nothing to one who’ll just respawn. “It does not matter! He’s my dad!” He turns around to go back, telling them “if I’m not back in—“

“Guys!” Pyro calls annoyed, only got attention when she takes off the mask. “Our submarine is fucking gone!” Sniper and Miss Pauling turn to where the sub should’ve been, they can do nothing but watch it sail out through the door, having the only passenger as Sniper’s father.

Seeing this breaks Sniper, his biological father left them to die… then, the door opens and the crashing thought of his father is far from the man he believed is gone for just a moment, which makes the truth crash even harder when this marine proves not to be his father coming back.
Devastated and furious that he fell so hard for this, Sniper draws out his submachine gun but got shot by what looks to be a spy. He splashes into the water with two bullets stuck into his chest, it won’t kill but he sure hell won’t be able to fight either.

“You got two options.” This blue dressed scout leans intimidating over the railing beside the black dressed spy. Behind them stands what looks to be an engineer with a white cowboy hat. “Either you come quietly or you can drown down in these depts. And we’ll simply pick you up at the respawn point, of course, not all of you are that lucky.” His blue eyes land on Miss Pauling, one there will not respawn if she dies. “What it gonna be?”

Author's Note

if any of you are reading "Brothers and Sister of Arms" you might recognize these OCs as that's where I created them. so you can call me lazy as much as you like because I sort of was by putting them into this story.
in the tf2 comic "Blood in the Water" Sniper dies but I didn't really bother doing it in this story as he would just respawn.

Trapped, not Defeated

Note: This happens right before the flooding of Bill-Bel’s laboratory, and like past chapters about the human world: based on the Team Fortress comics. oh and to you easily offended, I will use a certain word but only to keep Soldier's character.

The rest of the team drive the three motorbikes towards the coordinates Spy got from his former mentor, leading them to Ayer’s Rock, a well-known mountain for the Australians since this place is told to hold the biggest Ausralium mine. The group dismounts the bikes and while Spy tries to get in contact with Miss Pauling, Heavy tells Twilight and Spike. “Stay close.” They nod and Twilight looks around this area. “The Element of Magic is here?”

“If we can trust that other spy’s words.” Medic replies dryly, turning to their own spy there tells him. “Ace is a very deceptive man, but he wouldn’t double-cross people he cares about.” Seems like this Ace of Spies cares about their spy, explains why Spy is so good at his job if he was trained by the best of all spies.

Twilight eyes this strange red mountain curious. “Anything special about this place?” Before anyone can answer, Spy walks over to them with; “I can’t get a hold on Miss Pauling, so we’re on our own.” Before replying on Twilight’s former question. “This is Ayer’s Rock, it holds the biggest source of Australium of the world.”

“And Sunset might be after it?” Twilight asks.

“Possible.” Spy replies, but honestly. “All we need to worry about is retrieving your Element.” She nods and the group heads over to the mountain.

At the huge rock, Scout voices his thoughts out loud. “So this is Ayer’s Rock, huh? I always figured it was made of Australium.” He eyes Soldier there ponders out loud. “The enemy must’ve hidden it under all this dirt.”

Spy rolls his eyes and reclaims a cigarette, explaining both. “Ayer’s Rock is not made out of Autralium, it is having Australium underneath it.”
He turns to Heavy when the big man muses his thoughts. “Must be entrance somewhere.” and suggests the others they should look around.
Surprisingly, it is Soldier there find a way inside when he decides to just dig a path, at first that statement was really stupid as there was no way to dig through solid rock but Soldier’s thickheaded did for once prove useful when he revealed that this rock was just a façade made of balsa wood and Styrofoam.
Unaware he did not dig through a real rock, Soldier declares proudly. “I made a path for us!”
“Yes, well done, Soldier.” Spy praises him deadpan but must admit that Soldier’s stupidity did come in handy this time.

Heavy eyes the American quietly before going inside, the moment he spots footsteps in the sand there got inside, he warns the others. “Someone is here, be quiet.” and as careful someone like him can, he walks deeper inside while readying the shotgun they got from the respawn point.
Scout reload his own gun and opens his mouth to remark how huge this place is, but a hush from his father makes him keep his mouth shut.
Heavy eyes Medic, man has a disappointed scowl on his face since he can’t do his main job. There wasn’t any medigun at the respawn point, so all he has is a dilapidated syringe gun.

Carrying a dusty old but still functional rocket launcher, Soldier steps further into this giant mine. The sound of a wrench hitting something makes him turn and what little he can see from the helmet, he spots the enemy and does not like what he sees. “We’re getting invaded by niggers!” and shoots at the two Africans at the other side of the great rock tear. All chances of sneaking up on those two get thrown out from the window thanks to Soldier. The two jumps away from the rocket Soldier fired at them. The woman of the two pulls out a remote control and the level three sentry gun aims at them although they are out from its sensor range. Apparently not for this remote control-wielding woman as she makes it fire at them with a deadly accuracy. The man of the two launches his own bombs at them, forcing the group to seek cover from getting bombs and bullets raining down on them.

Seeking cover behind an empty cart, Scout yells angrily at Soldier. “Oh, really nice Solly! Warning the enemy of our location!” Winching when Spy points out flatly: “You would’ve done the same if I haven’t hushed you.”
The two black people run off, disappearing into the mine and the chance finding them is really slim as neither can follow thanks to the sentry gun they got sat up- at least it's not firing at them anymore.

“Get rid of it Spy!” Soldier commands. Spy peeks out to get a better look on the sentry gun’s location before he cloaks.
About five minutes later he appears beside the sentry gun, but before he can put a sapper onto it, he gets an arrow through his arm, making him drop the sapper.
Seconds later he gets torn to shreds by a minigun. Appearing from behind a crane a bulky, fat but not as tall as Heavy of a man arrives. His minigun of choice is the Huo-Long Heater, which does suit him as he looks kinda like a properly dressed sumo-wrestler.
A hooded man holding a metallic bow jumps down from above, landing beside their team's heavy. Moments later, Sunset Shimmer appears with a teenager there looks kinda like Spike.
“Give up, Mann Co mercenaries!” Sunset calls out to them. “You are surrounded and some of you do not have respawn to count on.”
Revealing that they are indeed surrounded when a burst of flames reveals a pyro and a medic with a charge ready on their left, the two black people appearing on their right and the heavy plus this bow-wielding sniper in front.

Heavy eyes his sister, then Twilight and Spike. As that red-haired woman said, some of them will not return if getting killed. There is no choice, even if it means death later, it will at least give them a chance to get out. Doesn’t mean he likes this, but... “We give up!” He calls back, much to Soldier’s anger.

“A true soldier never gives up! We will fight until the last man dies!”
Heavy shoots him a firm stare, one there tells he will not argue about this. “We give up for my sister, Twilight and Spike’s sake.” Soldier opens his mouth to argue, but then he notices the terrified looks on Twilight and Spike’s face, turning to Zhanna there does look ready to fight but stands no chance without a weapon. Soldier growls but, although reluctant agrees with Heavy.

The team Sunset has walked over to restrain them. While doing so, Twilight spots her Element of Magic in Sunset’s hands. It’s frustrating being so close and yet so far from the goal, but in all honesty, Twilight is more worried about her friends' safety than the Element.

*Two days later, unknown location.*

“By the time we got there, most of the Australium was gone.” The blue dressed scout explains his current employer, he would’ve pondered why he and his team even agreed to work for this man in the first place, but the song in his mind keeps him from thinking about such things.

Grey sighs loudly, not only has the Administrator taken most of the Australium for herself, but these thieves managed to steal what he had in his storage. Fortunately, Ace's group has decided to leave him alone for now, leaving behind only the issue of that old woman.
Speaking of her. “You’re close to identifying her location?”

The scout crosses his arms, frowning deeply. “One of men are interrogating them now. Should have something in an hour or so.” and although the song won’t allow him to question Grey, he is allowed to question that red-haired woman. “I know you gave her pretty much free reins in that pet project, but do you really think it’s a good idea letting her play with—“

“I didn’t hire you to think, Mr. Russel.” Grey interrupts the man, the scout frowns deepen which he completely ignores. “All I want is your muscles, which isn’t much with this lackluster group you call a team.” The scout growls in anger, yes he sure hit a nerve there but Grey won’t change his mind. This should have been one of her best teams, but all he sees is a joke. It’s a surprise they ever were considered to become that other team’s rivals. Please, two of them are black and one of the engineers is a woman, while the other one is straight out useless and that was before the manic doctor mangled him. The sniper does not take the job seriously, heavy is dumb as a rock, the spy and pyro are cowards, and if not for the Sirens and the potential of blackmail then he would’ve dealt with that constant nagging medic with a bullet. And this so-called scout's paranoia and bleeding heart for his team are getting irritating. “All I want you to think about it getting me the location to that woman and get me those golden rocks, do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.” The scout growls and leaves, a small part of him really wants to just get out from this deal but he can’t because those women work for Grey and he will command those three.
Outside the room, he encounters his second in command, the sniper who prefer using arrows and has his face hidden under a hood. “How’s Pyro doing?” He asks.
“About to burn their soldier’s hands off.” The sniper replies, his eyes are glowing faintly green from the mind control the sirens has over him.

They walk into the torture chamber, here they find a chubby red-haired man dressed as a blue pyro, currently letting one of his chemicals eat away the other team’s Soldier’s hands, understandable the man is screaming of the agony he must be going through.
If the pyro had been himself, he would never have done this, but like the others of this team, the song forces him to do it. The only sign that he does not enjoy doing this is the sobbing coming from him.
The scout and sniper watch this scene quietly, neither telling him to pull himself together for what little of them are still free of the sirens control, they don't like their current situation either.

Those two turn when the chained Sniper starts shouting. “What’s the bloody hell is wrong with you? Why do you cry like a baby when deliberately burns his flesh off you sniveling—“ The blue dressed scout punches him hard in the stomach. Of a scout, this one sure hell knows how to pack a punch. He eyes the man before him, there is rage in those blue eyes.
“Don’t you dare talk like that to one of my men!” The Scout sneers, then his eyes light in a poison green and his face goes sort of blank. He turns back to the pyro. “Return back to work.” The pyro nods shakily and returns back to his task.
Sniper stares at this man horrified at what he just saw. “Cricky, this is not you…” He has seen that same shine in the eyes from his other, these people are under the Sirens control!
The scout casts him a glance before he leaves. Sniper can’t help but feel just a bit sorry for these people, and yet he won’t allow himself feel too much pity; for he has to kill some of them.
He eyes the hooded sniper once before turning his gaze down, trying to free himself from the chains.
Does look up when someone steps through the door and feels dread when he sees his other.
Man, he really has gone into full evil. He’s dressed in black, eyes shimmering in the poison green, hair is unruly and for some crappy reason, he thinks a beard and smoking like Spook makes him look cool or something.

“Get the hell out you sniveling mongrel.” His evil other sneers at the pyro and shoves him off. His evil other pulls out a kukri coated with dried up blood and after having played a bit around with it, he plunges it deep into Soldier’s leg.
Soldier screams in pain, Sniper can’t help but flinch from how this side of him, the savage part he has kept in check for so long, currently free to do what he at times thought of doing but never wanted to make a reality.
His other grin gleefully hearing Soldier scream as he twists the knife deeper into the leg. “Ahh, music to my ears, so Soldier:” He takes a hold around Soldier’s throat forcing his head up so their eyes can meet. “You going to talk or should I pop off your kneecap first?”
Sniper must give Soldier credit for having the guts of being willing to endure his other’s brutal game. “You do your worst other sniper! I am happy to die for whatever secret you want to pry out from me! Holding my own guts in and lying to myself I am going to make it! I will scream to the sky, but no secrets will leave my lips! I am a vault you cannot— ARRRGGGHHH!” He screams when the evil sniper pops up his kneecap.

“Please.”

Both Snipers turn to the third prisoner, the woman Soldier declared is his new girlfriend.

“If you must torture someone for no reason… torture me.”

The evil Sniper smirks. “Ah don’t worry Sheila, when I’m done with him. I’m coming for you.” He returns back to his task inflicting as much pain as possible towards Soldier.
Sniper can’t take this! He has to stop that part of his soul being this bloody embarrassing! He desperately searches for anything he can use in order to get free, but it seems the only way out is by breaking his own thumbs. Aw hell, fighting his other with broken hands is going to be a—

“Shh.”

Sniper freezes up but stays quiet when a pair of invisible hands unlock his chains. Scanning the area around him, he does spot the faint shimmer of a cloaked spy. From the lighter tone of that hush, it’s clear it wasn’t Spy, it was someone else. Who it was and why this spy had helped him, that Sniper can think about later. Thanks to this unknown spy, Sniper is free and the second he spots the chances he tackles into his other, snatches the kukri stuck in Soldier’s knee and slashes at his evil other.
He leaves a large slash wound over his other’s arm.
“How did you get free?!” His other demands, but quickly shakes off that question, draw out a hunting knife and jumps at Sniper, who must admit that he got taken by surprise that his other has no regard for his own life. The brutality from his other wins and Sniper finds himself pinned down to the floor. “That’s how far professionalism gets you." His other presses the kukri deeper into his shoulder. "Let go of it Lawrence, it’s only holding you back.”
Sniper glares up at him. “Killing people like a rabid animal is worse than losing, mate.” He sneers in pain when his other twists the knife.
“Animal?” His other smirks. “I am far worse than a brain-dead animal, far better than—“ his words get cut short when Soldier’s girlfriend suddenly appears from behind and stabs the kukri through his chest. The body drops into the pool from both Snipers blood.
Sniper eyes the woman, surprised by this unexpected help. “How’d you get free?” and she reveals she had managed to steal the hooded sniper’s knife and cut off her own hand when the dislocation thump trick did not work for her. “Cricky,” that’s one badass woman. Sniper tears off his right sleeve and wrap it tightly around the wound, telling this hardcore woman “Keep on to the hand, Medic should be able to put it back on.” Before turning to Soldier, good god his other really messed Solly up.

“Your other was challenging but I endured!” Soldier declares proudly as Sniper unties him. “No secrets ever left my lips, no sir!”

Sniper doubts his other was after any secrets, knowing that side of him, he figures his other just simply wanted to hear the man scream. “We better find a doctor to both of you.”

“Yes, my Soldier has no need of a handless monster…”

Soldier snaps to Zhanna, going right in denial he thinks her as a monster even if she is missing a hand. “What? No! son, you look ravishing! Do you hear me? You could lose all your limbs and be a pile of garbage and I still would find you the most ravishing thing!”

Zhanna knew she did the right choice picking this man, he knows exactly what to say in order to make her feel better. “Aww, Zhanna’s little maggot bear. You are the drill sergeant of my heart.” She would’ve showered him in kisses if not for sniper being so touchy seeing people making love.
“What about you wait to roll in the hay after we have gotten out?”

“Yes! Let’s break out the others and take prisoners while we are at it!” Soldier declares and he will start with that hooded man as their first prisoner. He throws himself at the man and forces him onto the floor. “Ah-ha! Our first prisoner! Now tell us where the others are so we can break them out!” But he does not get any words from the prisoner, not even words that he refuses to speak, much to Soldier’s annoyance. “Hey, you’re not dead are you? I haven’t even tried to punch the truth out of you.” He pulls down the hood, revealing a blond haired man there has four long scars over his face. The man is alive though, good. “I will start punching you in the count of three! One—“

“He won’t talk.” Sniper tells Soldier hard, he knows from experience that unless those women want it, anyone under their control won’t reveal anything. “He’s under the sirens control.”

“Punching his face in should get those Sirens out!”

Sniper resists the urge to facepalm. “No, all that does is going to kill the bloke.” They cannot make this man go against the sirens, but what about… “I noticed resistance in the scout when I insulted their pyro.”

“So we’re going to kill his team to make him talk.” Zhanna points out, she wouldn’t mind doing that.

The hooded sniper does though. “I won’t let you. If I have to die for them then so be it.” He speaks with a Canadian dialect.

This hint of resistance intrigue Sniper, he kneels down before the trapped man, asking. “Do the sirens want you to protect your fellow team members?” The other sniper shakes his head. “No, they do not care about the team, want us to fight but… I can’t fight against my team, you know what I am saying eh?” He smiles weakly up to Sniper.
Sniper does not answer, the time in Equestria has made him tolerable towards the team but he wouldn’t really say he will protect them with his life like this bloke. It’s quite admirable, but why are these people able to resist the song from those women when it comes to their team? He has no idea. “No.” He replies and plunges his kukri into the man’s chest, killing him practically instantly.
With the hooded sniper out of the way, they move out to find the others.

***

Further inside this base, Sunset Shimmer heads into the cell where Twilight, Spike, Miss Pauling, Pyro and Spy are imprisoned, in here the red-haired woman walks past the guard man who is this other team’s heavy and steps over to Twilight, taking the moment of sating this victory. Twilight and her team of humans had tried to get the Element from her and ended up caught instead. “Trying so very hard and ended up failing.” She tells the two decades younger unicorn and mostly just to get under her skin. “How much do you think the princess will care when my replacement never returns? As much as she would when I left: none.”
Twilight eyes wide, fear clear in her purple eyes. Sunset smirks of this young one's naivety. “Oh come now, you have seen how this world works. War and glory is the norm, everything else is cannon fodder.”

“Why are you doing this?” Twilight asks this former student of Celestia, the princess did tell her Sunset left because she did not get what she wanted quick enough. So the question is; “What is it you want?”

“What I want is the power of an alicorn!” Sunset replies harshly, now towering over the scared filly. “And I am going to use the Element you stole from me to get it.”

The Element she stole from her? Is she serious? “The Element of Magic chose me!” Twilight retorts, the red-haired woman turns around to leave, she’s not done though. “Taking powers not meant for you is not the right way! Sunset, it's not too late to—“

“I haven’t spent ten years in this world, stealing magic from the few magic users just to turn back now!” Sunset snaps back, she hits the nearby wall, allowing a flame of the magic she stole from another wizard to torch that spot, much to the shock of Celestia’s new pet student. Glaring down at the younger one, one there has no idea how much Celestia holds her back. “I will take what is rightfully mine. What I was promised when I hatched Rhys with my magic. You might have hatched one of the drakes too, but from what I hear: you only did it by accident. I did everything out of talent, not luck! I deserve the Element way more than you Twilight Sparkle!” and with that, she leaves the cell.

Twilight drops her head, the words of Sunset Shimmer hurts, more so when there is truth in them. She was chosen by mere accident, if Rainbow haven’t succeeded to make that sonic rainboom, then she would never have hatched Spike, Celestia would never have chosen her and… she probably never would’ve gotten into the school for gifted unicorns…

“You know she only said that to get under your skin.” Spy points out calmly.

She is aware, but… “She’s right. If it wasn’t for the sonic rainboom... I would never have been able to hatch Spike…” Said turned dragon looks up to her, it's clear he wants to cheer her up but is not sure how.

Miss Pauling is not doing any better, this whole mission has really been a disaster, not only has she failed to retrieve any Australium but managed to get themselves captured and probably in a few hours, they all be dead. “I have really screwed up badly, haven’t I?” She asks sadly.

“Oh don’t beat yourself up too much.” Spy replies, after all, he has dealt with way more incompetent people, plus they did survive an encounter with a legendary team. “If we’re looking past the team you have been supervising overall can return back from the dead, your decision making has so far only caused three deaths. Statically that is nothing to be ashamed of.” She did, after all, do the right choice in following the mission and brought them the right places, only her lack of experience supervising a team and not knowing which member is best for certain tasks has caused the death of the members. Then again. “Of course, what I have gathered about Mr. Mann, he will kill all of us the most horrific way possible. And if Engineer’s other is on his side, then it’s probably only a matter of time before we too won’t retur—“
A loud sob from Spike stops him, he realizes he has said too much.
“Apologizes, I forgot the two of you aren’t used to the daily threat of death.” Eyeing Miss Pauling, he notices that although she does not look truly scared of getting killed, more devastated her choices led them to this situation. Spy sighs, usually he would’ve committed suicide in order to get out from this, even if the respawn does not work. He much rather die on his own terms than getting tortured to death. But that’s the problem being a family man now he guess. It gives him a huge reason to keep on living, so this time, he cannot make himself take the cyanide capsule he has hidden in his teeth.

The cell door opens and the man leading this team- according to the logo on his shoulder is a scout- walks into the cell and eyes those trapped in here, his blue eyes then land on Twilight. “You know that woman going by the name Sunny?”

Twilight is at first not sure what this man speaks about, then remembers what Merrasmus said about a pony name is frowned upon in this world, so that name must’ve been what Sunset uses but before she can answer, Spy does. “She knows nothing.” Giving her a look that speaking to that other man is a really bad idea.
The man pulls out a gun, aiming it at Spy. “I didn’t tell you to speak.” and he turns back to the now very scared Twilight, demanding. “Answer my question.”
She shakes her head, answering with a shaken voice. “N-No.” Trying to move away when he steps closer to her, it’s clear he is a threat from how the mercenaries struggle against their chains, but they cannot help her, all they can do is watch this man step awfully close to her. Twilight tries to move away but the chains won’t let her, her fear activates the magical band around her hand. Like a unicorn would if too scared. A hard wind blows the man away, sending him up against the nearest wall. Apparently, this world has changelings as well for the air shimmer and a woman, dressed very much like Spy appears. She puts up the disguise quickly again and tells the big man who is guarding this room when he steps inside. “Huí dào nǐ de tiězi” The guard hesitates but returns back to his post.

This is enough answer for this spy, she gets on her feet, grabs the terrified girl’s hands and with some trouble since she struggles, unlock her chains. “You’re coming with me.” She states out and easily drags the girl away, completely ignoring the others yelling at her to not do this. This might be the only chance she will get to help those she cares about, to free the people from the thrall of those three women. Although at this very moment, that red-haired woman is the biggest threat. Jack sure hell made that clear if he voiced his worry even under the mind control. She knows there is no chance in assassinating that woman, not with the powers she is throwing around and without the team's help but after has seen this one do the same, well she is hopeful this girl is the ticket to get her job done. If the girl will work with her that is. “I won’t hurt you.” The girl stops struggling, although still staring fearfully at her. She meets her purple eyes, still in her disguise as Jack. “Do you know that woman calling herself Sunny?”
The girl doesn’t answer, figures she is scared of the warning that spy gave her. “Work with me here, I’m your only chance for you and your friends in getting out of here alive.”
The girl hesitates before she asks with a shaken voice. “W-What will you do to them?” and she replies. “If you help me get rid of this red-haired woman going by the name of Sunny; nothing. You are all free to go.” After again some hesitating, the girl answers her question. “Yes, I know her.”
So far so good. “What about the artifact she has?”

“It belongs to me.”

Okay, not entirely sure if that’s a good or bad thing. “What can it do?” She asks, for that master spy sure hell didn’t think it was important to tell her.

Twilight wishes she can answer that it will cleanse evil, but who knows what the Element of Magic will do in another world. The formerly lost elements have been used to keep her humans friends from permanently dying, who knows what her element will do in this world. “I’m not sure.” She admits. The disguised woman frowns and shows clear signs she does not like the sound of that. “And what will you do if you get it?” She asks wary, it seems she too is worried about she will become yet another threat so Twilight ensures her. “I will much rather return it home than use it against anyone.”
The woman watches her for a moment, then sighs. “You better not make me regret this.” And sign her to follow.

Twilight does. a bit deeper down the hallway, the disguised woman pulls her to stop and moments reveals why as the man she was disguised as walks by, talking with someone over a phone.
“What about Rune and Garry?” The man asks, Twilight notices he sounds worried.
“Garry is still recovering from respawn. Rune was with me. What do you want us to do Jack?” The voice from the phone asks.
The man with the name of Jack opens his mouth but stops when his eyes shine green. Twilight blinks seeing this, that was the sign of strong magic being in effect. When his eyes return back to normal he replies the caller. “Capture them and take their scout for interrogation. Make sure their spy sees it.” Twilight freezes up hearing this, is this man seriously thinking about hurting Scout in order to make Spy talk? That’s terrible! “Go to the others cell and see if you can fool the assistance for the coordinates.”
“…. You do know I’m not the right spy for that job.” The voice replies in a sullen voice. “Kreel should do it.”
Twilight glances up at the disguised woman, wondering if this is Kreel the two men spoke about. The disguised woman shows no signs if she was the one been talked about, like Spy her expressions are calm and collected.
“Fine, I will call her.” Jack replies and ends the call. Twilight lets out a gasp when the disguised woman suddenly yanks her away, almost stumbling from how fast she is forced to walk.
She gets her answer to why when the woman gets called and proves to indeed be Kreel. “What is it?”
Twilight didn’t hear what Jack told her, so she can only guess it what she heard from the conversation not long ago.
“Alright, I will extract the information right away…. You gotta be kidding.” Kreel sneers to whatever Jack told her next, clearly not liking her second command. “I am not going near that nutjob!” She snaps, Twilight notices that an accent very similar to Spy’s appeared. “I won’t do it, not after what he did to Cowboy.” She ends the call, musing enraged. “Screw the Sirens.”
Twilight has a very good guess who this nutjob the woman spoke about, and what she has in mind, she doubts this humanoid changeling is going to like it. “Can you bring me to that man?”

Does this girl has a deathwish? “That guy is a complete sadist.” Kreel objects, she might not know this girl and is planning on using her for her own agenda but Kreel still has nightmares from what that monster did to Francis, and every time she sees him limping from the damage that self-proclaimed doctor did, her blood boils. She points down the hall, mostly to make her point. “If I let you near him, he will kill you the worst possible way!”

“Please.” Twilight begs her, she knows she will run a giant risk going near this Medic when he is tainted by darkness but… he’s her element partner, she needs to help both in order to give Medic the chance to become whole again. “I need to see him.”
Kreel walks a bit away from her, letting out a long sigh and covers her eyes. For a painfully long time it looks like she will deny her, then with another sigh, she speaks. “Only if we use his other half as a meat shield.” Twilight does not like the sound of that, but she will feel safer with one of her human friends around, so she agrees.

Kreel brings her to the cell where Medic is chained up. Him, Scout, Heavy all stare surprised seeing her with the enemy. Demo not so much, he is more or less passed out.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Scout asks.
Kreel ignores him as she, still in her disguise walks over to Medic. “Pick a fight and I will slice up your throat.” Medic blinks but the look in his grey eyes does have a gleam that he knows the reason to her loath. She releases him from the chains and after has stroked over the sour spots, he follows them out.
Twilight glances back to the cell where the others are, worried for once of them. “What did they do to Demo?” Staring dumbfounded when Medic remarks with a somewhat amused tone. “He got too much water in his system. His body is so used to alcohol that it thought he is getting poised.” Oh, not sure that explains it but Twilight can take it. “I am not sure if I should feel sorry for him…”
Before Medic can reply, Kreel hushes at them and explains while pointing down an empty hallway. “Go down there and you will find his other.” Eyeing Medic with eyes filled with hate. “I hope you kill one another.” Adding in a softer tone to Twilight. “Don’t come and tell me I didn’t warn you.” and with that, she leaves them.

Medic eyes Twilight, already aware who they will pay a visit from how this man said it. To be honest, he dreads meeting his other, facing the heart of the problem, why he keeps having nightmares ever since the war. He has to stop Twilight when she started to walk towards the place. “Twilight I… you really shouldn’t see it.” He does not want to lose her, and he knows he will the second she sees what kind of person he truly is.

Twilight meets her partner’s grey eyes, it catches her by surprise seeing fear in them. The same fear he had from whatever he saw from that door. It troubles her he shows this fear again. “What is it there scares you this badly?” He breaks the eye contact, struggles but he does not voice what scares him other than: “I don’t want you to see…” She doubts that is what he fears. He fears to lose her yes but it’s not that truly scares him. It’s something there comes from himself, something sinister and twisted. Without a word, Twilight takes Medic’s hand and gently pulls him to the door where his other reside. It’s a surprise he lets her do it for it’s clear he really does not want to do this, but they both know this needs to be done and… Twilight thinks Medic lets her do this is because he truly cares for her.

Author's Note

bigger introduction to my OC mercs, those of you who read my tf2 crossover with His Dark Material will recognize some of these OCs, as I said before; I was lazy and moved those guys to this story as well. but I do find it alright as they can be in this universe as well other tf2 stories I might write in the future.

Confrontation

Note: this happens ten minutes after the last chapter and based on the Team Fortress comics

*Grey’s secret base.*

Down at the prison cells, the heavy take up the phone to hear what their boss has to say before stepping into the cell. “Kreel.” He calls with a strong accent. The disguise of Heavy drops and Kreel turns away from the in disbelief Miss Pauling, revealing that she told the enemy the coordinates to her boss.

Kreel eyes the heavy mildly annoyed someone ruined her act, it was such a good one. No surprise these people fell for it though, Kreel has always prided herself being a brilliant actor. “This better be urgent.” She complains and does a god awful job hiding the accent from her fatherland. No wish in revealing too much about herself. She takes the phone from the heavy, turning away from the team, most of them startled that the same one they saw not long ago fooled them. Messing with people is so much fun. “You ruined my groove, Jackie.”

“Did you get the coordinates?”

“Of course I did, 32.3451 north, 106.5614 west.” Kreel sighs, eyeing her team’s heavy as her current boss explains her. “Good, I will send those to Grey. Go and help the others with the escapees, they have trouble rounding them up.”
Oh good, thought for a moment this distraction would only be a small one. Now to the next part of the plan, for if she has to stick around that mummy mocking her not being good at her job just because she’s a woman one more day, she will smack a sapper on that machine of his back and poison his food just for good measure. She has better things to do than play mercenary for a fool wanting world domination. “Got it.”
Eyeing these people, Kreel ponders the best way they can work in her little plan. They all are pretty much useless without weapons, but if that spy just has a touch of skill...
She signs to the heavy to leave the room. He does and swiftly she steps over to the prisoners, handing the free Miss Pauling one of the keys she made to the chains and her own invisibility watch. “Make it count.” She eyes the Spy again and must admit she is intrigued that someone else in this world has this unique red eye color.

Spy was at first very annoyed a woman fooled him, must give her props for it, had him completely fooled it was Heavy they spoke with. Just as annoyed she is planning to use them to whatever plan she has, he does not like getting pulled around like this… hold up… those eyes… he remembers them from his youth, eyes belonging to a small girl there wanted to be an actress when she grows up. Cut short by death with his betrayal and now decades later, those eyes are looking at him from a woman with the same uncanny acting skills as—he would’ve gasped, jumped, perhaps freaked out if he hasn’t been trained to keep his emotions under constant control. Still, his eyes did not hide his shock and she saw it. Her own eyes wide, like him she must’ve come to the same realization.
However and also like him, she is unsure if this indeed legit so she only dares to speak. “Sois un avec les ombres.” and she is gone. Spy watches her leave, pondering if she really is a remnant of his past or it’s just an old man’s childish dream?

“Do you know her?” Miss Pauling whispers as she unlocks his chains.

Spy shakes his head, “no.” For if she really is who he thinks it is, then he has no wish in giving this info to the Administrator’s assistance.
When he is free, Spy grabs the key and uses the cloaking device this noteworthy ally gave him to free the others and hopefully give them a chance to win this fight.

*Meanwhile, at the infirmany*

Standing before the door, Medic finds himself unable to step through, he knows what he will find; a hit to the gut of a past he more than ever wants to run away from.
He is very glad Twilight does not rush him, she must understand how hard this is for him. He doesn't want to do this but if they need a chance, then he has to confront the source of his insanity, the monster that naïve young doctor let himself get turned into. He steps through the door and freezes up. He is once again back at the infirmary of Auschwitz, the blood, the smell of decay, the organs taken from live subjects- stored on a shelf nearby. The wind must be blowing the right way for he cannot smell the stench of burned flesh at the moment.

Twilight knew it would be bad but not this bad. This infirmary is smeared in blood and the stench of something she cannot place, only it makes her want to throw up. Near an office table is a large bird cage, but the birds in there are all dead, from starvation or something else, Twilight does not know, only that this is not something the Medic she befriended would do.
Twilight turns slowly her eyes to the medical table, behind it and writing notes on jars filled with body parts stand Medic’s other in a medical coat smeared in blood.
Twilight cannot make herself call him, too horrified of what great warnings this room screams to her, her whole being tells her this is a dangerous place- he is a dangerous man to be around and she should get as far away from him as possible. She steps behind Medic, then remembers that the man there has all the warning signs of danger is the same she seek protection from.

I'm not a good person and they know it.

You will never see me the same way if I told you.

Twilight gasps, now realizing what he meant by those words. This is what the door showed him, this is what he fears more than anything: the deep darkness residing inside of him. The very darkness the Shadow Ponies are attached to.
Medic's other turns around, he stares confused at her and his other for a moment, then smiles, a smile there makes her more afraid of him. “Ach, über die Zeit Grey schick mir ein anderes Thema. Was soll ich mit dir machen? Vielleicht testen, wie viele Herzen ein menschlicher Körper halten kann?” He walks over to them, but stops with a mildly surprised frown when the saner Medic steps in between her and his other.

God good is he happy Twilight Sparkle does not understand German, doubt it will change her look on him though. “|I won’t let you hurt her.|” He tells his other, unlike the others of the team who hate their other half, Medic does not hate himself, he fears it.

He is afraid to look in the mirror and see the man who has ruined so many lives all in the sake for his curiosity and it was so easy to see those people as mere bags of flesh he could play with. He only realized what he has become when he no longer could play around as he did during the war. When Germany fell, everyone on Hitler’s side got hunted down like animals. That was where he first realized how it felt, the nightmares began not long after that, only got worse the more of his humanity returned. It made him rebound back to this moral free insanity he had going, kept it when he worked for Mann Co.
It made the others fear him, but he was used to be treated that way. Did make it hard to work with the team, Pyro is a good example. When he tried doing a checkup on the firebug, she sat the whole place on fire, hunted everyone with no regard of color. He had to let the Administrator doctors do the übercharge implant on her, for every time he tried; he would get set on fire. Soldier was bad too, for every time he realized he was German, Soldier would hunt him like an animal and for a long time, he was forced to deal with it as none of the others wanted to aid the crazy Nazi doctor who would do experiments on them any chance he got. It only stopped when Misha joined the team, and how humbling it was that a Russian would help someone like him.

“|We can’t go on like this anymore.|” He says, but his other only laughs and asks amusedly. “|You want to stop? My god, why do you suggest such a silly thing? Why do you want to stop when so many unanswered questions have yet to be answered?|” He gestures over to the shelf filled with organs, both human and animal. “|In this year alone, I have learned so much! I can make the üpercharge implant better now. And with a few more tests I can turn mere humans into gods!|” He steps over to Medic, asking with a grin the others are calling the bonesaw face. “|I can show you how.|”
And Medic wants to say yes, he is curious how his other learned this but… “|At what cost?|” He asks in barely a whisper. “|How many lives do we have to destroy for this knowledge? How much of what little humanity we have needs to be sacrificed?|”
His other steps away and waves his hand with a snort. “|A few hundred deaths will be worth it. The ends justify the means after all.|”
How many times has he used that to reason what he has done? Medic has no idea, only that hearing it now makes him sick to the stomach. “|No.|” He tells his other hard who turns around confused. Medic is not sure what changed, only that he does not want to do this anymore. “|This is not worth it! We shouldn’t hurt people for the sake of our curiosity! I know there are things I never am going to understand and it frustrates me to no end but…|” Medic lets out a sigh, he can’t believe he’s saying this but, well he did learn his lesson. “|It’s alright not being able to understand, sometimes we just have to accept that’s how things are.|”
His other scowls deeply at this, of course, he wouldn’t know. He didn’t learn this lesson as he never met a certain obnoxious pink pony. Nor knowing the girl standing beside him in person. “|This girl is a dear friend of mine, she has a curiosity very close to ours and has taught me so many new things. A few lessons too, one of them I gave to a princess. One I did not think I could follow myself, but now; I would like to try become a better person.|” It will be hard but Medic really wants to prove- mostly to himself that he is worthy of the Element there appeared around his neck.

Of course his other is not sharing his thoughts as that one starts laughing, ending abruptly with an angry sneer. “|I was considering taking you back, but hearing your little speech, I realize you will only hold me back!|” Medic shoves Twilight away in last second, so only he ended up with arm filled with poisoned syringes. It takes effect almost instantly and knowing he is going to die and leave Twilight with his worst self. “Run…!” He managed to croak before falling, he is dead when he hits the floor.

With that nuisance gone, the other Medic turns to the frozen in fear girl. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t kill you.” He ensures her with a wicked smile, can’t have this specimen die before he is done.

That’s not what worries Twilight, she now realizes that his jokes and disturbing small stories have been real. She’s no longer afraid of getting killed, no, she’s afraid she will end up like his former victims. “Is this what you meant you’re not a good person?” She asks him in barely of a whisper, knowing far too well she cannot run, how can she when she can barely walk?
The twisted side of Medic laughs lightly. “I don’t recall I ever said that. Now, let’s get started shall we?” He reaches out for the terrified Twilight but stops when magenta sparks appear between his fingers and her arm. He pulls his hand away, staring at her intrigued yet disturbed. “So hast du ihn kontrolliert ...” He muses and after a moment of pondering, he grabs a pair of gloves and this time no sparks appeared, and when Twilight realized that she's no longer is protected by what little magic is in her there can snap Medic out from this, she panics and struggles to get away. “Don’t hurt me! Please, Medic!” She cries but this man completely ignores her. She freezes up and when he lifts her up to the table but fortunately snaps out from it before he managed to strap her to it. She grabs him around the head and knocks their heads together in an attempt to perform a memory spell. In her panic Twilight completely forgot that she cannot do unicorn magic, so no memory spell, but something did happen as a magenta spark between them.

Medic flinches away, holding over his greatly aching head from both getting headbutted by this brat and she managed to perform this mind control she did on his weird acting other. He tries to figure out a way stopping whatever she did, but before he can get to the medical closet, his legs give in and he drops to the ground. For the first time feels the ancient magic going through his very being, it hurts as if getting burned in hell. He wants to scream, struggle, but he is paralyzed and can do nothing but lie there while it feels like his inside is getting burned before everything goes black.

After what feels like hours for Twilight this Medic groans and very slowly begins to move. She is still scared out of her mind and not sure if this cleansing magic worked on this one, she tries desperately to get the strapping off her feet. But she still hasn't gotten used to her hands. This Medic gets on his feet, does stumble and has to seek support at the desk. She eyes the man fearfully, it takes her a moment but she notices that this disturbing gleam in his grey eyes is gone. Now he just looks confused.
This Medic straightens up and carefully walks over to her, musing: “Whatever you did… it removed the song.” He helps her free from the strapping and allows her to jump down from this bed. Twilight does and although still really shaken up from this too close call. “I’m glad you’re good again.” She says softly.

Good? Did he hear this girl right? “Not exactly the words I would choose describing myself.” Medic muses, sure she snapped him out from his insane doctor mode, but it’s still there and must admit it takes some resistance from him not to put her back onto the table and see what in the world made her able to do such a thing. Speaking of which; “What was that?” He asks this girl his other was very keen on protecting. “Are you doing some sort of mind control? How does it work exactly? Will it hurt if I do not—“

“Huh? No, I’m not controlling you.” Twilight interrupts Medic, why does he suddenly think that? “I think it’s the Element of Magic in you reacting on me.” Medic blinks but that curious gleam she has often seen when he was a pony is still there. “What is this Element of Magic?” He asks as if it’s the first time he hears about it. Twilight stares at him dumbfounded for several seconds, then she slowly asks. “Do you... know who I am?”

“Other than my other was very set on keeping you safe, nein, I have no clue who you are frauline.” Medic replies and is curious why his other was so protective over a child, he does not like children. “How did you do it? Making him protect you like that?”

“Because we’re friends?” Twilight replies and can’t help but feel weird about this. She is speaking to Medic but this one does not recognize her at all. And hearing they are friends only makes him laugh as if she told a really good joke. “You must be mistaken.” But she is definitely not. “No, we are friends— not you and me but the man you just… oh my, please tell me he is going to be alright!” Twilight first now realizes that this man killed her friend, the other humans kept telling her not to worry but it’s hard not to.

This is getting weird, this girl is sincerely worried about his other. “Your… friend is alive.” God, it feels weird saying that when her friend is the other half of his soul, this girl is far from being a friend to him. “But I doubt he is going to be alright. You see, Engineer and another of the same class— along with a bit of my help, of course, we managed to create a loop in the respawn there keeps any unwanted people to never get put together, so my other or whoever has died today will stay in a state of limbo. Not going to return unless Grey Mann says so.” He explains happily, very proud of that achievement as that made the testing with BLU Spy’s head so much more worth it. The girl is not happy about it of course. “That’s terrible! Is there any way to stop it?”
Medic shrugs, so long he does not die, he should be fine. “Only Grey can— where are you going?” He asks when this girl starts to leave the infirmary.

“I have to remove this loop before more of the others are going to die.” Twilight calls back, she stops and asks this other Medic. “Will you help me?” He frowns and says. “Ah no, I think I will stay here and…” His eyes lands on the cage, he gasps and heads over to it, whole posture drops when realizing his birds are all dead. Twilight watches him for a moment, well aware how much this hurts for a bird lover like him. “I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?” Medic asks confused about why this girl says sorry when he was the one who killed his own doves. He does not understand this girl. “I was the one who killed them.” Turning away from the cage and back to her, looking into her purple eyes he realizes that her fear is gone. What is wrong with this child? She can’t be that naïve. “I would’ve hurt you if not for your mind control ability. You know that.”

“I know...”

“Then why aren’t you afraid?” He pretty much demands her and takes a step forward, she flinches, so the fear of him is still there but not the screaming and crying he thought she would have. “Why do you trust me?”

Twilight meets his eyes, and to be completely honest. “I do not trust you but the man you killed. He was a dear friend and you murdered him in cold blood.” She tells him hard.

“That man was the other half of my soul.” Medic objects, he’s not sure why but he feels like he does not know himself anymore. What made his other change so much, to care for another being this dearly? “Who are you?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

This… This is Twilight? That purple pony he kept seeing in his dreams? Medic can’t help but title his head in wonder, he only has faint dreams of that pony now, barely having any idea who she is. But what is still clear in his mind is how much his other cares about her. Medic knows he does not care about Twilight Sparkle, all of those emotions was the effect of the separation but… he walks slowly over to her and after some hesitating, he puts a hand on her shoulder, does flinch away when feeling— no idea what it is but it’s reacting to the liquid connecting him to the respawn. Not feeling comfortable with this, he steps away. “Approaching Grey without the team is a death wish. I suggest we find a way to free the others.” Why he helps her he has no idea, but he feels like he should. Twilight nods and after he has grabbed his medigun, they both start walking.

Down the hallway, she gives him some surprising but good news: “Archimedes is still in Equestria.” He snaps his attention to her and she explains. “He never returned back with you, so Fluttershy has been taking care of him.”
“Oh, good... good.” Medic muses, relieved his pet killing spree didn't take his favorite dove— god he is never going to forgive himself for this …
The siren for intruders begins to wail, making the two jumps startled. Medic looks up to where the sound comes from. Well, seems like the team figured out to get free on their own, better find one of them before they get killed by those Grey hired, for unlike in the War Games where they could predict the other team’s action, they do not have that luxury for this team is not made by their clones. This other team has people with very different fighting style compared to their own. Right, perhaps Twilight did have a good thought of returning respawn. Eyeing Twilight. “We better hurry.” She nods and follows him as fast as she can.

Outside, the mercenaries are fighting against this other team and they are in deep trouble, they have already lost Sniper and Scout to this other team. Compared to fighting their own clones, this team is very different and thus making it hard to predict where they will strike next. Heavy learned that the hard way when this way more aggressive and all business scout revealed to be just a distraction and Heavy would’ve been killed when the true threat showed to be the enemy Pyro. The only thing that saved him was that Demo had been in the area and succeed chopping the pyro’s head off, allowing him to focus on the scout. That one did escape, though. No wonder for unlike their Scout, this one knows when to draw back.
With the threat gone for now Heavy nods to Demo as thanks and claims the shotgun the Pyro had, it’s not Sasha but it will have to do. And just in time for that woman engineer picks a fight with them, her ability to remote control the sentry is making her very deadly and getting in close will be difficult as their Demoman is keeping her safe by creating a landmine field around her. Getting away from that woman, Heavy scans the area for a way of getting rid of her and that sentry gun. Before he does, Soldier’s evil other fixes that problem for them. He really has something against black people, at least he made their job easier. Now they only have to deal with a highly racist Soldier.

They got almost blown to pieces when Soldier started launching his rockets at them. “I will not allow American soil getting tainted by foreigner such as you!” He shoots again but just in last second, Pyro jumps in between and air blast the rocket right back at him. Soldier dodges it by rocket jumping and tries again, she returns it back and points at the two wounded they need to move.

It’s clear what that means. “She’s out!” Demo says and takes the run for it with Heavy and Pyro close behind. They join their saner Soldier there protects Spike and Miss Pauling against Engineer’s other army of sentry guns. Didn’t have to worry about the man repairing them though, he didn’t care, which is sort of a relief.
“Found your evil other.” Demo tells Soldier and explains they if it wasn’t for their firebug, then they would be right back in their prison cells.
They snap their attention to their right when Spy suddenly come crashing down from seemly nowhere, seconds later Sniper’s other lands beside him and removes the blade stuck in Spy’s shoulder, raising it to slash him again but Spy kicks the man away and takes the run for it. Sniper pursues but a bomb by Demo puts Sniper’s other out of commission at the moment.
“You alright?” He asks Spy who is trying to stop the bleedings from the wound Sniper’s other gave him.

“I could really use Medic by now.” Spy admits, Sniper’s other got him good and unless he stops the bleeding, he will be joining the others.

“Sorry to inform you, but your medic is working for me now.” A voice says and a very old looking man appears on several screens.

“Grey.” Spy growls and everyone in hearing range now know the face of the man who put them through all this trouble.

Grey must admit that these retarded people are more trouble than they are worth, well at least the mercenaries he has aren't as worthless as he thought. “And so are your sniper, soldier and engineer, I may not be able to kill you, but I have found a way to forever trap you inside the machine. If you die, then you will never leave the spawn ever again.”
The so-called ‘good’ mercenaries freeze up to hear that unlike their enemy, they only have one life in this. It is annoying he cannot use the respawn machine for himself, and it’s too good of a machine to destroy but thanks to some of these men, he no longer has to worry about these rejects. He pushes on a bottom and a whole army of his robots begin to surround them. “You can fight all you want, but we all know you will run out of ammo before I run out of robots and men. And even if you manage to survive. You won’t be able to stop the conjuring, goodbye.” and he leaves them to fight, knowing they won’t last long without a medic to heal nor an engineer to give them more ammo.

And the mercenaries know it.

Inside the base, the RED Medic and Twilight hurry to get outside and aid the others, but just as they reach the door leading to the outside, a very familiar beeping sound makes Medic’s whole body tense and in last second he grabs and pulls Twilight back before she got shot by the now active sentry gun. He signs her to stay before peeking past the wall and indeed spots a sentry gun, unlike the black woman this sentry looks exactly like their Engineer’s sentry gun. The only thing showing this one belongs to the other is the paint job and said man sitting nearby, pretending to be asleep under that cowboy hat of his. But Medic knows better, this Engineer is just as deadly as his team's, perhaps more so as this one holds a deep grudge on him.
They can’t go this route, so they have to find another. Medic turns to leave but stops when this cowboy dressed man speaks with a Nordic accent.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.”

And right in that second, a mini-sentry builds itself up right beside them, only the command of its master keeps it from shooting at them. Medic stares worried at the sentry, then turns to where the engineer is sitting as the man speaks. “Step over where I can see you.” He does, casting Twilight a glance for using him as a shield. Must admit he is more used to use others as a meat shield, not the other way around.

The cowboy dressed engineer lifts his head so he can see the demon he has captured, it’s quite surprising to see a young girl standing beside him and from the looks of it; she is completely unharmed. For now at least. “I suggest you step away from that man, young miss.” He changes position, allowing her to see that his left leg is no longer organic, plus without these special goggles, he cannot see squat. “He might take a part of you too.”

Twilight Sparkle stares at this human male, he reminds her of Engineer in his calm demeanor but unlike Engineer, this one holds a lot of rage behind this calmness of his. From how he warned her, Twilight dreads that the source of his rage is because of Medic. He did something to this human, she fears that Medic was the one who took his leg. Looking up to Medic she does not see regret in his grey eyes, only a worry that he is very aware this man holds a deadly grudge. Makes her wonder how the Medic she befriended would’ve reacted. She turns back to the engineer. “Did he do that to you?” She asks softly.
The man nods slowly and without a word makes a gesture Twilight thinks means she should approach him. She does not move, much rather wants to trust Medic keeping her safe than this other human. She has long learned that this world is far from being friendly and if not careful, she can get seriously hurt.

Seeing this girl much rather wants to stick close to the monster does surprise the engineer, he rests his head on his hand in wonder. “You trust him.” He states out and is quite curious about why. “May I ask of why you trust this man? One who finds it quite funny to meddle with the human body to such an extent that when he is done, the lucky ones will die or be disabled for the rest of their lives.” The girl flinches and looks extremely uncomfortable by his words, makes him wonder if she is naïve, somehow he doubts it from how she is looking at the now uncomfortable monster of a man.

So Medic did indeed do this. She considers him a friend but when this is all over Twilight will make extra sure that Medic won’t do anything of the sort. His curiosity is more dangerous than she thought and if he ever wishes to gain anyone’s trust again, then it needs to be corrected. “It’s a sort of long and complicated story.” She muses to the one-legged engineer. “But I know there is good in Medic, I have seen it.”

“Is that so?”

Medic is equally as surprised to hear this from Twilight, he has no memories of him doing anything morally good that could earn him such words from the turned pony.
Twilight did notice his surprise and she remarks to their current jailor. “I befriended his other and we taught each other a lot, one of the things I taught him was compassion.”
The engineer eyes Medic in an intrigued manner. “So, she split you in half. And from how you don’t have your other around, I say you have some deep personal issues.” Medic frowns at this and against his better judgment of not pushing the man pointing a sentry gun at him, his curiosity once again gets the better of him. “From how you speak, I figure you dealt with the same thing. How did you manage to mend your soul?”

The engineer’s jaw tightens, last time he saw that look in that maniac’s eyes was when he lost his leg. So no way in hell he is going to tell the man the rather simple solution of fixing the soul split issue: to make peace with one's inner demon. There is a reason why the Administrator picks people with a dark history. Because the soul split technology works best on such people. Turning away from the maniac, he asks the girl. “What are you planning on doing?” For she wouldn’t have approached this place without wanting to do something to the respawn machine.

Getting the sense this man is someone she can trust with this, Twilight cannot really explain it but she feels he is legit in wanting to aid her. “I need to make sure the hu- the men I came with can respawn.”

“Hm, yes, I figure most of them have died from the robot hoard and my team’s assault by now.” The cowboy engineer points out and is curious how much she has affected this Nazi doctor, plus he senses she is sincere. “I will help you, on one condition: the team that came with you will allow my team to leave freely. Our Spy is about to release them from the chains currently holding them.” The girl nods. “I will tell them.”
Not sure why but he decides he can trust her words on this. “I will deactivate the blocking program.” He pulls himself up on his feet with a specially made walking stick he limps away. “Return to the remaining of your team.”

Twilight eyes Medic. “Let’s go.” and without a hint of worry, she walks past the sentry gun.

A quite baffled Medic follows, shocked that a diplomatic talk actually got them what they wanted. Medic does stop and asks the leaving engineer. “How are you able to resist the song?” He asks but he gets no answer.
Disappointed but not wanting to push his luck, Medic follows Twilight outside. They spot the remaining team struggling to stay alive, most of them are badly wounded and probably one hit from getting killed. Swiftly Medic turn on his medigun and hurries over to the still standing but about to drop dead Heavy. He turns the healing beam at the man, closing the wounds and heals Heavy to fight a bit longer.

Startled but in a very good way, Heavy turns to the owner of this beam and gives Medic a smile, which the German returns, does fade when the others call for his aid the second they noticed him. Medic casts him an amused glance. “Duty calls.” Heavy chuckles and with renewed health, he attacks the robots again.

Medic runs over to the others and aims his healing beam at Soldier first, figures he can use his fists like Misha.
He eyes Demo when the one-eyed man asks after have emptied a beer bottle he somehow got his hands on. “Where did that scout take you? Thought they would torture you or something.” He turns the beam at the man. “Hm, you must be talking about my other. He and Twilight walked into my domain and for some reason, frauline Twilight was able to remove the Sirens control over me.”
This catches the others off guard.
“You're RED Medic?” Heavy asks, Medic nods and is confused why this explains everything for them. “What does my team color has to do about it?” He asks, about to heal up Spy but decides otherwise when Heavy is about to drop again, so he runs over to help there as that is where he is most needed. While he heals Misha, the big man answers his question. “BLU doctor know magic thanks being pony.”
Oh, he sees now. “I see, still weird he considers Twilight a close friend, he was quite keen on protecting her.” Does still confuses him and how mere talking could make that cowboy engineer aid them. Twilight is quite the diplomat he admits that.

Heavy catches a Scout-bot and hurls it at two fast approaching Pyro-bots, with the danger gone for the moment he speaks to this side of Josef. “You will know if give Twilight a chance.”

Guess he will if his other is willing to share her. Doubt it from how keen he was on keeping her safe.
Eyeing the hoard of robots, it’s clear that Grey really does not want them near that area. “I wonder what that red-haired woman is planning.” Medic ponders out loud, draws out his bonesaw and destroy a spy-bot there tried to sneak up on them. He knows that woman was planning something big but neither she nor Grey told any of them what it is.

Heavy gets thrown back by a couple of bombs, even with Medic’s aid, he can’t keep this up much longer. They need ammo and a lot of it. Turning to the doctor, he replies Medic. “Woman is unicorn.”

“Really? Does that means she can do magic?”

Heavy nods, grabs a Soldier-bot and throws it against a Demo-bot there tried to blow up Soldier. “Yes, she has Twilight’s element. Do not know why she want it.”
“Ignoring the fact I do not know what this element is, all I can say that whatever Sunny is planning: it can’t be good.” Medic says, and Heavy thinks the same thing. The only problem is they cannot get near without destroying those robots. Doubts they have time for a pillar of magic burst up to the sky, signing that Sunset Shimmer is doing something.
“We need to hurry!” He calls to the others.

“We have trouble just to stay alive ourselves!” Demo shouts back, he checks for ammo to his shotgun but when he finds none he instead picks up a copy of Eyelander and cut the robots with it. “We need ammo and lots of it!”

“Coming right up!”

The others look up and cheer when their remaining member drops down from the sky by parachute. “Engineer!” The Texan laughs and throws down a dispenser, he quickly upgrades it from all the robot parts lying around. With it, the team gets the ammo they so desperately needed and finally can fight the hoard of robots.
Engineer trots over and helps Spy over to the dispenser. “Been playing with a giant cat?” He asks.
“No, sniper’s other.” Spy replies, Engineer simply nods and puts him down near the machine.
Miss Pauling trots over to him, asking. “Did the Administrator send you?”
Engineer starts building a sentry gun. “Nope, I came on my own account. All she gave me was a private plane and your exact location.” He shoots at a demo-bot trying to destroy the sentry before returning back to upgrade it. “Would’ve have come sooner, but well, I had to make sure my son was safe first.” He has to stop and duck when Soldier’s other start shooting at them along with that bow-wielding Sniper. The others couldn’t do much because of their current short/middle ranged weapons but just as all seems to be lost, music starts playing from the speakers.

On top of a building, the other team scout shakes his head from a headache he’s dealing with but he is more than happy of having it now that he can think freely again. It takes him a moment to get a hang on the situation and activates the intercom to his team. “Sniper, take the soldier out!”
The sniper does that by putting an arrow through Soldier’s other’s head. The scout is about to make further commands but just then the younger scout decides to join the fight again.
The older scout pulls out his military knife, annoyed by this delay. “Get out of my way kid!” and with his own speed slashes the younger scout over the chest. Moving over to finish him off, the older scout only stops when someone is shooting at him. Checking he sees the other sniper and not wanting to respawn as that hurts like hell. He swiftly leaves.

Seeing that the other team is getting out from their thrall of these sirens, Twilight calls out. “Don’t hurt them! They won’t fight us anymore!”
The humans' eye her confused but do turn their weapons at the robots when the other team is more interested in leaving than fighting. Soldier does hesitate longer but does eventually turn his rocket launcher away from the other team’s pyro and Demoman. Those two hesitates for a second out of confusion, but like the rest of their team; they leave.
Twilight is very relieved that her human friends are getting those metal humans under control now with the others out of the way, but defeating the whole army is taking too long. Sunset is doing something and they have to stop it. She tells this to the mercenaries and asks them to reach Sunset.
Heavy stops shooting just long enough to tell her. “We will make opening for you.” Soldier, Demo and Scout nod. “Engineer will go with you.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Engineer asks. He needs to be around for the sentry gun and dispenser. “I will be more useful near you guys, besides: I have no knowledge of magic.”

“I’ll go.”

Everyone turns around and the BLU Medic approaches them. He almost gets toppled down when Twilight throws herself at him in a hug. He bit awkwardly returns it, straighten up he sends his other a cautious look. The RED Medic does the same before doing the wise choice in returning to his task of fixing up Zhanna’s hand.

“If anyone of us knows magic, it’s this doctor.” Spy points out from his spot beside the dispenser, he lights up a cigarette. “Best RED Medic stay here, can’t have you kill one another. Grey made it clear we won’t return if we die.”

“We will now, thanks to frauline Twilight.” RED Medic points out and explains those listing on how Twilight practically talked an enemy engineer to help them. To his surprise, his other laughs amused by this. “Ah yes, we all know how effective a Twilight Sparkle lecture can be.” And the girl blushes sheepishly. This does leave RED Medic with an odd feeling, he can’t explain it better than he… feels left out. “|I’m starting to have trouble to see myself in you.|” He remarks to his other. The BLU Medic sends him a somber look. “|A lot has changed after my visit to Equestria.|” That RED Medic can agree on, makes him wonder if it’s even possible they can become whole again from how different they have become.

Turning away from his other and back to his partner. “Let’s get back your Element” She nods back. The two turn to Misha stepping over to them, holding his weapon ready. “I will cover you.” Medic is glad for all he has is a bonesaw. He does hesitate when Spike declares he is going with them, wants to argue but there is really no time. A loud sigh and with: “You better stick close.” He signs the team to start shooting and when they do, he, Twilight and Spike hurry towards the beam of magic.

Author's Note

whew... this was a long chapter. but I didn't want to split it in half. Medic finally is starting to see the wrong of his actions and wants to become a better person, now his other has to agree on it as well.
I am planning on that my OC team will return and fight the mercs. when I am still not sure of.

The Demon inside

This happens ten minutes after last chapter and fighting a bunch of robots later.

Medic, Twilight and Spike managed to get to the place where it is going down with Sunset Shimmer, and what they see what happened after Sunset put on the crown is a clear sign that magic definitely works differently in this world. For the Element’s rejection of Sunset was turning her into a demon like being. “Your Element shows the world who she truly is.” Medic voices to Twilight, she can only nod, taken too much aback by this major change.
Sunset notices them and grins. “So nice you could come.” The crown on her head- now working as her unicorn horn starts to light up. “All this power belongs to me! Nothing can stand in my way!”

“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight cries, she wants to stop this madness for unlike Sunset who is drugged by the raw power of the Element, Twilight is starting to sense that this other unicorn won’t be able to handle it for long. “You have to give up the Element! It’s rejecting you!”

Sunset Shimmer laughs, pointing her clawed hands at the two seemly bearers of the element she has claimed as her own. “Rejecting me? It belongs to me Twilight Sparkle! And there is nothing you can do about it!” She shoots a magical beam at them, the human calling himself Medic pushes Twilight and her drake away in last second, leaving a small crater where they stood moments ago.
She is about to fire again, but stops when she hears Rhys voice. “Return Sunny back to me! This isn’t what she wanted!” She turns to the angry but also scared teen, for a moment she fights through the primal magic, but her need to raise in power quickly takes hold on her again and ignores the drake’s pledges of stopping this madness. She hits him with her magic, Rhys cries in pain as the magic forces him to take the form of a huge and very deadly dragon.
She grins at her work, although deep inside, her heart aches of what she has done to the child she has cared for since his hatching. “Destroy them my pet!” This demon side of her commands and the dragon attacks the horrified three.

The others quickly realize that those there ran to Sunset has more than a turned pony to deal with, when a jade green and huge dragon tail destroys half of a building. Demo and Soldier recognize this right away, for they fought against this kind of rampaging dragon not long after they came to Equestria. The two eyes one another, nod and charges towards the spot. Are forced to stop though, when several sentry guns appear along with Engineer’s other.
The man eyes the two in an almost bored manner. “Isn’t it enough you have to deal with your own demise? If you try and save her, you will die and is that really worth it?”
Soldier aims his rocket launcher at him. “Get out of the way Engie!” He commands the Texan hard.

Engineer instead hits the sentry gun beside him, upgrading it to level three, he sighs as if he's dealing with a spoiled child instead of a man aiming a weapon that could easily kill him. “If you really are that interested to die, then why don’t you shoot yourself? It will be quicker and spare me building more guns. I really don’t want to waste more time than necessarily- which isn’t much.”
He blinks when several bombs land around him and although they destroyed some of the sentry guns and wounded him a lot. Engineer doesn't show signs he is that interested to put up a fight, more annoyed that he now has to rebuild the machines they destroyed. “Back to the drawing board… again.” He sighs, looks up and watches again in that bored manner when Soldier falls down towards him with a lifted shovel and a battle cry which get turned into a cry of pain when the remaining sentry guns shoot at him. Engineer walks over to the wounded man. “Solly, Solly, Solly.” He shakes his head. “If you have just been a bit smarter, you would have known this would happen.” Soldier aims his shotgun at him, but both to his and Demo’s shock, Engineer grabs it with his right hand and bend the barrel. The Texan eyes the wide-eyed Soldier. “Can’t expect you to understand that human flesh will always be weaker, not much use in a fight.” He throws away the destroyed barrel to then grab Soldier around the throat, suffocating him with ease.

Demo runs over but has to pull back when the sentry guns start to shoot at him, Engineer’s other eyes him briefly. “Why don’t you just give up?” He asks and turns back to Soldier struggling against the death grip the Texan has over his throat. “It doesn't matter how much you fight, it’s only a matter of time before you die. So why fight it?”

“You won’t gain anything if you don’t try!”

Engineer snaps his attention to his army of sentry guns, all blowing up from self-destruct, in the piles of metal walk his other, throwing away the self-destruct device. His other pulls out a shotgun and aims at him with a sneer. “And I sure hell going to fight.”
Engineer snorts and tightens his grip around Soldier’s neck, a loud SNAP and he throws down the now dead American. “Not that it will do you much good.” To then winch when his other shoots him, he eyes the not deadly but still bleeding wound before turning to his so naïve other. “You should be thankful I ended him. We both know he would've died if he reached that beast.” Pointing at the dragon rampaging not far from them.

“Maybe, but we don’t know because we’re not Soldier.” The other Engineer replies.

He can almost laugh at this. “Of course we know, we know Soldier do not think, we know he will shoot all his rockets at the beast and when that does not work, he will go for a blind a rocket jump. We know that beast will be more than strong enough to deal with the rockets and Soldier serving himself on a silver platter when he flies up to its face. We know that he won’t listen to others for a better battle tactic. He is too stupid and proud, never going to accept that he is a horrible planner and never will lead anyone other than his so-called raccoon pets. All Soldier is; a shortsighted brute, there will be nothing more than cannon fodder.” His eyes land on Demo who stares at him in a mix of anger and despair, he smiles at the man. “You think he is a friend, but we both know the only reason you keep Soldier around is that you feel sorry for him. Just like we did to Pyro. My kind words make her feel better and when the time comes, she will die to protect what she thinks is her best friend. All thanks to a few friendly words.”

“That’s not true!” Engineer objects hard and shoots at his other again, but this time he misses because his hands shake too much. Hates to say this but he's not sure it's because he is angry or scared of what his other is saying might be what he truly feels deep inside.

The dark Engineer smiles, he knows he is right, he knows because he has seen the truth of how this world works. And this world does not have time for genuine companionship, for really; what's the point in it?
“Of course it is, would you ever have spoken to Pyro if she hadn’t proven her usefulness protecting your machines? No, you wouldn’t. Other people are not worth our time, machines are so much easier to deal with. They do not argue, they do not demand, think they know better or get in our way.” He removes his glove, revealing a robot hand instead of flesh. His other jaw drops of the sight, but Engineer knows this is what he truly wanted. “Machines are stronger and way more of use than what is made of flesh, trust me, you will feel better when you accept that.”

“No! No way in hell I will accept your way of thoughts!”

He blinks, a bit confused by this. “No? So you think flesh is stronger than machines?” Nodding to the spot where Demo stands. “Perhaps you need another demonstration.”

But this Engineer here has heard enough, he can’t deny that machines are better than humans in some ways, but what his other is saying, that he does not need others. It sounds too much like the Administrator. He loves being around machines, but he has no wish in replacing his whole body with cold metal. “You are right that machines are stronger in raw strength than humans. But what you see as weakness, I see what makes us alive. I admit I have for a long time wanting to replace my hand with the gunslinger, and I understand why you did it. but… darn it!” He shakes his head, unable to stop the memories he got from his time in a world filled with very colorful ponies, especially about a white unicorn there reminded him that his ability to build wasn’t truly about himself. “You have lost the point of why we build machines! Yes, we build because we like to, but don’t you remember why we created these machines?” His other does not answer, so he enlightens him ”The dispenser was made to make sure the team always had ammo to fight and later the healing ray so Medic didn’t have to do all the healing himself. The teleporters help the team to reach their target quicker and the sentry gun- well I do admit I enjoy watching it wreck anyone stupid enough to get in its path- but it does not change it helps the team by making a chocking point.” He takes a step forward. “Don’t you see? We build machines in order to help others! A machine does not care about such things, machines do not appreciate our work that's why you have lost the will to create! But you are too stupid to see that!” Engineer throws away his shotgun and punches his other right in the face, knocking him to the ground. “So stop being so pessimistic and start putting some darn heart into your work!” He gets no answer from his other, but he really does not expect it.

Demo is quite awestruck of this double standoff and the words that got said. “That was some speech you did there mate.”

Engineer laughs softly, a bit embarrassed he let his mouth run like that. “Yeah, sorry about that.” And wishes what his other said was just having his mind bent by those Sirens but he cannot deny that he has many times preferred being around machines than humans. It is really hard being the go-to man when the others have a practical problem, more so when they take his work for granted and forget he too could need some help once and a while. He doubts that ever will change, but he sure hopes his negative feelings about it will be better now he is more aware of them.
"Let's go." He tells Demo who nods and they both run towards the place where the rampaging dragon is.

The others follow the moment they got rid of the robots, reaching the place, they all aim the weapons at the rampaging dragon and start shooting. It roars in pain and collapses onto the ground. Scout leaps over its tail and spots where the trio is. “They are trapped under that rock!” Heavy and the newly respawned Soldier runs over and together pushes what once used to be a wall away from the three. Heavy offers the battered Medic his hand while Soldier lifts Twilight and Spike out from the rubbles.
“You alright?” Heavy asks.

Medic checks his badly bruised arm. “Well, like that wizard, it’s hard to fight against someone with magic.” It at times like these he sort of wish he could do magic, sure could use his unicorn form by now.

Everyone turn around when the now really crazed Sunset Shimmer start to laugh maniacally and when even someone like Soldier realizes that crown holding Twilight’s Element is not good for her from how unstable it’s magic sparks as if a bomb is about to go off: then something bad is really going to happen. Not like Sunset realizes, she seems to have more fun seeing a bunch of mercenaries has come for Twilight’s aid than to take notice the magic she has is reaching its breaking point. “Gee, how much did she pay you to risk your life for her?” She asks the mercs mocking and summons her very unstable magic in her clawed palms, demanding the group. “Now step aside! Trust me, no money is worth this.”
She yelps in pain from the headshot she received, the only thing that saved her is the magical aura around her. Sunset Shimmer sneers down to the one who dared to shoot at her.

“We’re not doing this for the money.” Sniper replies calmly, ready to shoot again if needed.

The other mercenaries agree by shielding the turned pony and aiming their own weapons at this she-demon before them. Not that bullets did any good when their opponent has a magical shield, nor did they have any defense against the magic she holds. Yet none of them stepped away from Twilight, instead braced themselves for the hit when Sunset fires at them.
The magical blast hit, but when the smoke clears. It reveals that none of the mercenaries have been harmed, to their great surprise they have been shielded by a magical aura, turning around, this aura comes from Twilight.
Twilight opens her eyes and blinks seeing the magical aura, looking up she sees that Medic, who has been trying to shield her with his own body has a stained look on his face. Is it taking a toll on him? No, she realizes that is not it when he opens his eyes, instead of a strong grey, a softer steel-blue meet hers purple.

One moment both of him got the same idea to keep her safe and the next his mind is a mess of memories of both, plus the Element shards in him is really acting up. It really hurts, so it takes him a moment to realize that this pain he feels is the Element of Magic from both him and Twilight reacting on one another. Only she is able to form this magical shield though. He eyes Twilight confused, noticing how her eyes wide in shock. He realizes why when he realizes he has both RED and BLU Medic memories, plus the different ways of feelings towards her. Pretty sure there will be some time before he will stop feeling like two people stuck in one body, but he can deal with that for now. The BLU side of him gives Twilight a weak smile and offers her his hand.
She returns the smile and allows him to help her back on her feet. She looks up and tells the shocked beyond belief Sunset of why this happened. “The magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it!” The humans except Medic jump startled when they get surrounded by the element they partly represent.

Sniper, Soldier, Engineer, and Scout were at first not surrounded by a light, but that soon changes when this ancient magic reaches out to their corrupted others, made them able to reclaim the other half of their soul and return to their complete self once again. The issues there caused conflict hasn’t been solved but at least now they didn’t have to deal with killing the other for it.
With all of them now having a complete soul, the magic can finally be activated.

Medic can feel this very link they have to the Elements, it hurts as this body is not meant to do magic. Still, he is not really bothered as the sense of magic coursing through him feels awesome and lets Twilight know she can use the magic in him by putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiles up to him before turning to the now horrified Sunset.

“This magic is not about power.” Twilight tells their other turned unicorn. “And it is something you do not have the ability to control because you do not understand what made this power in the first place. The crown and element may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer but you cannot wield it!” The color of each element join together and shoot a rainbow-colored beam at Sunset, this beam surrounds her and the collapsed Rhys, in a flash of bright light, both have been returned back to normal.
The light from the mercenaries fades and they collapse onto the ground; a human body is not really made to handle this kind of power so they are all exhausted from this ordeal. Still, they are very relieved they managed to defeat Sunset.
Twilight, also exhausted from the magic, but still know she needs to reclaim the crown, walks over to the unconscious Sunset, takes the crown from her and for a moment watches one there once was in her place as Celestia's pupil.

“She didn’t mean this...” Twilight turns around, her purple meeting Rhys pale blue eyes, even from all she put him through, Rhys still cares about her. Twilight sighs, about to open her mouth, but an explosion from one of the destroyed buildings makes her forget her lecturing words and ready for another fight when someone able to do magic lands right beside her. It’s a man with flaming hair and wings, his tan skin is yellow and blue from the beat ups he has taken.
This one eyes Sunset hard. “The Element showed everyone what was inside your heart, proving that you are not worthy of the powers you seek.”

Sunset sobs, now with her mind and body cleansed, she realized all of her mistakes and how much she has harmed others. “I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...”

Ignis didn’t care much about her apologizing, it’s clear she needs to work hard if ever hoping to regain any respect. “Sorry won’t do it and you know it. You will be brought back to Equestria where the princesses will decide your punishment.” He then turns away from the sobbing turned pony and to the one, he is very certain is the student of his oldest daughter. “Twilight Sparkle I take.” She nods, still quite shaken up from this whole fight. She does calm down when he explains who he is. "I am Ignis." and asks this turned pony. “How long before the portal closes?” Her eyes shift unsure, clear she has lost time while cleaning up the mess that other unicorn made. Ignis sighs, it seems the departure has to happen now. “In that case, I will give you a moment to say goodbye to your human friends. After that, I will send you all back to Equestria.”

Still quite startled to meet this male alicorn she has only known through letters Twilight turns around to her human friends, slowly she walks over to them to say her goodbyes. After have given those who wanted a hug, Twilight promises them. “I will find a way so we can see each other again.”
Engineer promises he will do the same, for like Twilight and her friends back in Equestria. “We can’t help one another with this ten years portal issue.”
Twilight smiles and with that, she and Spike walk over to Ignis there has the still broken down in tears Sunset and the terrified Rhys. She eyes the two briefly before turning to this male alicorn. “We’re ready.” He nods and lets his magic surround them.
When the magical flames disappear, Twilight lands somewhat ungraceful on Canterlot’s castle floor. Spike lands on top of her and seconds later Sunset and Rhys appear beside them.
Before the two could get the idea of running away, the royal guards have them surrounded and soon the two royal sisters arrive.
Twilight takes a moment to regain her balance after having been moving around on her hind legs for almost two weeks. When she does, she runs over to Celestia and the ruler of Equestria gives her a motherly hug.

“Welcome back.” Celestia tells to Twilight and Spike, very relieved both got back just when the portal closed. With this sweet reunion over Celestia turns her attention to her former student who tries to make herself smaller by the mere sight of her. Rhys, both scared from Sunset’s reaction and his drake instinct in protecting who he considers part of his clan struggles inside of him, making the teen drake lie close to the unicorn but too afraid to attack. By merely looking at them and how battered Twilight looks, it is clear they have been fighting, the question is now: has Sunset left the dark path she went on all those years ago?
One thing first, “Keep an eye out on these two.” She commands the guards and leaves, asking Twilight to follow her. “I think it is best you tell me everything that happened on the other side.”
After have gotten her sister, Twilight Sparkle and Spike explain the two sisters their two-week adventure and how they defeated Sunset Shimmer by the Elements of Harmony residing inside their human friends.

“From what I understand, Sunset Shimmer is far from redemption." Something she is very familiar with but as a certain light grey unicorn told her: her hard work has made their subjects look up to her. "She has done a lot of harm in the human's world and…” Her cyan colored eyes land on Spike, again reminded of her own misdeed against her own sister. “...To the drake.” And suggests her sister as she does not think it’s not a good idea letting one of the drakes from dragonlord Nila stay with a pony who has done more harm than good. “Perhaps it is best we return Rhys back to his mother.”

Her sister got a good point and Celestia does agree that might be best for Rhys, but- “It will cause him a lot of distress. Being hatched by Sunset, he is devoted to her as a child is to a parent.“ So in order to cause Rhys as little stress as possible and hopefully put her former student back on the right track, she will send both to the Crystal Empire where Shining Armor and Cadence can keep an eye on Sunset while Nila will teach one of her children what it means to be a dragon.
She tells this choice only to her sister’s ears.
“We should make a guard follow Sunset Shimmer around, just in case.” Luna voices back, Celestia nods and returns back to her former student and the teen drake, telling them both of where they will be going, before the guards take them, Celestia tells Sunset softly. “Let us hope you have learned your lesson.” Sunset lowers her gaze, a clear sign of regrets about her action. The guards lead her and Rhys away to their soon to be home.

Twilight turns away from the two there very well could’ve been her and Spike’s place and eyes her number one assistant, giving the quite exhausted looking drake a smile. “Let’s go home Spike.”

***

Night has fallen in Equestria Twilight and Spike tell their friends about the adventure they went through in the human world and how different and… for the lack of a better word; dark it was compared to their own. “I don’t exactly look forward to returning there but it was good to see our friends again.” Twilight explains, eyeing Spike as he adds, “and boy was we glad they helped us out! We would’ve been so lost without them.” Twilight nods in agreement.

“It is a bit of a concern that Spy did not return.” Zecora muses from her spot, both she and her beloved had been fearing this would happen. “What job was he resigned for him to stay behind?” For only a very important job would make him stay away from his family.

Twilight’s smile fades, realizing that Zecora’s two foals won’t see their father for ten years. “He… the others needed his skills against the enemy they are currently dealing with.” She feels a pang of guilt when Zecora lowers her head in sadness. “I’m sorry Zecora…” The zebra sighs, musing. “It is something we knew might happen, he be forced away to some future battle.“

“Will you be alright?” Applejack asks worriedly. “Anything we can do to help?”

She appreciates the offer but there is nothing they can do to ease the pain. Zecora shakes her head. “I’ll be fine in giving time.” And with that, she leaves and she did not need to know the younger ponies all have that worried expression on their faces. At least they are kind enough to give her space. Going back to the hut, Zecora pulls the smaller caldron holding the stew she had been preparing for Antonie's return away from the fire, there is no need to think about making this meal before ten years. That sounds like an awfully long time now…
Unable to hold back the sorrow of knowing her beloved won’t be around in a decade from now, Zecora collapses onto the floor, crying silently so not to wakes the girls. They do wake, sensing the grief she is feeling.

Lavernia, being the most nimble of the two easily gets out from the crib and lands somewhat gracefully onto the floor. Her sister Sauda gets down as well but way louder and ungraceful as she splats onto the floor. Their mother snaps her eyes over to them, the two fillies stares back as worried their young and far from fully emotional developed their minds can understand grief. All they know that their mother is sad and their father is not around to cheer her up as he usually is. Sauda gets up from her hard landing and walks over to Zecora, doing the closet sound to words she can make. Sauda nudges her head up against her mother's, copying what she has seen her father do and puts a hoof on Zecora’s.
Lavernia, not being so developed in empathy as her sister is confused as to why her mother feels like this. She whimpers in the only sign she does not like what she is sensing to her mother. Zecora briefly strokes her head against Sauda’s before turning her gaze to the whimpering Lavernia. “I am sorry my dear, but I wish your father was here…” She whispers to them, unable to keep the tears from falling.
Sadly the two babies do not understand the reason for her sadness, nor that they will only see their father again when they are reaching the age to when most foals get their cutie mark.

***

In the human world, at the half-destroyed base of Grey’s once headquarters. The Sirens stare at the small crater that was created when Twilight activated the Elements of Harmony in this world. Sonata strokes her hands through the ground, jerking away when a spark of this ancient magic still residing in the ground. She frowns of the thoughts spinning through her head of this small discovery, she ponders how the very magic that can harm them has come to this world, yet something about the magic is off, not as pure as she remembers.

“Can we get a move on?” Aria asks impatient as ever, already bored of standing around while one of them is wasting time checking out a stupid crater. “We have better things to do than waste our time looking at a bomb crater.”
Adagio gives her a look before she turns to Sonata who hasn’t heard Aria, too busy poking around in that hole for some reason. Must admit that standing around when there are people they can control is getting on her nerves but unlike Aria whose cruel mind cannot comprehend the importance of thinking for just a moment, she knows that something about this hole has caught Sonata full attention and this time Adagio thinks it is worth her time. “What is so important about this hole?” She asks, when Sonata does not hear, she kicks a stone that hits her, that gets Sonata’s attention and Adagio repeats her question.

Sonata eyes the ground still having remnants of magic in it. It’s fading but from the sense of it: “Someone has been using Harmony’s magic.” She tells the two others and that gets their full attention. “Far from full strength but someone in this world can tap into Equestrian magic.”

Well isn’t that a pleasured surprise? Adagio smirks. “Magic we can use to regain our strength.” They haven’t been able with the humans in this world, it has only kept them alive but with people out there carrying the very magic of the Elements- tapping into the world they come from. That will allow them to gain the needed strength to use the humans' negative emotions as their energy source.
“But this world does not have Equestrian magic.” Aria points out, maybe before but now: “Now it has magic: Equestrian magic.” She tells the two other Sirens, jumps into the hole to feel the magic Sonata felt. It’s weak, too weak to use but there is no doubt this is magic of their world. “We need to find the ones who used the magic.” Adagio says and leaves the hole with Sonata close behind. “We have to find these people and with it: this pathetic world will be at our feet.” Finding it will be tricky but it’s only a matter of time before this bearer of Element Magic will show up.

Up at the main office, Grey is watching the very attack that retards team pulled off against this woman named Sunny and no matter how many times he watches it, he cannot see what technology was used, which means only one thing. "Somehow they gained the ability to use magic." He muses, so perhaps there is more to this pathetic team after all.

Author's Note

finally Twilight and Spike are back in their own world. been quite a ride for them and for me. and in case you are wondering why I didn't make any of them "pony up" let me ask you this: would you have been able to take them seriously?

Crossroad

Note: I know the mercs getting whole was quite sudden but this whole becoming one by fixing personal issue just like that was starting to get repetitive. they might have a whole soul but that does not mean their issues are fixed.

this happens a couple of days after the last chapter.

*human world*

After have gotten away from Grey’s base, the mercenaries had at first been in doubt if they should stick together or disband once again now Twilight no longer needed their aid. Miss Pauling, however, had taken that choice for them as she still needed them to make sure the Administrator was safe after she accidentally gave the enemy the coordinates to where that woman is currently located. None from the team really fancied the thought of helping the woman who has caused them so much grief, but after a long discussion and promises of a very nice payment from Miss Pauling, they agreed to help her out.
They arrived at the place and have to destroy an army of robots, fortunately, that was all they had to deal with. With the robots taken care off, Miss Pauling heads inside the hidden base of the Administrator. And with nothing else to do, the team waits near a rock formation while Miss Pauling does her business with the Administrator.

“She better let us off the hook after this.” Engineer muses, caressing his sour right hand there is fortunately out of flesh but he has a bad feeling parts of metal is trapped underneath the skin after the merge. But that he can worry about later, right now his worries are on his son he left with his own father. “I need to return back to my boy.” He turns to Pyro who mumbles something only he understands and smiles. “Sure, you can come along and meet him. Just don't introduce him to your flames.” Said firebug giggles but agrees she won't set anything on fire.

“Same here with my mum, I should make sure she’s alright.” Demo says from his spot, unable to stop grinning when Soldier beside him declares proudly. “I need to ask my girlfriend to marry me!” Less so when Heavy tells him hard.
“Not before you date her more than year.” Surely the big guy is still sour about the fact that his sister decided Soldier to be her boyfriend. Demo finds that very amusing since Heavy and Soldier's past relationship have been more killing one another than having a polite conversation.

Scout catches his baseball and after a moment of thoughts, he says to the others. “I would like to see my family too.” It’s been long he last heard from his mother or even his brothers, it’s really hard not knowing if they are alright or not. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up, his now brown meet Spy’s reddish eyes but now with the BLU Scout in him too, he is no longer entirely sure if he wants his father around or not. Without a word, he turns his gaze back to throwing with his baseball.

Spy removes his hand, he knew this might happen and prepared himself for it— Of course, his years of training does not reveal his true emotions about this rejection and stay calm and collected as ever.
Leaving Scout, Spy eyes Sniper who has ever since the emerging with his other kept his distance, right now the Aussie is slicing at a stick he found lying around, it seems the manic cutting side of him is still there. Spy feels like he should say something, but what can he say? That he understands? Doubt the bushman is going to listen to the spook. So he leaves Sniper to his own gloomy thoughts and ponders if Jeremy will be willing to let him drive him home. He presumes that depends on how strong the BLU is in him.

“I honestly have no idea where I will be going if the team is to be disbanded.” Medic admits, he sold the apartment he had when Miss Pauling came to hire him to work for Mann Co and he does not have in mind going back to Germany. The allies and Russia are currently using his home country as the shield against the other- not to mention that he is pretty sure a lot of people want to get their hands on a former Nazi. No, he thinks he will stay away for some time. Question is now… where should he go?
To his small surprise and shock, Heavy says. “We will figure something out, I will not leave you behind again.” Medic eyes him, then worried to the others. To his great surprise, only Engineer, Soldier, Demo and Sniper have more or less the reaction he expected. The rest doesn’t bat an eye. Spy and Pyro he sort of expected this reaction, Spy knows more than he ever lets out and Pyro... well it's just how she is. But Scout? Medic was certain that loudmouth to Scout wouldn't shut up about it, seems like he underestimated the young man.

“Um, don’t get me wrong, but from how you said it... it sounded like you two are well…” Engineer muses, not sure how to say this. So Spy does it for him “Heavy and Medic are an item.”
Engineer jaw drops, Soldier starts to sputter how wrong it is while Demo and Sniper just watch the whole thing quietly while trying to get a better understanding of the situation.

Medic jumps on his feet, livid on how Spy revealed this secret he has been so set on keeping hidden for the public but before he can reach for any weapon, Misha stops him. He eyes the big man who quietly asks him not to act rashly, taking a deep breath to calm himself, he tells those who didn’t know- very annoyed though. “Thanks for throwing that out herr spy, yes I and Heavy are a couple, so if you want to patronize us for it, kindly do it now.”

“This is outrageous! It is wrong!” Soldier shouts.

Heavy shoots the man a glare, retorting. “So do I with you dating my sister.” And very glad his sister is not around. She is currently in the nearest town where he will pick her up later after have figured out what to do next.

That’s not the same. "She is a woman.” Soldier grumbles

“And Russian— communist in your words.” Heavy points out, he fists his hands and towers over the American. “You got problem with it?” To his surprise, Soldier does not argue further which is a relief for Heavy is really not in the mood for a deathmatch with the man at the moment.

Sniper returns back to his task slicing the stick, apparently, that is way more interesting than the subject between Heavy and Medic. Engineer wishes he could adapt that quickly. “Okay, um, caught me quite off guard there. Don’t get me wrong you two.” He eyes the healer and big guy, two he both respect each their way. “I can respect this just… darn, give me time to get used to it.”

Medic completely understands, almost all people consider being gay a physiologist mistake, something there can get fixed, and he has tried that by being with female partners but he now understands that this just how he is and well, he has learned to accept that. “Take all the time you need Engineer.” For honestly, hearing that Engineer is willing to accept this is more than he ever could’ve hoped for.

“Now kiss!” Scout grins from his spot, burst out laughing when that tease made the big brute to Heavy blush like a school girl. Medic just got really flustered and hid it behind anger. “Schweinehund! You will lose a leg for that!” Scout yelps and is both surprised and relieved when a certain spy goes all paternal protective over him. “I like to see you try.”

“What’s going on?” Miss Pauling asks, leaving the hidden base and finds a scene of Spy and Medic looking ready to kill one another, she sighs. “Spy, Medic, don’t kill one another.” The two men step away. If they sheathe their weapons or not is another question. “The Administrator told me that she still has use of you— if you are willing to work for her.”

“Not really.” Demo says probably for everyone.

Yeah, she figured that was the case and so did Helen. “If that’s the case then I will bring you to the facility where the respawn liquid can be removed.” She ignores the multi objections coming from the mercenaries. “When that's done, you can all go home. All contracts you have with Mann Co will be terminated and the company won’t take responsibility for any action made by or used against you.” Her eyes meet each of the mercenaries. “You will be the first mercenary-” Sniper and Spy shoot her a glare “— and assassin to ever leave Mann co alive. If it was dumb luck or something else, I don’t know.” She sighs and starts walking towards the nearest town. “I will find a shuttle and bring you—”

“Don’t bother with me, I will stay.” Medic interrupts her, he needs the protection the Administrator offers him, not to mention he really does not want to return back to society with all the tension going on between the world powers at the moment.

“I will work for old woman.” Heavy says, long decided that he will go wherever Medic goes, now more so after his sisters made him aware they no longer need his protection.

Spy covers his eyes, right now wishing he could go back to Equestria but like before when Ignis left them, he has realized that his skills of infiltration are needed here- the team would be lost without him. “My contract will stay as well.” He hates to do it but he is safer working for Mann Co than as a freelance assassin. Wish this protection would come from a more benevolent character such as Princess Celestia instead the protection is from one that will use any seen weakness against him without a second hesitating.

“As long there are wars to be fought, I will fight!” Soldier salutes, although he does not fully understand what Miss Pauling said of them having the chance to leave, he does understand there are still some fighting to do and Mann Co has been the only place willing to accept him. So he will be their soldier.

Engineer takes off his hard-hat with a very split feeling, he can return back to society with ease and he sure heck wants to now that he has a chance in living a normal life with his son but… damn it, these guys will kill one another if not for him playing peacekeeper. “I have a few… demands if she wishes to keep me employed.” Engineer says. He will not continue working for the Administrator if she refuses him the chance to be with his son. He wants to be there for Logan, not just be some guy visiting him every weekend. “I want to be able to go home after each mission, no fighting at the big holidays, and if the Administrator won’t agree on these terms, then she can find herself a new engineer.” And she needs one hell of a luck to find someone capable inventing machines for Australium in a matter of months.

Sniper does not speak, he much rather wants to leave, go back to the bush. But he fears he will turn murder insane if he leaves the only people he knows on a somewhat personal level. He does not want to be alone with that sinister voice as his only companion.

Demo scratches the back of his head, like Engie, he too would like to spend more time with his mother, but he sure hell wants to keep this job as well. “If she gives me a day off least a week, then I will work for her again.” He tells Miss Pauling, thinking that will give him some time with his mother, but he figures he should maybe hire a servant so she's not so much alone all the time.

Pyro simply nods that she will work for the Administrator, mostly because the people she feels safe around will be there.

Scout drops his head in almost defeat, really feeling split about this, in one hand he can go home and possibly chase the dream of becoming a professional baseball player and be with his family but— he’s pretty sure that’s the RED part of him from having the feelings that he wants to be with his father and, well, his second family. “I can’t give you an answer right now.” He tells Miss Pauling, he needs to go home and talk with his mother about this. “I need to go home first.” Miss Pauling simply nods.

“You do not have to fight like us, Scout.” Heavy says, unlike most of them, Scout has the best chance of leaving all of this behind and get himself a normal life.

“I know...” Scout muses back, god is he aware of that fact.

*45 hours later, Boston*

Scout leaves the airport, must admit it feels quite surreal being home again, last time he walked here, he was quite the arrogant prick. Now, well a lot has happened in the span of two years. “Sure hell feels longer.” He muses to himself. The first year as both RED and BLU scout was really hard, not only did he have to endure the older guys insults and at times bullying but also the constant assaults he got from the other team there wanted nothing else than murder his ass. He dealt with a lot of nightmares from those traumas of constant death he had to endure. Then there was the time in Equestria, Scout can’t help but laugh of those memories. “Yeah, no way in hell I am going anyone about that.” Especially not to his brothers. They probably think him gay if he starts talking about he befriended a bunch of colorful ponies and was chosen to carry the Element of Laughter which he used to turn the tide of battle against horse like ghosts that bring the meanest winter ever. "Wow, just thinking about it makes it sound weird and epic at the same time. Doubt they will see it other than gay." Scout does stop for a moment to think about what his brother consider gay. “I don’t think they know that being gay has nothing to do with masculinity.” For Heavy sure hell doesn't lack those points. Medic, eh a bit but Scout sure aren’t going to say that to that crazy doctor’s face- he might end up as his next experiment, that or Heavy will punch out all his blood- again.
On his way to the bus station, a fancy car stops before him, at the driver seat sits Spy. Scout finds himself with two thoughts. One- probably RED wants to go inside the car and let his father drive him home, the other- BLU much rather wants to take the bus and get as much distance to Spy as possible.
Spy eyes him and after a moment of silence, he asks calmly, something that takes the BLU side of Scout off guard. “Which side of you is going to win?”
Scout hesitates with the answer, then decides to ask instead. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to speak with Saffira… and you.” Spy replies softly, he is not sure which part he looks forward to the least. This letting out the man behind the mask thing is unnerving and he does not like showing weakness, but he knows this has to be done… for both their sake. After a moment, Jeremy gets into the car. Spy drives away and over to the house, the way happens in an uncomfortable silence. It breaks when Scout can’t take it anymore and points out. “You know how messed up this is?” His voice is both angry and sad. “A part of me hates you and another…”
Spy is very aware what part of him that is. “Remembers the love I shared with your as a changeling.”

Scout nods slowly, after a moment of silence, he asks. “Was it genuine?” For the BLU side of him does not think someone like Spy can show such emotions. To his surprise, Spy drives into an empty driveway and after he has checked the area, he; to Scout’s great shock takes off the mask. Scout’s eyes wide seeing the face behind the mask. The more he looks the more he can see the similarities between them. He understands that his father—that Antoine has taken off the mask for a reason, he… he’s just not entirely sure for what reason. “Why are you…?”

Spy turns away, the urge to put on that simple but protective fabric is great but he resists it. “After I became a spy. I haven’t shown my face to anyone other than your mother and my old master. And now...” The urge gets too great and he puts on the mask, once again hiding from the world. “You know it too and if you hate me more than you care, then you can use this as leverage against me.” It's a huge risk but... he's so tired shutting people away.

So this is his father’s way showing ultimate trust? Kind of a bold move, Scout thinks. “I won’t be able to keep this secret if one of your enemies captures me.” He can barely handle shrapnel, so what hope does he have against real torture?
Spy smirks weakly. “I don’t expect you to.” Scout raises a brow, not sure how to take that statement. His father does not go further into details, instead, leave this secluded area. The rest of the drive home happens in a way more comfortable silence.
When arriving at his home, Scout is about to leave the car but stops himself when he notices Spy is not making a move to follow. He eyes his father confused.

“You go on ahead.”

Not sure why he does this, but figures he has his reasons, Scout grabs his bag and leaves the car. Stepping inside he is greeted by his mother and two of his brothers; Peter, the second oldest and Dean the middle child of this bunch. His mother is of course very happy to see him home. His brothers are more interested in trying to nudge the information out from him of where he has been all this time. “Cut it out!” He snaps at Dean for keeping on poking him in the sides to make him slip up. “It’s in my contract I can't speak about it.” To then glare annoyed at Peter when his older brother smacks a hand on his head, asking in a somewhat taunting tone. “You got into the mafia or something baby brother?” and Dean laughs with: “Nah, he’s too scrawny for their standards. He’s probably just cleaning up toilets and too embarrassed to tell us about it, isn’t that right baby brother?” Scout angrily slaps Peter’s hand away, sneering at the two grinning older brothers. “No! my job is cool! Way cooler than any of yours!” Peter learns forward, asking. “Oh really?” Scout nods. “Yeah, but I can’t talk about it and I ain’t telling you.”

“Boys, leave Jeremy alone.” Their mother tells them hard and shoves Peter away from Scout, much to the youngest relief.

“Sure thing ma.” Peter says and after have quite forcefully ruffles up Jeremy’s hair. “Nice see you back from toilet cleaning.” Both he and Dean laugh when their youngest and smallest of this gang of brothers yells very annoyed at them. “I am not cleaning fucking toilets!” They leave as they only came to help their mother out with a bit moving around. “If you say so.” Dean calls and before leaving the house. “Later baby toilet cleaning brother.”

Scout glares after them, but even if they piss him off and can be quite the bullies too, he still relieved to see they are alright.

“I’ve been worried you wouldn’t return home.”

Scout turns to his mother and is for a moment unsure how much she knows, now knowing the truth who his father is, there is a big chance his mother knows what his job is truly about. “Sorry, ma… my boss just refused to let us leave thanks to… uh disagreements— it is fixed now.” He quickly adds and heads over to the kitchen. “Man, I’m staving, haven’t gotten anything since the plane.” He grabs some bread and cold cuts along with a half-empty juice.
Barely started on his quick lunch and Spy steps inside, his mother is quite surprised in seeing him. “What a surprise. I didn't think I would ever see you again.” She says and walks over to him, Spy nods in agreement. “There were some loose ends I needed to fix.” Saffira turns to Scout, she does a good job but the hint of worry is there in her own brown eyes. She turns back to Spy when he says calmly. “He knows.”
“You told him?” She asks surprised.
Before Spy could, Scout speaks from his spot. “No, the spider-lady threw that bomb.” and what a bomb that was.
Understandable his mother gives him a confused look and explaining that fully will just make her the more confused. “She’s a mean woman with a bunch of spiders.” He lies. Highly doubts his mother would believe that this spider-lady really is a horse-shaped bug with the ability to change into any form she chose. Oh, and she can suck out the love out from one like a spider suck out the juice from its victim- hence the name.

“A former client of mine.” Spy takes over, stepping inside the house he explains his former lover. “I can’t stay for long, but I think it's fair telling you that I have found someone who truly makes me happy.” She smiles hearing this, like him Saffira is aware that what they felt was more lust than love. “This will be the last time you see me.” Both notices the look in their son’s eyes, now to the tricky part. “Thanks to certain circumstances Jeremy has gotten a hold on a very powerful artifact, I cannot tell you more than that. Only that he currently stands with two choices: He will return this artifact, leave Mann Co and live a normal life back here with you. I will do everything in my power to ensure no danger will come to you, and for safety reasons; this will be the last time he ever sees me in person. or-” Spy eyes his son. “- Jeremy will return back to Mann Co and face the danger head-on along with the team, he might still be able to visit you but chances are he can't in risk endangering you and the rest of your sons.” He will be able to see them for a time but if Jeremy chooses to stay connected to the respawn. Then like Miss Pauling, he will be forced to abandon his family as time will pass- several from the team will be forced to do that as well but Spy has a strong feeling that choice will be easier for them. Either because their own parents already or soon will be gone and know the remaining of the family can take care of themselves. Engineer might find a loophole with his son, but Jeremy cannot do that to his whole family, less so when it is very risky to be connected to respawn. Spy is aware this is a hard choice, especially to one just reaching the age of twenty. "Think long and hard about it." He tells Jeremy and turns his gaze back to Saffira. With the last touch over her soft cheek. “Goodbye.” He leaves, never going to return to this very house. The answer to what Jeremy will choose will be answered in a month, that’s how long Miss Pauling gave him to think about this.

At the door Saffira watches Antoine drive away for the very last time, it saddens her knowing this but does find some comfort that he has found someone who truly loves him. She knows that for when he mentioned this other woman, she saw a gleam in his eyes she has never seen before. Saffira is glad Antoine found happiness and he has more or less mended a bond with his son. She closes the door and with a sigh takes a seat beside Jeremy, young man is awkwardly quiet and she does not blame him. The choice he soon will have to take is a big one, especially for her youngest son who has been quite immature to really decide what he wanted in life.
Slowly he recovers and with his lunch completely forgotten. “I don’t want to leave you…” He says in almost a whisper.
Saffira pulls her youngest son into a hug, something she hasn’t giving him ever since he was a child. “I know, sweetie.” But if Jeremy is anything like his father, then he will leave and yes it will sadden her but also fills her with joy thinking her son will join his father. She strokes gently his brown and quite messy hair thanks to Peter. “Whatever you choose, know this; I will always love you.”

Scout lowers his gaze, wishing he knows the answer but he doesn't... He wants to be with both of his parents but both of his sides know that’s not possible. Sooner or later he will have to choose if he wants to stop or continue fighting, there is no middle ground, not with this.

****

The next weeks' Scout spends all his days wandering in Boston’s streets. His wandering was very aimless, like his thoughts, he has no idea where he should go. He tries to make up his mind by visiting those of his brothers still living in town but none of them are any help, busier teasing him or not getting why he stress so much about it. Several of them told him he has a whole life to decide what he wants to do, one of them even suggested he should try and start on that dream of becoming a professional player.
Scout followed that advice and tracked down a coach there has been training some baseball players there had the same dream as him. The man was interested in training him and for a time Scout really thought this was his place, he has a chance, small but still there among the many trying to reach the same goal but just two days before the end of the month Miss Pauling gave him. Scout found himself standing at a road splitting in two. On the right was the path to the training field, the other leads to what feels like the unknown. Scout stares at the two paths and knows that whatever choice he will pick now, he can never go back. He eyes the path to the training field: He has a chance of becoming a baseball player, maybe a big one, he has wanted this ever since he learned what baseball is.
Eyeing the path he knows leads out the forest but standing here it feels differently. Watching what path, Scout thinks about the team. Through the two years, he has known them they have fought their other halves, a pissed wizard, beings of darkness. He knows life will be hard and probably unpredictable as he was chosen to bear an artifact he has little to no knowledge about.
He turns his gaze back to the training field, watching it for several moments, this time he thinks about his family. Slowly his many thoughts settle onto a choice, the answer to what he will do with his life. He is certain he will regret it more than once but it has to be done, this is after all no longer just about him anymore.

*The next day, unknown location*

The team awaits inside this run down building, waiting for Miss Pauling to return and tell them where they need to go next. All look up when she steps into the room, and for a moment, everyone’s eyes are on the one behind her. Scout, dressed in red like the others walks inside, giving them a cheeky smile before turning around to face Miss Pauling as she tells them. “A train awaits you, the Administrator wants you to track down Grey’s mercenaries and make them tell you where Grey is hiding.”
They nod and one by one they head out, Scout follows, having his iconic grin for right at that moment, he knows this is where he belongs.

***
*Equastria*

Returning back to Starswirls studies, Celestia passes the many artifacts decorating one of the shelves. She stops before one of the shelves and after a moment of searching, she finds the book she is looking for. Levitating it over, Celestia flips the pages and smiles weakly when finding the spell she has been looking for.
This spell will be the perfect final test for her faithful student and Celestia would very much like start on it now, however, Twilight is no longer alone on this and know how important it is to strengthen the bond between the bearers and their new partners. There are a few things Celestia has to do before she sends this book to her student. If memory serves correctly, there should be something there can get in contact with the human world other than the now closed portal.
It takes a lot of searching, Celestia does messes up the room but she can always clean that up later. She is very relieved and also feels a bit silly not doing this before when she finds a book holding a mark she now remembers to be their old friend. It’s a dark sphere with several spikes surrounding it, forming a star. A green flame— if Celestia remembers correctly, it’s the color of his magic— surround this star. Looking at the cutie mark for a moment, it saddens her that only a faint memory of the owner of the mark appears in her mind. Celestia flips open the book and finds the first long but after the millennia fades into smaller conversations. The last one they had before the duty of each their worlds pulled them apart were them both apologizing for having to leave the other for a while. That while turned into a thousand years, but what to expect for creatures where time has little meaning? Does he still remember her? She wonders and starts to write.

Author's Note

They do not like it, but everyone on the team know they have to work for Mann Co in order to stay relative safe.

More to Chew On.

Note: This happens a month after the last chapter.
made from the episode "Just for Sidekicks"

*Ponyville*

It’s both nerve wrecking and exciting what is going to happen while Twilight and her friend go to the Crystal Empire to greet the pony who is going to decide where the Equestria games will be held, and since his mother will be too busy helping them out. She did not have time to keep an eye on Rhys, so Spike suggested that his older brother could come on a visit. Partly so he wouldn’t get in the way but mostly because Spike really wishes to get to know his older brother better. His mother agreed while Twilight was a bit more hesitant but went on the idea as well.

So while waiting for the train, Spike decided he would bake a jewel cake to Rhys in the sign of he holds no grudge over their… last encounter.
Spike hums a simple melody as he mixes the dough, not seeing that he keeps on snacking on the gems he should use for the cake. A certain owl did though and Owlowiscious hoots for Spike attention. The baby dragon is, however, more interesting keeping up the inside joke he made to the owl’s hooting.
“Me, that’s who.” He replies Owlowiscious and returns back to the cake, returning back to his little song: “Been saving up my gems so fine~” He snatches more gems. “For a cake that is divine...” Again the owl hoots, Spike turns to it annoyed. “Who are you hooting at?” He demands.
Owlowiscious flies over to the now half empty bowl of gems and points at them with its wings. Spike does not notice his so-called snacking is removing the key ingredient from the cake as he takes another claw filled with gems, telling the owl. “I know, they're delicious.” He puts them in his mouth. “Now you see them,” and he swallows them “now you don't.” He belches- which a certain owl is not amused, ignoring said owl he returns to stirring the dough and his small song. “This is how you make a jewel cake: stir in some gems, and then you bake.” He grabs the last gems and drops them into the cake bowl but without thinking he catches and eats them as well, so when he moves to put the gems in, Spike only there realizes that there are no more, much to his horror. “What happened to all my jewels?!” He turns to Owlowiscious, thinking the bird ate them all.
He turns angrily to the owl, telling it hard. “I had a bowl full of them here, and now I don't! Which means somebody took them!”
Owlowiscious sends him an annoyed look, flies over him- after have hit him over the head with its talons with a hoot. Spike takes off his cook hat, yelling back at the bird. “Who? That's what I'm asking, who?! Who took my jewels?!” He gets his answer when Owlowiscious shows his reflection through a large spoon, his mouth is filled with gem dust. “Oh… I’m who.” and he starts to wail in despair. “What am I going to do now?! I can’t give a jewel cake to Rhys without any jewels! Why did this have to happen? Whhyyyyy!”
Owlowiscious roll its eyes at him, well aware this gem happy drake got into this problem himself.
A knocking on the door puts Spike in a state of panic, fearing that his brother is here and he doesn't have any cake for him. “Argghh! What am I going to do?! I’m not ready for Rhys yet!”
But he can’t leave him standing outside either, so Spike goes over and opens the door, much to his relief, it’s just Fluttershy.

Seeing the stressed expression on Spike’s face, Fluttershy cheerful demeanor gets replaced with her meek worry she interrupted something very important. “I-I hope I'm not interrupting anything important.“ She says worried, careful not to move too much as Angel is riding on her head and Archimedes on her back.

Spike eyes the pretty much ruined cake thanks to his greedy mouth. “Well... I do have this cake to not bake...” and quickly stops Fluttershy when she mistakes that for him being too busy. “Inside joke. Talk to me.”

So Fluttershy does “It's just that... Princess Cadence needs us to do a great job welcoming the Head of the Equestria Games when she visits the Crystal Empire tomorrow—“

“I know. While you do that, my older brother Rhys will do a sleepover here.” Spike interrupts her, must admit he is excited but also worried. Their first and second meetings were far from being nice. Hopefully, their mother has sat Rhys a bit straight.

Oh right, she forgot about this. Now Fluttershy feels so much worse thinking about asking Spike of this favor. “Oh, I don't know what was I thinking. You will be so busy getting to know your long lost brother… here I am coming to ask you for a favor. You were probably going to say no anyway.” Fluttershy starts to leave, musing her apology for thinking of asking of what she had been hoping. “All I had to offer you in exchange was one little jewel.” She flies up in her startle when Spike suddenly stands before her, realizing she did that, Fluttershy sheepishly leaves Twilight’s pet owl and returns back to the floor and show him the small emerald jewel she would give him for this task.

Spike's mouth starts to water seeing it, this is not a small jewel, but a big one. Just as Fluttershy returns it back to her bag, Spike snatches it, voicing: “A really big, juicy, perfect-for-a-cake-topper jewel.”

“Does this mean you'll do it?”

He barely hears Fluttershy, so he simply agrees with his eyes plastered on the jewel, he doesn't react on her joy, only does when he realizes what he agreed on: he needs to take care of Angel bunny and Medic's pet dove. “Wait what?” Spike snaps away from the gem, shooting the most annoying rodent he has ever met a glare “You want me to take care of him?” The rabbit is not happy about it either and blows a raspberry at him.

“If it’s too much to ask.” Fluttershy says softly, she will completely understand if he says no. “I can always see if there is somepony else.” She reclaims the jewel and starts to leave again. “I figure you much rather want to spend time with your brother instead of—“ she stops and turns to the extra weight from the saddlebag, revealing to be Spike, he returns with the jewel in claw. “We already agreed on the whole jewel thing, so I'll just...”
Oh, this is such a relief. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She thanks Spike for doing this even if he will get his brother on visit. She turns to her pet rabbit, asking the dumbfounded Angel and the curious Archimedes. “Aren't you just so excited? Not only will Spike take care of you, but you will meet his older brother Rhys too!”
She did not notice the very distressed look or squeaking Angel made of the mere thoughts of not only having to deal with Spike but someone in family with him. , on the other hand, is always curious to meet new people and coo it's feelings about this, much to the rabbit's annoyance.
Fluttershy leaves the food for the two animals, lets the white dove land on her hoof. “Now be on your best behavior, Archimedes.” Adding to Spike as the dove flies over to the other avian. “Be sure to keep an eye on Archimedes, he has a tendency of going places... he's not supposed to.” Owlowiscious gives the fearless dove a curious glance which said dove replies with a ‘coo’. Fluttershy leaves with another thanks.

Eyeing the big jewel, Spike gets an idea how to get more, he eyes Owlowiscious, barely realizing that the dove has made the owl’s head into its new sleeping spot. “You know... She's not the only pony with a pet that might need some watching...” and so he heads out to find the others and tells Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie that for a jewel he will look after their pets while they are gone.

All three agreed and just as they are about to head to the train Twilight Sparkle voices her concern on Spike going to crittersit as well having his older brother on visit. “Spike, don’t you think it would be best somepony else keep an eye on our pets?” She asks him and tries to make eye contact but he’s busier looking at the cookbook. “You do know Rhys still hasn’t gotten used to being a dragon… or be away from Sunset influence. I’m sure you will have your claws full just with him.”

But Spike is confident he can handle a few critters. “I'll be fine.” Still his main reason to do this is for the jewels. “But, uh, just between you and me, I gotta give priority to the... paying customers.“ He shows her the bowl with the others jewels. Twilight sigh but does put her own jewel, still worried asks him as she leaves. “You absolutely sure you can do both this and keeping an eye on Rhys?”
Spike is certain, how bad can it be keeping a few critters in check and entertain his brother? “Of course. Wouldn't have agreed to it if I couldn't. Piece of cake. Speaking of cake,” Spike takes out the cookbook, he still has that cake to make. “I got a little something I need to attend to.”

That is a huge warning sign he does not have this under control. “Yeah, like keeping an eye on a house full of critters.” Twilight points out and about to tell that Rhys will arrive very soon as well, before she can though, Spike shoves her out from the house. “Relax. Go to your welcoming thing in the Crystal Empire. Spike's got it all under control.” She doubts that but it seems he is set on this. Letting out a sigh Twilight leaves but is very close to returning back to the library from the racket going on inside. Before she can though, Rainbow grabs her tail, telling her. “Hurry up, Twilight or we will miss our train!” There is no choice than leaving Spike to this. Twilight runs over to the train, and the moment she spots Sunset with Rhys by her side, she trots over to the two and finds herself unsure what to say to a unicorn there little under two months ago tried to kill her. “Uh hey… glad you could come.” She greets Sunset with a very awkward smile.

Sunset returns it with her own, after a moment of painstaking silence, Sunset turns to her teen drake, telling him somewhat hard. “Alright Rhys, you remember what I told you?” He nods and just as Sunset is about to speak with Twilight, he asks sullenly. “Do I really have to do this?”

Twilight’s dread that Spike is doing more than he can chew, it’s clear Rhys does not has it in his thoughts of rekindling a brotherly bond with Spike.

“Yes, and you need to stay on your best behavior around Spike. I don't want to hear any reports on you picking fights.” Sunset tells Rhys in a very commanding tone, she still hasn’t gotten over that he is not her young soldier but someone she has responsibility for. She does, however, realizes her mistake by the look he gives her and tells her teen drake in a softer tone. “I know it’s hard, but Spike is your younger brother. Try and get the best out of it, alright?”

Guess he has to endure dealing with a kid… Rhys sighs. “Alright fine.” Doubts the kid wants anything to do with him. After all, he almost broke Spike's neck when he threw him off a train. Sunset tells him goodbye and after some hesitating, she follows the others back into the train. Rhys waves goodbye and even when the train is out of sight, he does not leave. This is the first time he is away from Sunny and– “Get over it.” He grumbles and forces himself to leave the station. “You’re a motherfucking dragon now, and a dragon do not miss anyone.” Grumbling Rhys heads over to the tree library/ house where he will stay until tomorrow.
Stepping inside, Rhys finds the whole place in chaos by animals running around, on the floor lies the young kid he threw off the train the first time they met. He pokes Spike with his feet.

Opening his eyes, Spike stares up to an older drake face staring at him in confusions, it takes him a moment to realize who it is. “Rhys! You’re here!” He jumps on his feet, to then get thrown back onto the floor thanks to Applejack’s dog running into him. He does get quickly up again, giving the teen drake an embarrassing smile finding the house in such a racket. “Uh, one moment— Alright, sidekicks, front and center!” He commands loudly but only the dog Winona obeys his command, the other critters are still busier causing trouble. “There are seven of you, but there's only one right here in front of me.” Looking up he spots Tank the tortoise flying around with its magical propel, Spike jumps up and pulls the tortoise down beside the dog. “And what I say goes!” Owlowiscious appears behind him, hooting, Spike grabs the owl, telling it as he puts the bird beside the two other animals. “Spike, the boss of you, that's who.” He runs over to where Opal is sharpening its claws in Twilight’s bed. “Come on number four!” He grabs the cat, ignoring its hissing and lashing its claw out on him, fortunately, dragons like him have thick scales so the cat’s claws do not hurt that much. He stumbles and looking back he finds Pinkie’s pet alligator Gummy sucking on his leg. Putting the cat down, Spike pulls the toothless alligator off his leg and puts Gummy down. Counting, Spike realizes two of the critters are missing. “Who’s missing?” Turning around, he spots Archimedes preening itself on the bookshelf. He jumps up after it, but miscalculate his jump and ends face first onto the floor. The dove jerks in surprise and with a ‘coo’ look down to the baby dragon. Spike looks up to the dove but forgets all about it when he hears a squeaking laugher and knows right away who it is. “Angel..!” He growls and spots said rodent at the door, laughing at his predicament. Angel then blows a raspberry at him and runs off. Spike gets up on his feet. “Get back here!” About to run after the rabbit, then remembers his guest.
He stops before the frowning Rhys. “I am so sorry about this, I… wait here, I need to catch that rabbit.” Before he can leave though, the teen drake grabs his head scales with: “What about you keep those in check?” Spike eyes the remaining pets, confused he turns to Rhys, asking. “What about Angel?”

Rhys smirk. “I have hunted a few rabbits in my childhood.” He leaves the house, then stops as he wants to be sure before he catches that rabbit. “You want it alive right?”

“Of course.” Spike replies, asking curious but also a bit disturbed to why Rhys wanted to verify this. “Why are you asking that?” His brother shrugs carefree. “Most of my traps kill the rabbit, easier to cook them when they are already dead.” Spike’s scales around his head pales. Rhys has eaten rabbit? “You… You ate them?”
Rhys smirks down to him. “They taste good, don’t worry, I keep this one alive.” and he’s gone. Spike fiddle with his claws, worried that Rhys will kill Angel bunny, sure he does not like that rodent but Fluttershy will get very upset if she finds that rabbit dead. Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to this…
Putting each animal in a leash, Spike hurries as much the pets will let him after Rhys. To his horror, he hears a rabbit cry in the bushes nearby but can’t go over there right away since Winona put him on a detour when the dog got the scent on something. When he finally reached the spot. He lets out a sigh of relief finding the rabbit still very much alive, although the chance for Angel to get a heart attack from how terrified it looks hanging in that robe around its feet.
The teen drake grabs Angel around the legs, scaring the rabbit further and when Rhys spots Spike he shows the baby drake the terrified rabbit. “One live rabbit.”
Spike takes Angel. “Thanks.” The rabbit is for once happy to be in his claws, more so when Rhys points out. “You sure you don’t want it dead? I can cook a—“
“No, I want Angel alive, he’s a pet.” Spike interrupts him, doesn’t blame Angel for being scared. He puts the rabbit in a leash and starts returning back to the library, but just as luck would have it, Winona gets the scent of something and drags him, along with the other animals away from the library. Tank soon join the dog in pulling Spike around and before he knows it, he slams into a tree and finds himself restrained in all the pets leases.

Rhys trots over, laughing at Spike’s predicament. “Holy shit, you are in serious bad luck Squirt!” He tries to unbind Spike and the pets but the leashes are too tight thanks to the animals. So he uses his claws, it gets Spike free but also releases the animals and all the pets are off. Rhys stares after the running away animals, then to the now very annoyed Spike and grins somewhat embarrassed of his mistake. “You don’t happen to have cars here?” Spike shakes his head, that eases this teen and he claps the younger one on the head. “Then we have nothing to worry about.”

Spike drops his head, the day is barely over and he has already reached his limit, Rhys is not really helping either. Thanks to him using his claws, they no longer have a way holding the pets. A loud groan, Spike leaves the destroyed leashes behind. “Better round them up…”

The two drakes pass by Zecora, currently doing a bit of shopping along with her two daughters. Sauda looks up from the biscuit she has been chewing on, letting out a small growl from what she is sensing from Spike. Her sister stares at the two, whimpering on this bit hurtful feeling she is sensing. Zecora eyes the foals worried, then at what causes one of them distress. Does not take her long to realize what is going on, after have calmed her two foals, Zecora walk over to Spike who has just been run over by a dog, allowing the other animals to flee. “Zecora knows just what to do about all this bad mojo that's floating around you.“ She tells the young dragon.
Spike eyes her, no need to be a changeling to know he is in a very foul mood. But that is something he clearly put on himself.

“I'm thinking a cage and a great big lock might be next.” He grumbles, glaring after the running amok animals.

Zecora smirks that he does not see what has caused all of these problems on him in the first place. “I can take the bad away if you do just what I say.” She suggests, eyeing the older dragon whose eyes narrow. “No trick, no fowl, so no need of that scowl.” The teen dragon returns back in capturing the tortoise.
Spike, desperate to get out of this mess he caused on himself is more than ready to hear her advice. He might not like what she has to say, though. “But before I can do my duty, I am going to need some of your booty.” She points at the bowl of jewels he stubbornly has been carrying around. As expected Spike pulls the bowl closer to him.

Glaring a few seconds at the scowling Zecora, Spike is desperate enough to give up one of his jewels if it will help him get out of this mess. With a long sigh, he throws Zecora one of his jewels. She catches it and with a smile walks over to a donation box, much to his confusion. “Where are you going?”

So Zecora explains what is the root of all of his current problems. “You think jewels are what you need, but there's no worse mojo than dragon’s greed.” And gives the gem to the donation, much to Spike horror. With her advice and a small part of the problem out of sight, Zecora returns back to her shopping. Her two daughters watch the two dragons all the way, still upset of what they are sensing from Spike.

Holding the- as strange it sound- flying tortoise, Rhys asks Spike confused. “The hell did she mean by that?” As he yet has experienced the primal greed for jewels thanks to Sunset's strict teaching.

Spike eyes the bowl of gems, his thought no longer on the sole reason why he did all of this to begin with. The primal instincts to hoard gems stick a bit to close to him. So irritated he lost one of his jewels, he grumbles. “Nothing.” and pulls the hissing Opal with him. “Let’s get the rest of the animals.”

They pretty much spend the rest of the evening rounding up the animals and when they finally got them back to the library, Spike was too tired to really care about anything. Didn’t even hear what Rhys said, only something about him being hungry. “There’s food in the refrigerator.” Then noticing the unfinished cake, but he was too tired to worry about it and instead snacked on the gems he had. The pets refused to calm down no matter what he did, so sleep he didn’t get much of.
In the middle of the night, Spike finally snaps at the animals barking, hissing, flying into walls, hooting and destroying papers. “Would you guys shut up! I am trying to sleep here!”

“You haven’t fed them dummy.” Rhys remarks from his makeshift bed, adding. “And you don’t have any food in the fridge, but it’s not like this is first I have gone to bed hungry.”

Spike anger fades hearing those two statements, now he feels really stupid, more so that he had gems Rhys could eat but… he ate them all. “I’m sorry Rhys…” He apologizes, leaves the bed and gives the critters the food their owners left behind for him. The animals throw over the food and fortunately calms down after this. With that done Spike turns to Rhys, admitting. “I… I haven’t done a very good impression have I?”

“Could’ve been worse I guess.” Rhys shrugs, his standards were low to begin with. “I’m used to having to fight for everything, and sometimes there wasn't any food so... at least the bed is one of the nicer ones.” Life in the human world was harsh and many times cruel but at least he could find comfort in Sunset and knowing she needs him. But now? Rhys sighs, now he is not so sure. He barely knows how to be a dragon and his relationship with his supposed mother are rocky at best. He returns back to sleep, not seeing the heartbroken look on Spike’s face.

He does not know what is worse, that Rhys is used to way tougher way of life and he doesn't see anything wrong with this or he has been an awful brother and has ignored Rhys and the animals for his own selfish need. Spike turns around to the bowl of cake dough, now ruined thanks to the animals but only because he didn’t tend to them as he should.
Spike closes his eyes hard, feeling like a huge jerk and all thanks to a bowl of jewels.
Well no more.
Spike grabs the brush and groom Opal. When the cat’s pelt is fine again, he removes the clips from Angel’s tail and puffs it as he should’ve done hours ago. He washes Gummy and Tank up, giving them both a large bowl of water they can take a dip in if they like. He puts the ruffled up Archimedes up beside Owlowiscious and puts a small bowl of seed before the two. Then he grabs a robe, bind it around Winona’s collar and takes the dog out for a much needed walk.
He takes Winona out to the field near Pyro’s cave, two Diamond dogs are nearby, both watching curiously when Spike lets the none sentient dog run around as he digs up jewels. Grabbing the pile Spike is very close to gobbling them up but snaps that idea out by slapping himself, he has gotten enough already. He calls for the now calmer dog, Winona leaves the two Diamond dogs. Those two approaches Spike and the smaller of them asks. “Little dragon seen Protector?”
Spike shakes his head. “No, and I don’t think she will be back for some time.” Both Diamond Dog whimper, he feels a bit sorry for them. “Here.” He gives them each some of the jewels he dug up. It cheers the Diamond dogs up and with. “Thank you small dragon.” He simply nods and with the remaining jewels. He heads back to the Golden Oak Library, determent to make it right with Rhys.

*next day*

Rhys wakes to the smell of something delicious, however the times he smelled it he was never able to get it unless Sunset had to steal it. So imagine his surprise when Spike offers him a cake filled with jewels shards, Rhys hesitates but takes the offered cake. “Where did you get it?” He asks.

“I baked them.”

Rhys blinks. “You… baked them?”

Spike nods and with a sigh, he sits down beside his probably very hungry brother. “I’m sorry, I wasn't really thinking about you at all... all I was thinking about was the jewels.” His green eyes meet Rhy’s pale blue. “I hope you'll all forgive me someday.”

This… is very new. Rhys lowers his gaze, fiddling the cake in his claws. “I… I don’t know what to say. No one has ever said sorry to me before.”

“Really?” Spike blinks, quite taken aback by this. “Not even Sunset Shimmer?” Rhys shakes his head, then stops himself. “Well... now she does. But when I was your age, I never heard her apologize to anyone.” Wow, no wonder why Rhys didn’t expect anything from his huge blunder, well Spike has in mind to change that. “Guess I’m the first then.” and signs the teen to eat his breakfast.

Rhys does and his eyes wide in surprise of what his taste bud tells him. “This is really good!” He exclaims surprised and wolfs down the cake.
Spike gives him another. “I got a lot of practice.” That one goes down quickly as well. The third one goes down slower, Rhys turns away from the half-eaten cake and to this kid— to his brother. “I can teach you how to capture rabbits— alive of course.” He quickly adds grinning.

Spike laughs. “Sure," both eyes Angel chilling out on a pillow. Sensing their eyes the rabbit freezes up, and one look at the two grinning drakes, Angel takes the run for it, having no wish in sticking around and be their practice dummy. Spike and Rhys laugh loudly at the rodents reaction before they return back to eat the newly baked cakes.

*later*

Twilight leaves the train along with her friends, the welcoming to the Head of the Equestria Games did not go as expected, in fact, they made a very embarrassing switcheroo, but fortunately, everything went well and the games will happen in the Crystal Empire as they aimed for. She smiles to her friends, all chattering on how much they look forward to seeing their pets again, her smile does fade when turning to Sunset. The fire-haired unicorn has been worried sick for Rhys because all she ever taught him was to fight and stay in line. Twilight taps Sunset Shimmer lightly on the shoulder, ensuring her as much as herself. “I’m sure Spike and Rhys are doing just—“ she stops midsentence when said two young drakes speed past them as they chase Fluttershy’s pet rabbit who looks quite terrified. At least Spike and Rhys seem to bond, so that’s good right?

Sunset is not so sure, for she has seen what Rhys can do to a rabbit when he captures it. “No no no, we can’t let Rhys capture the rabbit, he’s going to eat it…!” She exclaims in a low tone to Twilight. The purple unicorn jumps and both run after the drakes, calling to stop their hunting game. Fortunately, they stop, much to a certain rabbit’s relief and after have returned the critters back to their rightful owners.
Sunset asks Rhys. “So, other than hunting a poor rabbit, how did the sleepover go?”
Rhys eyes Spike once before answering. “It had its ups and downs, but I wouldn’t mind do that again.” Adding mainly to Spike. “Without a bunch of critters the next time.”

Spike smiles, he sure heck don’t want to do that again, not even for a bowl of jewels. “Deal.” and the two drakes shake claws.

Author's Note

a bonding moment between Spike and his older brother. as it stands now I don't have more ideas for story plots for Rhys, so if you want to see more to him and possibly their mother Nila. I will greatly appreciate ideas to possible chapters.

Bound by Magic

Note: This happens a week after the last chapter.
made from the episode "Magical Mystery Cure."

It’s the height of summer, and such a lovely day, Twilight trots around town and has a feeling this be a great day, but her cheerful moment is however drowned when Rainbow Dash get that smart idea in splashing water on her, ruining her good mood. “Rainbow Dash, that's not funny!” She calls up to the clouds, but to her great surprise, she does not get replied by a snorting laugher of Rainbow Dash. Instead, she gets an apology from Rarity. “Terribly sorry, darling. I'm afraid I'm... I'm not good with the thundery ones.” Twilight gasps when she notices that not only is Rarity trying to control the weather but her cutie mark of three purple gems has been replaced with Rainbow Dash’s cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt cutie mark. “What happened to your cutie mark?” She asks Rarity in shock, the sense of this day is going to get worse increases when Rarity asks clueless of the wrongness of this scene. “Whatever do you mean, Twilight? I'm simply doing what I've done since the day it first appeared.” She levitates the rainclouds into a square pattern. “Does my sky look fabulous or what?” It would if it has been on clothing, but on the sky where half of the dark clouds snow and the other half shooting out lightning bolts, it does not work. The towns ponies, for some reason not seeing that Rarity is not meant for this start complaining about the mess she made.
Twilight decides to trot over and ask Time-Turner in what is going on. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?”

The earth pony stallion turns away from Rarity and tells her. “Last time I saw her, she was busy making…" he winches uncomfortably. "ponies laugh.”

Twilight frown confused hearing this. “Do you mean she is pranking ponies?” Gasping horrified when Time-Turner replies as if it always has been like this. “Why wouldn’t she be? It’s her life goal apparently.” Twilight hurries back home and checks Spike’s basket as she really needs his assistance right now, he’s not there and no matter how much she searches, her number one assistant is not here. Instead, she finds Fluttershy cleaning up the place. “Fluttershy?” Twilight calls and trots over to her friend. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh um, I’m sorry, you didn’t want the shelves getting cleaned?” Fluttershy asks, lowering her head and points at the kitchen. “You wanted breakfast instead? I can do that, what would you like I can make—“

“What happened to your cutie mark?” Twilight interrupts her, she’s starting to get really scared about this whole situation. The pegasus’s flank has a spot of scales instead of her three pink butterflies cutie mark. “Where’s Spike?”

Fluttershy blinks confused about these questions. “What do you mean Twilight? I don’t have a cutie mark. And I am pretty sure Spike is busy working at the farm— um, would you like pancakes or… um never mind.” She muses when Twilight gallops out. Unsure Fluttershy returns back to clean the whole place, again.

Twilight indeed finds Spike at the Apple's farm, poor drake is trying to harvest apples but he is not strong enough to shake the tree so instead, he has to climb up after them. Twilight does not call for him, already aware something is very wrong and he wouldn’t know it. Instead, she helps him get the apples down. Spike lets out a sigh of relief. “Thanks. Twi.” He jumps down from the tree, revealing that on his hide is Applejacks cutie mark. He starts pushing the barrel back to the farm. “What brings you here?”
Twilight follows him slowly. “I wanted to check up on you.”

“That’s nice.” Spike smiles but has to make this meeting short for his has a lot of apples to harvest. “Sorry Twilight, but I really need for back to work.”

Twilight lets him, much to her sorrow it’s clear that he too is affected by whatever is going on. Wishing for answers, she heads over to Zecora’s hut, hoping the zebra perhaps has some idea what is going on. But instead of finding Zecora, she finds Pinkie stuffing random stuff into the cauldron, a few of those made colorful explosions, but most of them just caused a terrible mess. At least the two foals seem to have fun with it, but it’s clear they miss their mother.

The others aren’t doing better, Derpy is trying to make dresses but all of those end up as a mess thanks to her inability to see straight. Rainbow is attempting to make ponies laugh but her way of fun is pranks so that end up making the town ponies very irritated and grumpy. Applejack has taken over Fluttershy’s role as animal care but her short patience with the animal has the critters running around scared while she fights to get them back to their cages and pens. Zecora probably got easiest off as she is calmly walking around, delivering letters but it’s clear this bores her greatly.
With no other option, Twilight returns back to the library and sends Fluttershy out on some random task as she just cannot deal with Fluttershy’s many questions in the best way she can please her. Thinking back on last night Twilight remembers that special deliver from Celestia. She cast Star Swirl's incomplete spell to see what it did and last night she didn’t think the spell worked. “But it did work.” Twilight walks over to the case holding nine of the Elements, all except her gem has changed color, that spell changed the destinies of her friends! “Please let there be a counter-spell.” She muses flaps through the old magic book pages, to her horror there are none. Memory spell won’t work either for there is nothing wrong with her friends' memories. “I have altered their true selves.” Twilight whispers in horror, eyeing the wrong colored Elements. “Their destiny has been changed, they are no longer who they are meant to be…” She leaves the room, bringing both the spell book there caused it all and this other notebook Celestia send her into her bedroom. Desperate to fix her great mistake.

*A week later, the human world*

Medic lets out a tired and broken sigh, he collapses onto his chair and stares at the piles of papers on all the theories he has hypnotized on what made the team think they should be another class. He has realized what caused it: a new medigun. It had worked like a charm, but for some reason, it wouldn’t activate the upercharge. That is the least of his problems, right now he is dealing with people thinking that nothing is wrong and whatever he says to them cannot change that. He looks through all his notes but nothing brings him closer to solving this problem. Not even Miss Pauling or the Administrator can help, for they- like everyone else think the team has always been like this. Angrily he throws the papers into the trashcan and drops onto the table, he is at a loss and he fears this a small mistake has changed the team into something there never is going to work. They have been altered into something they never can find joy in doing. Medic fingers touch a book and he is very close throwing that one out too but stops. “What was in this one again?” He muses, for he can’t recall writing or reading anything from this one. On this book, he finds no title but two marks of a sun and a moon. Curious he opens it and finds all pages besides one blank, those there might have text has been torn out, leaving behind only blank pages with the first having one sentence.

‘only together, this alteration can be fixed’

Medic raises a brow, not sure what it means, but he’s kind of desperate here. The team is getting decimated by the robots they were supposed to defeat, so if this notebook somehow— does not care how can give him some answers, then he is all for it.

'After have used a prototype and faulty medigun, my team of eight got their very class and past training shifted around. They cannot see that this is not how they are meant to be, for them, their alteration is how they always have been and so does the world around us. Only I know that their current job is not what they were meant to be.’

Medic stops there, feeling quite silly writing this down. He closes the book and about to return back in trying to figuring out this mistake of his but stops when the book suddenly starts to blink. He stares at the blinking book, to then gasp when he finds a response when he re-opened it.

‘My friends are dealing with the same problem. Do you know how to fix it? Please, whoever you are, I need to know, my friends will never be happy if they stay like this.’

The text is right under his, does that mean that whoever gets this will keep whatever he is writing? It seems like it and if that’s the case, then he better be careful how to respond. But he can’t deny he feels like he recognizes that way of tone in the writing. After a moment of hesitating, he writes back.

‘I do not know how to fix this. But perhaps if we work together, we can solve our shared problem. You may call me Medic if you wish a name from me.’

Barely had to wait a minute before he gets a reply.

‘It’s me Twilight. I am so sorry, I wasn’t aware this would affect you in the human world too. I cast a spell made from the most powerful unicorn Equestria has ever seen- you remember Star Swirl, right? His spell sounded like this: “From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled” but I don’t have any counter for it and this spell was incomplete. The spell itself affected the Elements.
Medic, do you have any idea how to fix this?’

The RED side of him is quite confused, while the BLU side, not so much. Medic feels a bit weird being confused but also understands what Twilight spoke about at the same time. A side effect from the merging and one he might have to deal with for quite some time. Brushing the brief struggle between his two sides aside, Medic ponders if whatever it was his faulty medigun or this spell that caused this switcheroo on the team and her friends. For all he knows, it could be both.
And if it’s magic then the BLU side of him knows that no matter how smart he is in science, it won’t fix this.
The RED side of him groans, thinking that he really does not want to go into something he has no control over… but he has to do it and Medic is certain that’s the BLU side of him speaking there. Glancing at the only text this book came with… it seems they have to work together in order to fix this. He’s sort of happy about this as he does miss Twilight’s company.

‘I do not have an answer to our shared problem, Twilight. I have tried anything when it comes to science, and nothing worked. I think this problem is magical and that is your expertise.
You said the Elements themselves got affected? This is just a stay thought but I recall one of those Shadow Ponies pointing out some gems is sentient. So perhaps the spell you cast confused the Elements?’

That was all BLU, for the RED side of him has no knowledge about the Shadow Ponies or this heart shaped crystal that is powered on joy and love. He can’t help but chuckle of a mental thought about the RED side of him standing in a corner, sulking while he does all the interesting work.
There goes several minutes before Twilight writes back, if the written words shows emotions then he say she is very excited about something. The text points out that too.

‘I think I got it. Medic we need to remind our friends who they truly are.’

‘How? I have already tried to tell them what role they have taken is wrong.’

‘But what if we let them show each other the way? Remind them who they are through our friendships.’

Medic ponders about her counter, and again find the two sides of him having a mental argument. The RED side find her words stupid, why should he reminding the team help in any of this? Reminding each of who they are on his own didn’t work, so why should this?
The BLU side of him is, however, more amused than annoyed. That part of him, in fact, thinks this suggestion is so silly and crazy that it might work. The RED side does not understand this one bit, there is no logic to it, so why would it work?
And the BLU side pretty much shrugs with the remark that’s how magic is, it’s like emotions: at times unpredictable and hard to get a proper read on. The RED side is quite annoyed but mostly confused by this.
It takes some throwing back and forward between his two sides, but the RED, the more logical side of him slowly relents and agrees on this stupid plan.

‘Alright, let’s try this out. Part of me find it a waste of time, and I am very certain that’s the human side of me talking. Just in case I think it will be best we help the same element bearer at the same time. In case the confused Elements will make a rebound.’

‘That is a possibility, Fluttershy has taken Spike’s role, so I will start with her.’

Good, for he thinks it will be easier for him to get Misha to hear him than any of the others. He writes to her he got it, and they should write to one another when they are done in order to keep this synchrony.
With this magical book in his pocket, Medic hurries out to the battlefield. He finds Heavy trying to do Pyro’s job, which he utterly fails at as he cannot sneak up on people like Pyro nor have the timing right for a proper airblast.
“Misha, do you have a moment?” He calls for the big man.
Heavy nods, he looks very tired from fighting at something he is not meant to.
Medic feels sorry for his love, Misha is not used to running around so much. “How are you holding up?”

“I do not know why, but I cannot destroy metal men.” Heavy muses, he knows he should but for some reason, he just can’t wield his weapon as he used to.

Medic strokes his hand gently over Misha’s head, not really bothered feeling the sweat coating the big man’s skin. He does for a moment again find this stupid but the RED side of him quickly goes with the plan. Anything to get the team back to normal. “Perhaps you will if you help out Demo?” He suggests and does not blame Heavy to frowns at this. “I know, you’re supposed to Spy-check, but he is really struggling in keeping the hoard off.”

“But I don’t know how to use minigun.” Heavy objects, about to return back to his job but Josef has always been good at getting his attention. The German easily pulls his eyes back to him with a smirk he most often wears when the two of them are about to destroy the opposite team. “Oh don’t come and tell me a little challenge is scaring you away.”
Heavy chuckles, Josef has a point. This shouldn’t be that difficult and who knows, maybe he and Demo can team up and get rid of these stupid metal men. “I do not think I will be much help but okay.”
He follows Medic over to where Demo is. Scot is getting overrun by robots, more so when he can barely lift the minigun.
Seeing that the man is wounded, Heavy urges Medic. “He need your help doctor.”

But Medic knows that if the theory is correct, then Heavy has to realize his own skills in battle on his own. “No, he does not need healing, you will have to help him keep the hoard off!” Heavy hesitates, but after one look at Demo fighting against the approaching hoard, he moves over to aid the man.

Heavy at first use the flamethrower, but when it's reach didn’t help, Heavy takes the minigun from Demo, steps in between as a living shield and shreds the robots to shreds. With that small hoard destroyed. Heavy laughs loudly. This is what he is talking about! “This weapon is very good.” He grins, not really noticing a pinkish glow appearing around him. He straightens up in surprise when he starts to realize that this is the job he was supposed to do. The glow gathers around his neck and the silver element necklace appears there. He lifts the glowing necklace, not entirely sure what just happened.

Medic sure did and boy is he happy this silly idea worked. “Das ist wunderbar! The theory proved right!” He pulls Heavy into a kiss, Heavy does quickly return it, both only snapping out of their moment when Demo teases them. “What about you two get a room?”
Medic turns to the man still thinking he is a heavy class. “Later, first we need your help.” Demo blinks confused but does follow.

**********

The moment Twilight got the word from Medic, she leads Applejack back to the farm, allowing Fluttershy to asks the mare to aid Spike with his chores. The exhausted dragon is very relieved of the help and allows the three ponies to get the farm back on its feet.
Applejack gets her family, they harvest the apples, repair any damage the farm has taken and with things right again and Applejack starts to glow her respective element. Twilight levitates the necklace onto her neck.

With her true self back again as well as her cutie mark, Applejack whoops happy. “That’s more like it, what now?” She asks Twilight and the purple mare points at the quite lost Spike. “He doesn't know what to do, can you help?” Applejack nods. “You got it, I know just the thing.” She throws Spike onto her back and brings him back to the Golden Oak library. Spike looks around, at first hesitant but soon in full swing putting the books to their rightful place, writing down any notes for future events, and even snacking a bit on a gem he spotted lying around and just as his body starts to glow green, he joins Twilight’s side.
The unicorn smiles return the necklace around his neck. The three red apples disappear from his scales and Spike leaps onto her back. “I feel so much better, what can I do?”

“Zecora has lost her way, can you help her?” Twilight asks, the baby dragon nods and they head over to where the gloomy zebra is walking around.

**********

Pyro touches a whole army of robots, saving spy from getting plummet to death once again, she turns to the man thinking he is a soldier and hands the wary man a sapper along with an invisibility watch. Pointing at the engineer-robot blocking their way.

Spy hesitates, but does put on the watch and with an encouraging nod from the firebug, he cloaks and although having no idea what he is doing, a deep-rooted part of him knows what to do. He destroys the sentry gun letting the others come through and with the knife in hand, he takes down a robot trying to get him down. He smirks from finally have won over the robots, he does falter when he returns back to his old self and turns to Medic walking over to him with a large grin on his face. “What the hell just happen?”

“Long story.” Medic replies, and as he writes down he got Spy back to normal to Twilight. And the moment he and Twilight agrees on who next, he asks the Frenchman. “Any chance you could be some assistance for Scout?”

Spy pulls out his revolver, saying deadpan. “Don’t ask such a stupid question.”

*******

Zecora gently drags Pinkie Pie out from her home and requests her to aid Rainbow Dash in making the town ponies smiles. Pinkie, at first meekly watches Rainbow trying to make her pranks something to laugh about but only ending up making the locals the more irritated. Seeing this, Pinkie stop Rainbow, out from seemly nowhere she grabs a silly mask which she takes on and start doing a silly dance. At first around the water fountain, then on a roof where she pulls out a cannon, and shoots herself out, landing in the middle of the crowd there laughs of this antic. Twilight runs over and return the necklace and Pinkie’, once again with a bushy hair and tail calls to the smiling town. “Come one everypony, I wanna see you smile!” and they cheer having her back. Before she can get really started Twilight request her. “We need Rainbow, can you help her realize her goal again?” Pinkie Pie nods cheerfully. “I know what to do, let’s go!”

********

Scout leaves pretty much the others behind in the dust, throwing the sniper rifle over to Sniper. “You look tired, rest up and shoot some of the rust buckets from here.” He suggests in his usual teasing tone. It did make Sniper lash out after him, but nothing his natural speed can get away from. Sniper quickly gives up chasing him and after a few more teasing pokes from Scout to try out this new weapon, he relents as he is very sick of all the running around and start watching the war zone from this spot. He quickly finds himself in the zone and more instinct than anything, he pulls the trigger on a Heavy robot and the bullet shattered the robot’s head on impact. He reloads and shoots another, then a sound snaps him out from the sniping, grabs the knife and lash out at the spy-bot trying to sneak up on him. His body starts to glow red as he lowers his weapon in a calm hunter manner, and when the necklace appears, Sniper turns around to the others there have finally caught up to the grinning Scout. Medic steps over to the window and points down to the scene below. “Soldier need your assistance.” Sniper simply nods and with the rifle on his back, he heads down to the place where he is needed.

********

In a colorful tornado, Rainbow Dash has removed all the fabric Derpy tried to turn into clothing, she pulls the cross-eyed mare out from the shop and brings her outside. Here she gives the mare a bag filled with letters. Derpy stare for a moment bit confused at the bag, she does, however, takes it and follows Rainbow Dash through town in the air. At first, Rainbow needed to show her where these letters needed to go, but when Rainbow Dash on purpose put a letter in the wrong mailbox, Derpy noticed it and knew it wouldn’t do. She reclaims the letter and even with her bad sight, got the letter in its rightful place and while doing so got a few friendly chats with the ponies there waited for their letters. The moment she has delivered the last one to Berry Punch, the earth pony jumps when the grey pegasus starts to shine yellow.

With a big smile Twilight returns the Element back to its rightful owner and as Derpy remembers her true self, everypony else do as well.
Berry Punch is quite confused by this though. “What’s going on?”
But Twilight has to explain that later. “Sorry, I can’t tell you at the moment.” She turns to Derpy, asking the mildly confused mare. “Rarity could really use a helping hoof, she’s trying to control the weather!”
Derpy nods and with a determent frown on her face, the cross-eyed mare flies over to find the white unicorn.

*******

Completely ignoring Engineer’s objections by getting dragged away from playing around as a spy, Soldier puts the short man on a good spot for a sentry gun and throws the wrench at him. “You weren't hired to play around! Now build us that sentry gun before the army arrives!” He commands the confused man.

Engineer look lost down to the wrench, not sure what to do but he knew he has to do something when the others began having trouble against the large wave of robots. He grabs the metal from the robots the other destroyed, Soldier was kind enough to hurl several over to him and with the wrench in hand, he starts to assemble something. Just as this something starts to shoot at the robots, Engineer realizes it is his trusty sentry gun and feels quite silly he forgot how to build it. He glances down to the silver necklace that appears around his neck and remembering his skills at machines, Engineer pulls out his shotgun and shoots at one of the robots before putting down the dispenser.

Very satisfied and also quite dumbfounded this actually worked, Medic picks up the book and writes to his partner that everyone is back to normal.

*******

With the last thundercloud gone, Twilight opens the book, beaming when Medic writes that everyone on his side is back to normal, she writes the same as here. All thanks to her friends and the magic binding them together— “Wait a second, that's it! I understand now!” She cries to her confused friends. “I know how to fix the spell!” and she hurries back to the library. She grabs the book holding Star Swirls incomplete spell and writes ‘From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end’ finishing the spell. The Elements of Harmony reacts and each of them shoots a magical beam at Twilight, she disappears in an implosion of light.

******

In the human world, Medic has also realized what made the new medigun react as it did, he changes its setting to react on the elements in them instead of their bodies. He activates it and it works, all of the others get upercharged, then something goes wrong and the upercharge rebound, hitting the doctor and leaving nothing but a scorch mark behind.

Medic finds himself in some sort of void, however far from being completely white or black, more in soft colors in of the two mixed with blue and green. All over this eternal place are small stars, giving the sense he is out in space. Medic carefully put his feet down, finding solid ground but he cannot see it, for him it looks like he is walking on the very space itself.

“Hello?” A very familiar voice calls, scared and confused.

Medic recognizes it right away and heads over to where he thinks she is. “Over here, Twilight!” He spots the purple unicorn and the second she spots him, she trots over asking him. “Medic? Where are we?” He kneels down, quite surprised how small a pony is compared to a human. “I don’t know.” He admits.

Twilight steps closer over to Medic, like him, she feels quite weird seeing the size difference between a human and pony. She can ignore that for now though and simply be happy she is not alone in this strange realm. She can feel magic in this place, very powerful and old. She at first mistook it for raw unicorn magic, but this magic is different, robust for lack of a better word. She highly doubts that even somepony like Star Swirl would be able to handle just a fraction of the magic residing in this realm.
She gets a bit scared when she notices something is approaching. She puts a hoof onto Medic’s leg, not sure if she can defend herself against a being living in this realm brimming with powerful magic.
She does calm down right away when it reveals to be Celestia approaching them. Such a relief the princess found them. "Princess Celestia."

It pleases her seeing them both here, her friend from the human world did warn her that Twilight’s partner might not be ready for this. Glad to see he was wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been here, in a realm that is the source to her, Luna and Cadence power. “Congratulations. I knew you both could do it.” Celestia praises them both. Twilight trots over to her and Celestia gives her motherly hug as the young unicorn asks confused. “I don't understand. What did we do?”
The human walks over to them, he is a bit taller than her, not that Celestia is bothered and explains them. “You did something that's never been done before. Something even a great unicorn like Star Swirl the Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand the meaning of a true bond like you do.”
Twilight and the human eye one another, both quite confused. Celestia puts a hoof on Twilight’s back.
“The lessons you've learned in Ponyville have taught you well.” Then turns to the human and touches him gently with her wing. “And so have what you learned ever since you allowed the elements inside your heart.” She smiles steps back so she can look at both of them. The two now more intervened than ever. “You have proven that you're ready.”

“Ready for what?” Medic asks, not sure why but the way this young looking but having an ancient and powerful aura horse said it, it makes his skin crawl. If it’s from fear of this unknown or something else, he has no idea. He only knows it has something to do with the bond he and Twilight have strengthened in the short time they have known one another. Along with Twilight, he follows the horse. Does stop for a moment when this void gets filled with memories from both of them. All of them is about the bond they share with one another and those they are calling friends.

“You've come such a long, long way
And I've watched you from that very first day.”

Celestia brings Twilight over to the memory where she first arrived in Ponyville, it changes into the moment where she met this human chosen to be her partner when he approaches.

“To see how you might grow
To see what you might do.”

Every single memory and lesson they learned together flashes over this memory lane.

“To see what you've been through
And all the ways you've made me proud of you.”

She folds her wings over both of the two.

“It's time now for a new change to come
You've grown up and your new life has begun
To go where you will go
To see what you will see
To find what you will be.”

She steps away and with her horn glowing in a pure white, she lifts to the air before her student and her partner of the element.

“For it's time for you to fulfill your destiny~!”

A large circle surrounds both of them, the element connected to both reacts to the magic and surrounds both human and unicorn.

*human world*

Medic opens slowly his eyes, it takes himself several moments to realize he is lying in bed in his own room. He hears voices but can’t really make it out, there is a surge in his ear there drowns them out, it does fade though and slowly he can make out what is being said.

“Is he going to be alright?” He hears Heavy asks.

“He will in time.”

Is that the wizard? What is he doing here?

Medic groans and slowly sits up, looking around someone steps into his line of sight. “You alright there doc?” He hears Engineer’s voice, it’s there Medic realizes he does not have his glasses on. It takes him a moment to find them and when he does, the world gets into focus again. “What happened?” He asks for he feels like he’s currently strapped to one of Soldier’s rockets while upercharged.

“You blew up thanks to that medigun of yours.” Demo points out, with Sniper adding. “And you respawned hours later.”

Heavy sits down on the bed, giving Medic a look that he has been worried sick that it was a respawn failure. “If not for wizard, we thought it was respawn failure.”

That explains the humming sense in his body- no wait, no it doesn’t. Medic is not really sure if that place was real. “You sure I respawned? For I and Twilight found ourselves in a strange realm with some kind of deity horse.” He does not really believe in such things but that is the best way he could explain that horse and the aura she gave off.

“Did that horse have flowing rainbow hair and tail, white as snow and has some sort of unexplainable aura?” Spy asks. Medic nods, well that makes everything a lot more complicated. “That was Princess Celestia. She’s the ruler of Equestria.” So now the question: “What did she say?”

Medic hesitates for a long time, he gets goosebumps hearing her words in his head. “She… She said Twilight and I was ready.”
“Ready for what?” Misha asks, but he has no idea. Only that it is done. “All I know that she cast some sort of spell on us.” Checking his hands Medic cannot see any change, only that he still feels like going through an upercharge. Turning to that wizard, one who should know about magic. “Do you know what happened?” He asks.

Merasmus sure does, he is after all the one who sent that faulty medigun but that fact he will keep to himself for he really does not feel up to a battle with the mercs at the lowest point of his power. The only reason he came was to check up on how this merc would react on the spell Tia cast on him. “All I know that you have tapped into a magic something common people never could dream grasping onto.” That’s partly a lie, he knows exactly what is going on but thinks it will be best these men figure this new step of their destiny on their own. He steps away from the now nervous man and does think it will be best to teach him to control his new powers. Otherwise, he might end up like Ignis. “You might experience some unexplained surges, nausea and such, that’s the magic you have gotten. However I highly doubt you will be able to control it on your own, so I offer you some training how to control it. And until you do, it’s best you keep a sound mind. Magic is in very tuned with emotions and emotions such as anger can make it lash out.” He clears his throat of slight embarrassment that had happen to him quite often ever since he agreed to let Soldier be his roommate. “I doubt you will be able to summon beasts from the void but still; best to keep the damage to a minimum.”

Okay, that’s a lot to take in. Has that spell that deity horse thrown on him made him able to do magic? Only problem he can’t control it, that’s a bummer, but at least there is someone able to teach him. That’s a plus, but until he gets it under control, he needs to keep his emotions in check? Yeah, that’s easier said than done. “What exactly do you think I will be capable of?”

“This is Equestrian magic, so whatever your special talent is; that is the magic you can do.” Meramamus explains. Magic in this world might be rare but it’s not that different from the overflowing magic in Equestria. “So what was it?”

“It was medical but I could do other spells such as shield.” Medic replies and sort of wish this sense of being in a upercharge will fade already. Something tells him it won’t.

Oh, well now he can see why this man was chosen to wield the Element of Magic. Merasmus will however only teach him healing spells. Healing magic is mostly used to do good but in the wrong hands… like this one, it can be quite dangerous. But hopefully, he won’t too much harm. “I will train you as soon I got the right equipment but until then— FAREWELL!” He declares and teleports away.

“It seems things are going to get quite interesting.” Demo remarks from his spot and sort of wish he too could do magic as human, but he can settle on having a ghost sword and the perks Eyelander gives him.
Medic eyes him and smirks in agreement.

Author's Note

welp, I do wonder how angry people will get from what I did and if I should find my Flame Shield? only time will tell!

Changing the Way of War

Note: This happens two days after the last chapter and based on the TF2 comic "the Shadow Boxes"

*At a mine in the Badlands*

Ever since the re-hire of this team, Miss Pauling has been overseeing the battles against the robot army and also made sure they didn’t stick around when those three women there can bend peoples mind by mere song arrive in the area. None of them wants to deal with them going all evil again for this time there won’t be any Twilight to save them. So Ignis is currently dealing with the Sirens. Fortunately, that proclaimed alicorn has more than enough firepower to fight the Sirens. Today they are not dealing with those three women but the army of robots Grey keeps throwing at them. That robot army has currently taken over a mine, which is according to Sniper is an Australium mine. So if they do not stop the army, then Grey will get the Australium and resupply himself again, which will spell out decades of battle.
“Okay guys, things have gone really bad lately—“ she notices Medic has a scowl as if she is underestimating the situation but she is not sure why he has that look. “What?” She asks the doctor.

“Oh nothing, only all except me had their class messed up and that’s why we kept losing.” Medic points out dryly to why they had trouble to fend off these stupid machines. Miss Pauling raises a brow, proving that she indeed did not realize how messed up the team was a few days past, not knowing he and Twilight had to correct it and that apparently gave him magic. Medic hasn't been able to do anything magical of the sort, though,

Glancing to the other mercenaries, Miss Pauling notices an almost sheepish look on several of them. Not sure why though, so she decides to brush Medic’s weird remark off and instead returns back to the map showing the badlands. “Anyway, the Administrator expects you to work extra hard now. We can’t let them take the Australium.”

“How much of the stuff is down there?” Scout asks, eyeing Sniper who is the only one able to hear Australium.

“From how loud it is I say about a ton, but quite spread out in the mine. The tune is not high pitched.” Sniper replies and is happy about that fact, saves him from a headache from that eerie tone. And speaking of the mine. “We are stationed too close to the opening. We won’t have much room to defend ourselves if they decide to attack.”

“All the robots are down in the mine.” Engineer points out and ensures Sniper he does not have to worry so much. “I built a sentry at the opening, it should keep them at bay and if they manage to destroy it:” he shows the sharpshooter the device telling about the sentry’s condition. “I will know.” Sniper nods but still does not like Miss Pauling choice of where their base of operation is located and keeps glancing over his shoulders.
Engineer fully understands that feeling. Back in the War Games a certain spy kept stalking him and that made him very paranoid. Good thing Spy is on his side now but he still tenses up when he can’t see the man. Anyway, like Scout, he too would like to know how much Australium is down in the mine. “Any idea where the biggest vein of Australium is down there, Sniper?” Engineer asks, thinking if they know where the robots are most likely to go, he can put a sentry there and clog those darn robots.

Sniper can’t help but chuckle of that question. “Sorry mate, I can hear Australium but I can’t pinpoint it.” He is pretty sure he can’t because he’s not really an Australia. He is no longer really sure who he is anymore other than this team’s sniper. He hasn’t bothered trying to track down his biological father, not even so he can satisfy his sinister side by putting a bullet through his head for abandoning them down in the ruins.

Cleaning her throat, Miss Pauling gets the mercenaries attention again. “Whatever the case, you guys need to clear the mine for robots and stop any cart trying to leave. We can’t let Grey get any Australium.”

“Yes sir!” Soldier salutes and takes the command from here. “Arm up ladies! No trashcan will be in that mine when we are done!” and the team moves out.

Without having anyone to tell them, the mercenaries go to where they know they will be of best use. Sniper finds a spot where he can snipe anything trying to leave the mine.
Spy stand in the shadows, and ready to move at the moment he sees a good opening, not far from him stand Soldier who is making battle plans with Heavy, Medic and Demo.
Somewhat impatiently Scout stands near the opening with Pyro, the firebug is glancing to Engineer who is building a dispenser.
Everyone knows the battle has started the second Soldier shouts: “ATTACK!” and storms into the mine, Heavy and Demo follow and Medic does as well, although keeping his distance so he won’t be hit by stray bullets.

Scout speeds into the mine as well, running past Soldier who throws the mining robots left and right with his rockets. Scout ignores the mining robots and instead empty his scattergun at a demo-bot, jumping away from the bombs it managed to fire. Those bombs took out his robots look alike.

Spy takes out a medic-bot, and cloaks just as the heavy-bot turns around, that robot got its wire melted off from Pyro’s flames.

A hoard of soldier and scout-bots arrive from the deeper section of the mine. The team inside the mine got most of the soldier-bots but several of the scout-bots got past them. However, they did not get as far as both Engineer and Sniper took them out at the mine entrance. Both tense up when they heard the spy-bots have arrived. Sniper ended up getting killed as he couldn’t fight the small hoard attacking him at once. Engineer lost his dispenser to the two spy-bots attacking him, he got one of them but like with Sniper, he got overrun as well and one of the spy-bots shoot him in the head.

A hoard of Pyro-bots arrived and sat both Heavy and Soldier on fire, Heavy backed away and desperately searched for something to remove the agonizing sense of his flesh getting burned.
Soldier didn’t back out, too caught up in the fight to notice. “You can’t burn me cus I’m already on fire!” He tore them apart with his trusting shovel. Then he suddenly realized the fire is not because he’s on a killing spree but because he is literarily on fire and he howls in pain.

Fortunately for him, Medic is nearby although the doctor did for a moment consider letting him die for his stupidity. "Dummkopf." Medic rolls his eyes and starts healing Soldier.
The doctor got hit by one of a Demo-bot bombs and he would’ve been in big trouble, but right there, a bluish aura around his body and his wounds heal almost instantly.

Heavy gives Medic a surprised look and by the looks of it, the doctor is quite startled by this too. A wave of bombs snap both out from the startled stupor and return back to the fight.

Hours went, they fought hoard after hoard and although they all died at some point. Medic only twice thanks to his now self-healing ability. Not that dying was something to be feared for these men, more of a nuisance as they will return ten minutes later.
When the last robot finally fell to their weapons and the mine free from them, the exhausted team can finally head back to base.

Unlike when they fought in the War Games, none of them live in the base anymore. Instead, they all changed to more casual clothing and take a teleporter to where they currently live.
It’s a nice change for a lot of them, a lot better to head for a more peaceful place and recharge to the next battle instead of being stuck at the place.
Sometimes they do all stay at the base a few more hours before going home, mostly to enjoy each other's company along with a good drink and food. Strengthen the bond they had shaped during their years of fighting together, didn't matter if the Administrator disapproved. Some of them does not have anyone else but the people they fight alongside with and need these small parties in order to stay sane.

*A couple of weeks later*

Miss Pauling is quite relieved that the team is starting to communicate better. There are still a lot of shouting at one another and the occasional brawls but the deaths between them has vastly decreased, and they can focus on the robots instead of petty disagreements as they often dealt with during the Gravel war. That’s a plus in her book, more so when she cannot play peacekeeper as she is more occupied in doing her job as their supervisor in this new way of fighting a war. It’s harder compared to when she simply checked up on them in the Gravel war. Sure she only has nine people to deal with but it has become rather clear that these nine does not trust her. Only follows her command because that’s what they are hired to do.
Miss Pauling is used to mercenaries distrusting her, but never a whole team and she feels like walking on glass around them. But she will simply be happy as long they do what she tells them. “You have done an amazing job protecting the mine, but now we are dealing with another problem.” She folds out the map onto the table, showing the reports she got in on where the robots are. Which is pretty much everywhere, Grey sure knows how to mass produce his army. “Our enemy has reclaimed several important places and although you guys are very good at what you do, you can’t be everywhere— well you can if there was more of you…” She notices the dark stares from several of the mercenaries and quickly drops that still very sensitive topic. “With the only nine of you, we can’t fight all fronts.” She groans annoyed by how this battle is going .“I would kill to know where their leader is by now… makes everything so much easier.”

“Ten of the robot platoons will attack the white house exactly thirteen hundred hours tomorrow. Leaving only three platoons to protect the mummy.” Soldier explains adding to the baffled staring Demo. “We will never see it coming.”

At first, Miss Pauling did not really listen to Soldier. “Uh huh, come on think, where would someone like Grey be— wait what?” Miss Pauling blinks, realizing what their crazy patriotic had said. “Soldier, how do you know all of that?” She asks baffled.

Soldier grins proudly of what he succeed last night. “The robots told me! When I infiltrated their secret robot base last night!”

“You- You infiltrated their…” Miss Pauling slowly repeats, Soldier is many things but smart is not one of them. So having him to find a secret base and get such valuable Intel is hard to beleive. “And where is that base?”

“In the hippi forest!”

“Gentlemen, I have died more times today than I like to admit and probably just as many when we’re going to defend a hat factory tomorrow.” Spy says and without asking for permission, he leaves. “I am going home.”
His own son agrees with him on that one. “You said it, good night Miss Pauling.” and the speedster leaves as well.

Soldier is appalled that his own team did not believe him. “But I did infiltrate the robot base! Come on people, why would I lie?! We’re all Americans here!”

“I’m not~” Pyro sing-song cheerfully, quite happy she can take off the mask without having to worry on the other’s reaction. “I’m a Mexican.” and starts pointing at those not from this country either. “Heavy’s Russian, Medic German, Sniper is Australian, Spy’s France and Demo is from Scotland. We’re from all over the world!” She laughs. If she noticed the tension coming from some of the others or not or just didn’t give a darn, no one from the team would ever know.
She smiles still cheerfully to Soldier who looks as if someone just punched him in the gut. “Isn’t that cool?”

“Whaat?! You are all foreign?!” Soldier cries horrified of first been told that now. “But- but how can you be like the eagle raised Grey?! Are you from Europe too?!”

This is getting stupid, now he says Grey has been raised by eagles, what’s next? That Grey is, in reality, a pony? “Heh, eagles. Yeah, right mate.” Sniper smirks somewhat amused how ridicules that man’s logic can get at times.

Engineer grins at Sniper’s reply before he pulls Pyro over to the portal leading to his farm before she ends up breaking Solly further. For that, not even he can repair. “Alright, enough fun for you today.” Pyro giggles and follows him. “kay~” She sing-song.

Letting out a sigh, Medic correct his glasses and remarks calmly up to Heavy. “Alas, brain scooping to remove memory only works that many times.” and leaves for he honestly is not in the mood to do a procedure on that man at the moment. Maybe tomorrow if Soldier starts to insult his country again.

Chuckling of his remark, Heavy follows. “That explains why Soldier keeps forgetting we are from.”

The only one feeling just a bit sorry for the team's patriotic is Demo, he claps the dumbfounded Soldier on the shoulder but did not correct the others as he does think it’s best for Solly to know that not all foreigners are bad. But since he is the only one who stuck around, Miss Pauling reveals that Soldier’s crazy words might not have been so crazy as everyone thought.

“Okay. The Administrator knows about the eagles. I know about the eagles. Soldier how do you know about that?”

“Wait, so Grey was raised by eagles?” Demo asks dumbfounded. Miss Pauling nods and after a moment, Demo nods in acceptance. “Didn’t see that coming.” and empty his scrumpy bottle. After have reclaimed a new one, Demo asks Soldier now his talk about infiltrating the enemy might hold a nice whiskey bottle of truth. “I take the robots told you that.“

“Yes!” Soldier replies in his usual zealous, do forget about it for a moment for as he has, in his eyes a very important question. “Are you a foreign Tavish?”

Might as well be honest, he always feels so bad that he has to keep lying to his friend. “Ay.”

“Oh right, Scotland but you’re not going to topple down America, right?” Soldier asks, for he really would like to keep Tavish as his friend. As long he does not want to harm America… well, he guesses he can deal with him being foreign.

Demo can’t help but smile at this question, he puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Nah, I like America just as it is.” That eases Soldier and Demo is glad they no longer are pinned against one another.
He turns to Miss Pauling when she butts in their small buddy moment, commanding Soldier to show her where this secret base is.

Glad that both Demo won’t ruin America- proving he is a true friend, and Miss Pauling is asking how he got inside the base. Soldier trots over to his locker. “You need to brace yourself for what I am about to show you.”

“I’m braced, let’s see it Soldier.” Miss Pauling replies a bit impatience, she glances to Demo who is watching Soldier calmly, does get a face of great amusement while she has to resist the urge to facepalm when Soldier’s ‘brilliant’ disguise proves to be his not very well made robot costume he at times has on at Halloween.

Soldier moves as he has seen his robots look alike does, speaking like they do although there is no way for him to imitate the voicebox of a robot. “Beep boop! I am a robot!” Miss Pauling stares at him with a large frown, he does not realize that she has that face because of how stupid this is, he mistakes it for her being scared stiff because she does not recognize him “Miss Pauling?” He lifts up the cardboard box having two plastic cups and metal a coat hanger taped onto it. “Don’t be scared, I’m not actually a rob—“

“Leave it on.” Miss Pauling tells him, thinking that if she can handle been turned into a pony, deal with this bunch of maniacs and two wizards, then the possibility this stupid trick might work is more than possible. “In fact, tape together another one. I’m coming with you.”

Demo can’t help but laugh at where this is going. “I’m coming too.” He walks over to the pile of empty boxes Soldier has used for his ‘disguise’. “Might get a good story out from it.” Pretty sure his mother can do without him a few more hours.

After having made two more robot disguises and Miss Pauling reports this possible attack tomorrow to their boss before she and Demo follow Soldier to this secret base.

Helen is, of course, reluctant to take anything coming from Soldier seriously but in case this is indeed legit, she commands Ignis to Washington, he’s not happy her ordering him around but does do what she told him. He too realized they can’t lose the current president, less so when that man is pretty much the only one stubborn enough to stand his ground of not to start another war.

*A week later. In the Gila Forest*

Watching the last four battles between his robots and that retard team of more or less immortal mercenaries, most of them ending with them his robots getting decimated but he did at least get some Australium, so he’s no longer in danger running out, so that’s one victory. He could still destroy the respawn machine, but it’s only a matter of time before he gets past the alpha machine's lockdown. Thanks to the Sirens turning their Engineer into his slave for a time made him able to keep the mercenaries from respawning when he is in the area, saves him a lot of trouble even though he still has no ability to properly get rid of those men. But that issue he can think about later, now to the security leak he has been dealing with this past week. “Status report.” He commands the head of a scout-bot, the only one still functional after the attack of a military base.

“*beepboop* the humans were waiting for us at the last four attack. Somehow they knew. *bopbeepboop* we would advice delaying the secret attack on the respawn site at Teufort through the secret tunnels going under the town.” The head replies.

“Hm, would you.” Grey muses calmly even though he is far from it. Passing his daughter who is tearing apart the doll with the knife he gave her as birthday present, he asks this head of a scout-bot. “And- just so I’m clear- you suspect these security leaks are due to some unknown “tactical mastermind” in their ranks… and not, for instance, because you mention our secret attack plans at every opportunity?!”

“*beepboop* affirmative.” The head replies.
Another robot, this one a Pyro-bot shows a picture of the man the scout-bot is sure is this ‘mastermind’
“We believe this is the mastermind *beepboop*”

Grey is far from impressed, for the picture show probably the stupidest of the mercenaries, the one with the class name of Soldier. Grey would’ve taken this security leak issue better if the intruder had been the spy, at least there he has a contingency plan. But nooo the leak proves to from an idiot. “You are imbeciles.” Grey tells his robot army, but he guesses the reason for that is his own fault. “But I blame myself because I made you.”

“ALL HAIL THE MAKER!” The robots cry in unison, like anything else, they do not understand when the right moment to use this line, so they spew it out rather randomly.

“Ahh, the ‘hailing’ circuit. Yes, all hail me.” Grey tells the robots and must admit it was a moment of weakness on his part, a stroke over his ego of having an army hailing him like a certain leader who is unfortunately dead now. Pity, he liked Hilter and his vision to the world, but he can’t cry over spilled milk. “But this time I restained this weakness of mine and replaced all that rote worshipping circuitry with raw computational power.” He turns to the Engie-bot there like the others were stupid once, which made them put sentry guns on spots where they would be completely useless but now. “May I represent the now smartest mecha of the army!— you may hail now.” The robots hail him and Grey turns on the upgraded Engineer robot, commanding it. “Find the intruders!”

The Engie-bots leave the stage and start searching, a small platoon of the other robots follow. Near one of the intel rooms, a engie-bot scanners spot humanoid figures not out of metal and shouts. “Humans!” Which makes the small platoon run towards the poorly robot dressed humans.

Unaware they have been spotted, Soldier whispers while picking his nose. “Ohh boy, I hate to be those humans right now.”
Demo might be drunk half the time but even he can see they are in trouble. “Times to run!”

Miss Pauling nods and with a stack of intel of future attacks in hand, she swiftly follows the two mercenaries. Somehow they manage to get out from the base and when driving off in her car. Miss Pauling says. “I’m surprised this worked for that long.” But now Grey has built himself a smart robot, so she doubts that anyone but Spy can get inside this base. But knowing Grey, this base won’t be around for long. Man is egotistical but he is not an idiot. However, this short mission did prove that sometimes it needs an idiot to thwart a genius and Miss Pauling is not sure how to react on that small fact.

Author's Note

this chapter felt a lot like of the times I play Mann vs Machine, I do love that gameplay though so I'm not complaining.
been a while since we last had a chapter involving Soldier more than a couple of sentences but I have trouble writing about him, so forgive me there aren't that many chapters about Solly.

Taken by Force

Note: This happens a week after the last chapter. For once it is not made after an mlp episode but I have taken a few characters from the tf2 comics.

*Human world, at the Big Rock base*

Ignis lands at the current base these humans have claimed to fight those metal humans the old man to Grey have sent out. He can see the humans chosen by the Elements fight the army of robots, but from the looks of it, they do not need his aid this time. Ignis dismissed his magic and steps into the base and heads straight over to the fridge for some much needed food. While eating he listens to the fight going on outside and reminiscence the time when he fought alongside his own kind against the Dark Forces. It makes him realize that he hasn't been in his own world for thousands of years, no wonder why he at times has the problem of remembering how his original form looks like. Not much he can do about it, he has more or less accepted the fact that he never will return. So he might as well get the best out of this place. The chosen humans return from the battlefield and find Ignis trying to get an understanding of how the television works. He hasn’t blown it up, so Ignis calls that a win. “With your souls complete and powers fully restored, I see there is no need for me aiding you in the fight anymore.” He remarks to the group while pushing on the buttons on the remote control in order to change the channel. He gets no response, eyeing them he notices the surprised look on several faces.
“What?” He asks them, feeling a bit annoyed of how they stand as if he’s not allowed to leave them and fight somewhere else if he sees fit. “I’m not in contact with that woman so I can come and go as I please.” He turns off the television and strolls past the humans with: “I’m only aiding you because it’s my sworn duty to protect the bearers of the Elements.” If they weren't chosen, then he would've left them ages ago in pursuit of the mission his beloved Astral gave him. Fortunately for them, these humans are now part of his mission.

Guy got a point, but it would’ve been nice if Ignis had a radio or they knew where he went half the time. Lucky for both Ignis and them, there hasn’t been a need for their new big gun. “Point taken, but it would be nice having you around.” Engineer remarks to the man and nods to Soldier. “Solly’s roommate; Merasmus told us he cannot aid us this time of year for some reason.”

“Merra is an Umbra wizard, so he loses his powers at spring and summer time.” Ignis explains the humans and is confused to why the one named Soldier did not know this. “I thought he would’ve told you.”

“Merasmus says so many stupid things, most of it I decided to ignore! Otherwise, I might end up walking in a dress like him!” Soldier declares almost proudly, but now that the currently face-palming Ignis mention it: “He does need more of my help at summer times. Last time he had problems with the mobsters, ha! Why does he need my help? We all have seen him turn us to a bloody puddle!”

“Which happened every time you pissed him off, mate.” Sniper points out dryly and now Ignis mentioned it. “But we had to deal with him only in the fall and winter times.”

At least some of them are not as thickheaded as Soldier. “Autumn and winter is the time where an Umbra witch or wizard has regained their full strength. Merra probably allowed Soldier to become his roommate to keep him safe in the months where he is at his weakest.” Ignis turns to Demo when the man asks somewhat confused. “Are there wizards gaining power at summer too?” He nods to the one-eyed man. “There is; those witches and wizards are the Lux, never met one, though. According to Merra; Umbra and Lux prefer to stay out of each other’s way, living in seclusions all over the world- only meeting at the time of equinox— it’s their way keeping the balance of power.” Ignis gives the humans a faint smirk. “You should consider yourselves lucky to have spoken with an Umbra wizard, most people will never even heard about them.” Merasmus is a bit special compared to other witch and wizards, he does not mind mingle with humans.

“Lucky us…” Spy grumbles, he does not find them lucky that they had to fight that wizard every time Soldier got the wise idea of pissing him off. Then again, they do owe Merasmus a lot, so maybe all those deaths were worth it. But enough about magic. “I’ll be going home now. What I heard, Miss Pauling is planning on transferring us.” And with that, he leaves.

This catches Ignis attention. “Where will you be going?” and Soldier replies quite zealous. “A large army of robots are attacking oil rigs— the eagle raised European to Grey want our American oil. I say that’s only going to happen over my dead body!” Ignis raises a brow of what Soldier considered an insult in calling Grey. Brushing that aside. “I see, doubt I will aid you. Keeping the Sirens in check is enough work for me.”

“Have they gained strength?” Heavy asks. He does recall those women complaining about lack of energy back when his BLU side was under their control.

Ignis lets out a small sigh. “Yes, but fortunately not a lot. Humans do not give them much of the energy they need, so if I keep them busy, the people they managed to get under their control should be able to break free— that does remind me. You connected to the respawn for some reason stay longer under their control, so do me the favor and don’t get under their control again.” He removes his golden armor, revealing a rather nasty scar made by several bullets. “I was lucky to survive the last time.”

Good thing that they have gained a higher resistance against their song now their soul is complete again. But Engineer— and a few others are still dealing with the fallout the song did to them the last time. So he has no wish in getting shackled by them again, he dreads he might not be able to remember the good in him if he falls to his dark side again. He and the others go home not long after, leaving Ignis at the base and hopefully that alicorn won’t blow up the place while they are gone.

***

Back home at the farmhouse Engineer calls home, he leaves the portal, puts away his weapons and equipment to be used on tomorrow’s battle and after having changed his team uniform into some more casual clothing. Dell leaves the shack and locks it as he has no wish in his boy accidentally get himself teleported to the battlefield.
Walking inside the house, he is greeted by his father. “You’re home early.” His father Frank remarks, seemly too busy to look up from his work on upgrading his robot legs after he lost his fleshy ones to a train.
Dell walks over to the working table. “We only had to deal with a few robots and a tank.” He replies and hands his old man the screwdriver he knows Frank soon will be needing to caliber the robot legs.

Frank takes the screwdriver and starts caliber as his son knew he would need to do before turning them on. “I’m sure Logan will be happy knowing the two of you can spend more time fishing now— oh almost forgot, his grade has improved.” He points at the papers lying at the dining table. “They are over there in case you are interested.” His son picks up the paper and reads it, Frank notices the small frown on Dell’s face and knows exactly why. “Yeah, I don’t think your boy will follow in our footsteps when it comes to machinery.”

Dell is, of course, a bit sad that Logan’s math and physic grades haven’t improved, and is taken by surprise that his history and biology have a lot. Also, both he and his father have noticed that Logan show little to no interest in machines. In fact, he is way more interested in being out in the wild. So an engineer Logan might not be but Dell will be proud no matter what his boy chooses. But if Logan does start chasing a dream job about nature; then Dell might introduce him to Sniper, or Fluttershy if there will be a portal at that time. His knowledge about nature and animals is pretty none existence, to be honest. “Might be about time someone in the family got another job.” Dell points out to his father and returns back to help his old man to get his robot legs working again. “I don’t want Logan working for her.”

“Can’t argue with you there.” Frank agrees, the Conagher family has been working for the Mann brothers ever since his own father; Radigan agreed on one particular job. Frank was hired to be the new BLU Engineer and back then the respawn did not exist so he was lucky that all he lost were his legs from those years of fighting while so many other engineers lost their lives and several of them couldn’t have an open coffin funeral. “But that does not mean she won’t use Logan against you.” His son gives him a look that shows he is very aware of this but Frank gets the feeling that the Administrator is not the one who worries him. Before he can ask about it, Logan appears from his room and is of course quite overjoyed to see his father home earlier than usual. “Does that mean we will be out fishing more than just an hour?”

Dell chuckles. “Yeah, let me finish helping grandfather and then we will be going.” Logan nods cheerfully. “Okay!” and the boy runs off, probably to fetch the fishing gear. Dell returns back helping his father and when Frank is up walking again, he heads out to go on this fishing trip he promised they would go on, does stop when his father asks. “By the way, where is that child-woman of yours? She used to follow you around like a puppy.” More like an overprotective dragon. Dell can’t help but think and is glad his father has stopped thinking him and Keahi are an item. He must admit that he really likes the firebug but never in a romantic manner and she hasn’t shown any sign of wanting to take their relationship a step further. Both are content in keeping it as it is now: Strictly friendship. “She is currently at Miss Pauling’s place.” and thinking how that happen still makes him laugh.

Keahi did pretty much invite herself a sleepover at Miss Pauling and when he asked if Miss Pauling agreed to it, she had replied: “She will just decline. At least I don’t have to threaten Miss Pauling as I should with the mean woman.” Which took him quite off guard but when he asked if Pyro had a sleepover with the Administrator, the firebug had left. He doubts that had been the case, but then again, Pyro could very well have been doing that. She is after all very much like a certain pink pony, and everyone on the team quickly agreed not to question why Pyro do certain things.

“Miss Pauling must feel like a mother at this very moment.” Frank chuckles and points out to his son. “She should be around your age by now.” Dell gives him a strange look, he mistakes it for confusions to who he thinks should be a middle-aged woman but is still the young busy mouse thing he saw back when he worked for Mann Co. “Poor thing had just started being the Administrator's assistance. I swear she at times didn’t know where her head was if it wasn’t stuck to her neck.”

“Yeah...” Dell muses, surprised that his father had been working with Miss Pauling back when he was BLU’s engineer. That was almost two decades ago, so it must mean that Miss Pauling got connected to the first respawn machine not long after his father left and thus her aging slowed. That’s the only explanation why she does not look much older than Scout even after all these years. That is an interesting fact, but now is not the time to think about his boss’s assistance. Now it is time to go out and hopefully, he figures out how to fish before he and Logan will have to go home again.

After have packed all the gear for the fishing trip, father and son drive out to the local pond. Logan found a lot of pride that he can teach his father how to do something. Most people think that someone having 11 Ph.D. would know how to do something as simply throwing a fishing line out right, but Logan now knows that it does not really matter. His father might be a genius when it comes to machines but everything else, he is not that smart on and Logan is sort of happy for that small fact.

Back at the farmhouse, a small group of people has been watching father and son leave the area and only with them gone the truck drives over to the farmhouse. Out from it step three elderly people, all of them in uniforms and seemly ready for battle with the weapons attached to their belts. “Let me have the talk with him.” The oldest of the tree, a slender man with a long white beard tells the two others and knocks on the door.

Inside Frank looks up from his task of cleaning the worktable and knowing neither he, Dell or Logan were expecting anyone and very few know of this place. He grabs his shotgun and carefully walk over to the door. Opening the first one, he spots his old comrade Vigil standing behind the second door made of bulletproof glass. “Vigil? What in tarnation brings you here?” He asks and opens the door, stepping outside he notices the two others from his old team and is once again wary.

Vigil noticed this and explains him in a calm manner. “Paul is putting the team back together, one last job. One that will make us rich for the rest of our lives.” He steps forward to Frank and puts a hand on his shoulder in the sign of their old friendship. “So what do you say? One last battle and show the world these old bones still have some fight in them.”

The offer is tempting, Frank admits that and if this has been a year back; when Dell didn’t have the rights for Logan and spent most of his time in the War Games, he would’ve agreed on this, but now. Well, he has found a certain contentment in being the loving grandfather with a lot of stories his grandson loves to hear. Retirement wasn’t so bad as he first thought. “I appreciate the offer, but no. I have fought my last mission.” He declines, at first with a smile but it fades when Vigil tightens his grip around his shoulder, a warning Frank realizes.

“Any chance we can make you reconsider?” The team sniper asks.

Frank meet the man’s eyes, he knows that look, they aren’t here for him. “Who are you really after?” He demands, tone slow and cold and the grip around his shotgun tighten.

“If you come with us, he won’t be harmed, only leverage.” Greg- the team’s scout points out, Franks eyes wide and next second, he is pointing the shotgun at them. “You stay away from my family, you hear! I don’t care if we were on the same team, I will blow your goddamn head off if you so much as touch my grandson!” He warns them in a harsh and threatening tone. He might be old but these old bones still know how to use a shotgun.

Well, this didn’t go as planned, clear Frank has gone soft over the years, he would’ve agreed on this back in their youth without much thought.
Vigil does try to save the situation, he would like to keep this man around, Frank has been a good companion and Vigil would hate to see him go. “Calm down Frank, we won’t harm the kid. As said, he’s only leverage.”

Leverage for his son compliance, and it will work. Dell loves his son dearly and that’s the issue when being a mercenary for Mann Co. Attachments are dangerous for that kind of work. Other mercenaries groups have been using the enemy team’s family as the key to victory. He knows this as his team had done that more than once against the teams they fought. Frank blames himself for this. He was the one who dragged Dell into this line of work, he should've listened to his father warnings and left Dell out of this... it's too late for that now, but at least he can try and keep the boy who does not want to go this path safe from this family's arrogant choice of aiding the Mann family. “I can’t let you do it.” He tells them solemnly and from the look in both the mercs eyes, he knows what will happen now. “Guess money can really buy anything.” He chuckles darkly to the man he thought was his friend, but it seems, true friendship does not exist.

“That it can.” Vigil agrees, it saddens him it has come to this, but this money is too good to let this old friendship get in between. “Sorry old pal.” and he pulls out his gun.

Meanwhile, at the local lake, Logan jumps in excitement when the fishing line begins to pull. “We got a fish! Quick, pull it in!”
His father does just that but Logan quickly realizes his father is doing it wrong. “You’re going it too fast!” So his father tries to go slower and the struggling fish gets nearer. Just as Logan reaches out to get the net, the fish decides to leap out from the water, right at them and startles his father in a hilarious manner. His father lets out a cry and then whacks the fish with the club they brought to finish it off, the fish gets thrown back into the water but is fortunately still trapped by the line.
Both stare at the spot where the now dead fish is, Logan slowly looks up to his still quite startled father. Then he burst out laughing.

Recovering from the same reaction he would’ve done if a spy attacked him, Dell can’t help but laugh as well. The fish didn’t know who it was dealing with. “That’s one way doing it.” He chuckles and pulls the dead fish up from the water, it’s not big but still can make a decent meal. Logan does not answers, he’s still too busy to laugh his head off. The laughter does get to a sudden halt when sounds a guns echo through the air. Dell snaps his head towards the sound, realizing they come from the farm. Someone is attacking his home! He quickly turns on the motor on the boat and sails back, Dell leaves the boat and command his now scared son. “Stay here!”
He runs as fast as he can back to the farm, fearing the worst as the shooting has stopped. He barely has time to spot the intruders before he gets killed by a headshot and when regaining conscious he is in the nearest respawn point and this one does not have the portal back home. “No!” He cries, already dreading that when he gets back he will find his family murdered.
Not want to waste any time, Dell swiftly searches this base for a teleporter, there is none but he finds an old truck, it’s only low on battery. Faster than he has ever done it before, he changes the battery and pushes this old truck to its limit on his way back home.

He does not even bother turning it off when he reaches the farm, he jumps out and runs over to the lake. To his relief, he finds no body, but it does not help on his fear when there is a paper saying that unless he claims the alpha respawn, his son will die. With no other option as he has no idea where to find Grey and thus his son, Dell returns back to the farm. His blood runs cold when he sees his old man lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. “Dad!” He runs over and freezes in cold horror. His father is dead, the body already starting to go cold.
Dell gets on his feet, unable to stand still from the many emotions going through him, grief, rage, horror.

It wouldn’t hurt so much if he hasn’t rekindled his relationship with his father, the dark part of him speaks in his mind.
Dell tells it to shut up, but the voice continues.
If he wasn’t so selfish, left his father alone, then his old man would’ve been alive. Maybe even been happier as he still dreamed of doing mercenary work. Instead, his own son put him into the dull existence of an old man doing nothing but tell stories of an earlier life. And what about his son? Because he refused to let Logan live with his ex, refused to accept that she was perhaps best for him. His boy is now a prisoner for people who might do more than rough him up. All of that could’ve been avoided, his father still alive, his son out of harm.
If he just did the sensible and cut ties with them.
“Shut up!” Dell yells and punches the nearest object, which is the driveways tree, the pain quiets the voice and helps him to see past the flood of his emotions. Helps him to think a bit more straight. Taking a deep breath, Dell returns to his father’s body, he removes the robot legs and carries the rest over to where his mother lies. Quietly he digs the grave, wishing the voice in his head would allow him the same thing. But no, the voice keeps reminding him that this is his fault.
Maybe it is, not that it matters. What does is that he has to save his son from Grey and in order to do that, he needs the team’s help. Does not matter how much the voice argues he does not need them, he is smart enough to know that he cannot do this alone.

*In Miss Pauling’s apartment.*

How Pyro knew about where she lived and got inside without breaking the lock is beyond her, all Miss Pauling knows that when she walked into her apartment, she was greeted by the only female of the team with a plate of slightly burned pancakes. She tried to figure out how Pyro got here but soon gave up when Pyro refused to take off the mask. “Any reason of why you are here?” She asks the still dressed in the flame retarded suit mercenary.

Pyro replies by dragging her over to the dining table that has been decorated as if it’s a child’s birthday and before Miss Pauling can object, Pyro has put her onto the chair and start serving her the pancakes. With that done, the firebug puts herself down on the sofa, sipping a juice through a straw into the mask’s filter.

Miss Pauling watches the dangerous but also most child-minded member of the team, not sure why Pyro is refusing to take off the mask at this very moment. “Why not take off the mask?” She asks, after all, she has known what Pyro looked like long before she started on the team and after the trip to that pony world. She was the one who got Pyro out from that mental asylum, only reason Helen even considered hiring a woman was that of her great talent in fire and sinister child-like mind.
Pyro has gotten comfortable walking around the boys without the gas mask, something Miss Pauling never thought would happen, for even back at the asylum, Pyro was reluctant to show her face.

Pyro gives her a silent look, still staring she returns on sipping the juice. Riiight.. even Pyro does not trust her, not that it comes with a big surprise. The only one who can beat Pyro with trust issues is Spy. “Alright, I get it, none of you trusts me.” Miss Pauling sighs and eyes the pancakes Pyro made for her, at least the firebug is still being friendly towards her. Soldier and Medic do the same which is a relief.
Unlike some of the others such as Sniper who barely listens to her anymore.
Spy, Engineer and Heavy all won’t hesitate to remind her of the reason to why they refuse to trust her unless she proves she has their best interest. Scout and Demo are trying to be friendly but both keeping their distance, she knows why Demo does it. Last time he went over the line by befriending Soldier, she was sent to ‘encourage’ him to end the friendship and fight Soldier and when he refused, she had also been the one delivering the threat against his mother’s life. Miss Pauling has a feeling Scout is scared for his family’s safety, but if her observations of the hint of friendliness between him and Spy show anything. Then it might be because his father has warned him about what danger Helen can be if their relationship is ever found out.
Miss Pauling is not entirely sure how she figured it out, but she did and in the start, she was thinking on giving this information to Helen but considered otherwise when Spy showed no sign that he considered Scout his son and in fact enjoyed to kill him. Now, she gets the sense that was just an act but now she just can’t bring herself to tell Helen anymore.

No idea why and it worries her of thinking not to share such an important information to her boss. “It shouldn’t really bother me, I mean I have been working with so many mercenaries throughout the years and most of them didn’t trust me. Only obeyed because of the money.” Miss Pauling sighs and eyes the quietly watching flame specialist. “Ever since I got connected to the respawn, the Administrator has been the only person I could speak with. The only person I wouldn’t have to abandon after a couple of years.” She turns back to the pancakes, poking apprehensive to them with her fork. “I know she’s not a caring woman, but… I thought she did at least care just a little for me.” Helen did say she did in the alleyway but Miss Pauling is not stupid, those words were a lie and those she said in anger were the truth.
All Helen wants from her is a pawn that does what she is told without asking questions. Miss Pauling knows that always has been like that, but it still hurts her. “I have been murdering, stealing, lying and leaving everything behind for her sake… but it seems…. all of that does not matter to her… I will always be a simple pawn, replaceable like the past mercs if anything happens. It is pretty ironic.” Miss Pauling eyes the quietly watching Pyro. “It seems we have that in common, like you, I am nothing but an asset to her.”

Miss Pauling blinks when Pyro suddenly leaves the sofa, walks over and with a muffled sound wraps the arms around her into a hug, Miss Pauling knows she is supposed to be someone nearing the forty but her body and part of her mind is still stuck in twenty-three, a lonely twenty-three woman who really could use a friend. “Thanks for the talk, buddy.” She muses up to Pyro and Pyro replies with muffled words sounding very much like: No problem.

The phone suddenly rings, and Pyro is about to let go and step away so Miss Pauling can take the call from the mean woman. Miss Pauling stops her. “She can wait.” Pyro giggles, more than approving on this repel side showing in Miss Pauling.
The phone rings three more times before going over to voice mail, however, it is not the Administrator there has been calling.
“Miss Pauling, are you there?” Another woman voice asks, she sounds very distressed and Pyro feels Miss Pauling tense up hearing this voice. “You better hear this, for this is your boss’s fault this happed—they have my boy and they know he’s connected to the respawn so if you do not get him out they will put him torture no human should endure— get him back…!” And the call ends.
Pyro steps away and allows Miss Pauling to leap up from the chair and call the distressed woman. “It’s Miss Pauling. I just got your call— who got him? Any idea who? No, I haven’t heard anything. I will take this up with the Administrator. Of course, she will help, Scout is… no, he is important to her—” Miss Pauling is silence for a moment, frowning of whatever the woman is telling her. “How do you know all of this? Scout didn’t know… wait, are you still in contact with Spy?” Pyro titles her head in wonder of how long Miss Pauling knew about the relationship between Spy and Scout.
Miss Pauling stops the woman. “I have to reveal this to the Administrator, she’s not that bad when you get to know her.” Again she is quiet for a long time, this time it’s Miss Pauling’s turn to be distressed of what the angry-sounding woman is telling her. Slowly she ends the call and Pyro walks over to her, taking off the mask as now it is time to speak. “We have to tell the others.” Miss Pauling does look as if she wants to object but is still shaken up by whatever the woman said and simply nods. “Yeah… let’s go.”

Author's Note

welp, s**it just hit the fan. next chapter will show how our favorite merc group is going to do about this double kidnapping.

Deserting

Note: I think I will try and reply on comments throughout the chapters, see how that will turn out.
This happens a couple of hours after the last chapter and not made after any of the TF2 comics.

After he heard that their families are in danger, Demo did not waste any time in getting his mother relocated and is very thankful Merasmus offered to stay near as protection. “I can’t put up much of a fight in my weaken state but until I do, Bombinomicon will help if we get any intruders.” The wizard explains the scot, nodding to the book with a demonic face and bomb stuffed into its mouth, lying on a pedestal nearby.

This sentient book laughs from its spot the second it spots Demo. “Ha ha ha! Hi again sweeper boy, thanks for reading me and give me your eye! Best prank ever~!”

Taking his eye was a prank for it?! “You bloody old newspaper! I lost my depth perception because of your prank!” Demo sneers and grabs the laughing book. “Give me back my eye before I introduce you to Pyro!” Before he can open the book to reclaim his eye, Marasmus pulls them apart, saying loudly. “Enough! I warned you in the past and you did not listen! Step away from the bombinomicon before I have to endure more bragging coming from it!” Greatly pissed but since he wants to keep his remaining eye, Demo begrudgingly leaves the laughing book. Does feel some satisfaction when the wizard throws the book into a large box when its laughing got enough even for him. Ignoring the demon book, Demo warns Merasmus. “You better not make me regret this wizard.” It’s a great risk for him letting this wizard- who has in the past been tormenting him and the other mercs during Halloween and when Soldier pisses him off to even consider letting him near his remaining family. And he does not want to return home and find his mother turned into a frog or something.

“I will care for your mother as if she was my own.” Merasmus promises and quickly explains from the suspicious frown the scot has. “I took very good care of her, she died in the age of 40— which was old back in those days.”

Demo blinks, did he hear the wizard right or is he just too drunk? “Your mother wasn’t a wizard?” Merasmus shakes his head. “No, she was human. A witch or wizard may be born by a human but we know from an early age that we are so much more, our magic only really shows when we reach the age of hundred though.”
Oh, well that’s an interesting fact he is never going to use.
Demo merely nods, leaves the wizard and tells his bit confused mother. “Merasmus will take good care of you, mum.”
“Too busy with your jobs?” His mother asks, always with the jobs but well, she is not fully wrong this time. “Aye, it’s my jobs.” He replies and that makes his mother very happy to hear. “That’s my boy! Go out and do your job son— oh Mr. Butler!” She suddenly calls out to Merasmus. “Make me some tea, be sure to bring my medicine too!”
“As you wish madame.” Merasmus replies and Demo has a lot of trouble to not laugh loudly on how a powerful wizard is doing the whim of an old blind woman. “See you soon mum.” He kisses his mother goodbye and leaves, he feels like he did the right choice when he hears his mother asks the wizard. “So where did my boy pick you up?” and Merasmus replies. “Through one of his jobs, he is… very good at throwing bombs.” As Demo closes the door, he can hear the two talking like old people now do. That's good his mother has someone to speak with, Demo knows she's too stubborn to say it but he had a feeling she was lonely when he wasn't around.

Taking the teleporter back to base, Demo does as Engineer instructed and destroys the building to ensure Grey’s men won’t find his mother the easy way. With that done he joins the team and like most of the others; does not meddle in the fight Spy has with Miss Pauling.

Must admit it took him greatly by surprise to hear that Miss Pauling knew about his relationship to Jeremy, the only thing that kept her from revealing it to the Administrator was his act he didn’t care but he cannot use that anymore, not since he allowed Jeremy into his heart. “If you tell her about this she will torment Scout to get to me!” He tells Miss Pauling hard from her former words she feels the need to tell the Administrator about it now. “Which means he will be better off with Grey’s men!” Of course, Miss Pauling does not get it, she does not see how truly cold and cruel her boss is.

“Spy, she is not that bad. True she does not care about him other than an asset but he is still of use for her so she won’t do that much—“

“You don’t get it do you?!” Spy snaps back, why can’t she see it?! “Nothing but her goal matters to her! The only reason I joined this organization was that she has enough power to make the people I made my enemy back during the war does not dare to get on her bad side! She has a finger in the pie of power-“

“American pie!”

“Shut up Soldier!!” Spy shouts at the man, he is not in the mood for that idiot. Turning back to Miss Pauling. “That’s not enough for people like her, she wants the whole thing and with what information I have gathered from Russia, Germany and France, she will be one step closer to her goal! Don’t you see?! She'll leap of joy watching Scout– my son get tortured! And if you tell her, I swear on the man who trained me, I will make sure you will deeply regret it. And trust me Miss Pauling.” He steps forward to the now bit worried woman. “You do not want me as your enemy.” He was trained by the Ace of Spies and he went to work for Mann Co, Ace told him he was the best student he had. Spy pride himself in knowing he has a great chance in becoming the next Ace of Spies and he sure hell will prove he can be just as nasty as Ace can with his information gathering when someone dared to cross him.

Miss Pauling turns her gaze to the others of the team, all of them watching her like a pack of wolves ready to tear her apart if she makes the wrong choice. And that wrong choice is to side with Helen. She knows Helen can be cruel, does not care about anyone but herself but it must go deeper if Spy, a man who said he would greet the devil as an old friend but is afraid of her boss.

"I was wrong about you Miss Pauling. This caring persona you have going is all but an act, you don’t give a shit about anyone just like her."

Scout’s mother’s words still ring in her mind, it deeply wounded her, more so when she knows that Helen considers comradely as a hindrance and does find it amusing watching people tear each other apart. “I won’t tell her.” She promises Spy, but not because of his threat, she has dealt with such for years and although Spy will be a really nasty enemy, Helen will make short work of him if it truly came to it. No, her real reason, something Helen dispises but Miss Pauling longs for. “I still owe you, for helping me when I was in trouble.” If not for Spy helping her out by getting the information she lost back, then she probably would've ended in that shallow grave.
Spy watches her for a tense moment, then he nods curtly and leaves.
Miss Pauling turns her gaze to the others, knowing that making them obey her will now be so much harder. Nothing to do about it, she leaves them to make the phone call and give the report to Helen.
“What is your command?” She asks the moment she has finished the report.

“Return back to the mission fighting the mining robots.” Helen replies and after the sound of her exhaling her smoke. “You will get your new scout in a month or so.”

Miss Pauling freezes up, she knows Helen does not care, but she thought… “But Scout is still of use for us.” She objects softly. “Shouldn’t we—“

“Grey wants your team pitted against Team Vanguard so he can get full control over the alpha machine. He hasn’t been able becauseTeam Vanguard has been protecting it. They are a nuisance but for now, I can deal with their disobedience.” The Administrator explains her in a cold matter of fact. “The scout and engineer’s son is not worth the resources of a rescue mission.”
She can see the point in this, she really can but… “Engineer won’t leave it, he will try and get his son back.” And so will Spy, probably the whole team will after they have bonded with each other.

“Hmm yes, unfortunately, he has this great flaw of being too caring, especially when it comes to that brat of his.” Helen muses and is quite annoyed by this since Dell Conagher is one of the few people still alive who knows how to work with Australium. She might have considered a rescue mission if his son had the same talent in engineering. “And from how he has been around the longest, not to mention has this boring habit on wishing to be on good terms with everyone. The chance of the rest of the team agrees to help him on defeating Team Vanguard will happen, unless you convince them otherwise.”

“How?”

“If money won’t do it, then their demise will. If they desert this mission: I will turn off the respawn to them, they are great at their job but not irreplaceable. Make them stay on the mission, Miss Pauling, this is their last chance.” And Helen ends the call.

Miss Pauling slowly return the receiver back onto its spot, she… she thought Helen would at least consider a rescue mission but… no, Scout is an asset no longer worth her time. How is she going to tell this to the mercs?
She returns to the mercs, noticing that they are discussing where the boy and Scout might be. Sniper is the first who notices her and remarks not really surprised. “Let me guess; she did not give permission for a rescue mission.”
Miss Pauling can only nod.

Engineer snorts loudly. “So much for years of loyalty...” He grumbles and this is the last straw for him. He grabs the map and leaves. “Consider this my resignation.” No more he will work for her, he has lost too much because of this job as a merc. Pyro follows him without a word, he had hoped she would side with him and is glad he was correct on it. “Thanks Pyro.” She simply nods.
Engineer stops when he hears Sniper says. “You are no going alone Engie.” and the Aussie joins him, Engineer is very thankful for that. He and Sniper don't talk that much but they are both on friendly terms and will help the other out if asked.

“Who gave you permission to tear up the team?!” Soldier shouts and the man stomps over to them quite pissed.

Engineer sends the crazy man a deadpan look. “I am not leaving my son behind.” And is quite surprised when Soldier bellows. “And we will save him and Scout! That’s what a team does so I command you to stay put until the rest of these maggots get their head out of their asses and join us!”
Engineer blinks of the surprisingly caring words coming from a man he thought didn’t care for anything other than war. He turns around and notices Demo has already joined them. Turning around he sees that Spy has as well.
The only two remaining is Medic and Heavy. The German man throws his arms up in the air. “Ach! Alright then, it’s not like you dummkopfs can do anything without me sewing you back together!” and joins with Heavy pointing out with a chuckle. “You care.” Which grants him a light punch on the shoulder from the doctor.

“Guys, she will turn off your respawn!” Miss Pauling tries to reason with the team, but they did not care as Spy says calmly. “Thank you for reminding us we only got one chance in this.” Followed by Soldier commanding them: “Move out! The longer we idle the more time the enemy has in extracting information out from the prisoners!”
They leave Miss Pauling alone in the base, and she knows Helen will not be happy about this but can she really blame the mercs in wanting those kidnapped back?— aw screw it. “Guys wait up!” She calls and runs out after them, much to the mercs surprise. “You may not trust me, but you won’t survive this mission without my help.” Miss Pauling reminds them, plus, she thinks she much rather wants to be on the run with this crazy bunch than hunting them by Helen’s command. She won't say it out loud but she has come to care for these men.
“If we have to do this, let’s start getting a hold on some vehicles. Spy, Engineer, you get those. rest of you; grab everything you can carry. Ammunition, medical supplies, and food. It’s going to be a long and dangerous ride.” It did surprise Miss Pauling that this time, the mercs obeyed her without a moment hesitating. It only took her betraying a very powerful woman she has been working with ever since she was eighteen.
Must admit it is quite exciting.

**Meanwhile, at Grey’s secret base.**

One of the kidnappers throws the terrified Logan onto the floor, right before a mountain of a man and that old man does not look happy. “Where’s Frank?” He demands hard.
“He refused, went so far by trying to protect his family that we had to kill him.” The beaded one replied. Logan freezes up, tears falling from his eyes of what he had just heard. “Gr-Grandpa?” Did they kill him? no, no no no! “Why?! Why did you kill grandpa?!” He cries up to the men, they do not reply, instead, he got kicked in the side by the huge man. “Shut up!” and Logan does, the pain on his side from the kick and the grief he has lost his grandfather is too much for his young mind.

Turning away from the stunned kid, the grandson of Frank if what he said is true. “Throw him into the cell.” Greg takes the kid and drags him away.
Leaving Vigil alone with him and Paul demands details of have lost a recruit. “Why did he refuse? I thought you said he would listen to you.”

Vigil shrugs. “I thought that too but apparently, he liked his retirement. The moment we mentioned the kid, he freaked out and started to aim his shotgun at us, didn’t matter how much money he was offered. So he left us with little choice other than to put him down. Quite the pity really, we could've used his talent with machines.”

Paul nods in agreement but if Frank refused to join them, then it was for the best to get rid of him before he would use his knowledge against them or maybe even join another merc team.
“We got the bait, now we simply need that retard to Team Fortress at the alpha machine and pitted against Team Vanguard.” For that team has the biggest pain in the ass to deal with, more so when they too have the benefits of respawn and somehow got hold on powerful weapons. Their last attack on Team Vanguard lost them their medic to one of their spies and those women Grey likes to keep around weren't able to defeat that team as well. Paul highly doubts the rejects will be able to defeat Team Vanguard but if they are lucky, they will do something so Team Vanguard won't be able to respawn. It is about time those two teams get pitted against one another, according to rumors Fortress and Vanguard were supposed to be the RED and BLU team in the Gravel War. Before that happened though, Team Vanguard went AWOL.

**Three days later.**

Out in the middle of the desert, three cars and one truck hold, on top of the small truck, Sniper watches the sky and the moment he spots the one they have been waiting for. “Ignis here.” He calls out, making everyone, Miss Pauling included look up from whatever they were doing.
Moments later the alicorn lands and asks confused as he dismisses his wings made of flames. “I thought you said you would’ve taken the train.” So Miss Pauling has to put him up to date that the team has deserted Mann Co- but cannot say it as Soldier found that word very insulting. Ignis did get what they have done and admits. “I am sort of glad you did leave, never liked that woman. So," He waves a hand over to the map lying on the hood of one of the cars. "what’s the plan?”

“We are heading towards the alpha respawn, Team Vanguard is guarding the place so we have quite the tricky battle to look forward to. We have to get rid of them and take control over the alpha respawn.” Miss Pauling explains, both she and Ignis eyes Heavy when the big man points out. “First we get my sister. She is near.” Oh right, that woman Soldier told was his girlfriend, well she is a good fighter so they probably can use her. “It will put us through a detour but Heavy and Soldier insisted we bring her.” And as hoped Ignis suggests. “I can bring her, it will be faster that way. Give me the coordinates where she is and where we should meet you.” She gives him both and he takes to the sky once again. That saves them some time.

They drive directly towards the place where the first respawn machine is located and just as they reach the city, Ignis, carrying Zhanna arrives.
He barely got the chance to puts her on the ground before the woman leaps onto Soldier and forcing the man into a fierce kiss. Soldier do quickly return it, just as happy to see her as she is with him. Heavy is somewhat annoyed by this but does leave them be, does not stop him from sulking though.

Rolling her eyes Miss Pauling reminds the pair they are here for a reason. “You can make out after the mission.” And after have rolled out the blueprints to the building, Miss Pauling shows the mecs where the machine that not only keeps them alive but also has extended their life. “The respawn machine is here.” She marks the biggest room of the building and tells them hard. “Under no circumstances should you go in there before Team Vanguard has been taken care of. We can’t risk damaging it during the fight.” And takes out the papers she has on this team they soon has to face, which is not much. Only the scout, spy, medic and engineer were from Helen’s Team Vanguard, the rest the scout picked up after he went AWOL. “These four were once mercs for Mann Co like you, but the scout: Jack Russell brought them with him when he left Mann Co’s service. Engineer, you might recognize him.”

That he sure does, that scout was the very first he was on team with during the War Games, rumors said he died from a respawn failure but from how Jack here seemed fine during the battle on Grey’s island, he say that’s a load of bullshit– unless this is Jack’s other. “Yeah, I know him. Remember we made fun he was more suited to the soldier class with the drill sergeant thing he had going.” He returns the paper back to Miss Pauling. “Thought he died but I guess it was only his other that kicked the bucket?” But to his and the others surprise, Miss Pauling shakes her head. “Not at all. The spy and medic made those false papers as a coverup.”

Spy takes the files on the once BLU medic and notices that this one looks awfully alike to the disguised form Ace chose before he revealed himself. Why did he choose this medic’s for his disguise?
Reading further, he realizes why. According to the files, this man is the son of Ace himself! This surprises Spy, he wasn’t aware that Ace had any children but it does explain why the master spy never went to screw with the Administrator. He is surprised that the son of Ace is not a spy, does wonder why but whatever the reason he feels like he has to test this one's strength, see who is the better of the two.

“When they took us, prisoners. I noticed their eyes weren’t grey as yours back when your body and soul were split.” Miss Pauling explains, snapping Spy out from his own thoughts.

“So they figured out how to become whole like us?” Demo asks and Miss Pauling nods, guess they are on equal foot when it comes to that. “Right, so how to beat them? Last time they kicked our ass before they disappeared as Spy does during every battle.”

Spy sends Demo an offended stare for using him to the figure of speech. “We underestimated them simply because we were used to fighting ourselves.” He points out and knows this time they can’t risk making the same mistake. “We can’t let them get the upper hand this time. We won't come back if we die.”

That she agrees on but Team Vanguard has the upper hand in this upcoming battle. They have the home field advantage by having a whole building to keep them protected, plus they also have respawn. A frontal assault will be suicide, well unless they have the respawn. “I have a plan but some of you might not like it.” The mercs give her a wary stare at what she has in mind. They all remember how well her last time as their supervisor went, and back then they still had respawn to count on.

Author's Note

if you have any ideas on how the Administrator can retaliate for the mercs deserting, feel free to suggest cuz I have NO idea what she will do to them.

and to the comment from the last chapter

to Starlight Nova:
Mann Co is the company the mercenaries of TF2 works with during the Gravel Wars, it is also the company that gives the mercs their weapons, so yeah, it is pretty much a staged war.

Fortress vs Vanguard

Note: This happens a couple of hours after the last chapter, the team name Vanguard comes from the tf2 comic "Naked and the Dead" but the people in that team are all my OC's.

Inside the building the Vanguard team is calling home, the very same place that holds the important alpha respawn machine. The youngest of the group, the Demoman is on guard duty and is bored out of his mind, besides him sit the oldest of the team, the sniper, staring out to the city in a stoic manner. "Why did Jack put me on guard duty again?" He asks the sniper annoyed he has to stay and be bored when he could be way more useful in the armory. "I don't like sitting on my butt all day."

The sniper lets out a small chuckle, amused by his complaining. "And that is the problem young Amadi. You have no patience."

The Demoman frowns deeply at what the sniper said. "Of course I have! You need the patience to build a bomb without it blows in your face."

But Garry disagrees. "No, that requires focus, and you have that. But no patience with things that you do not consider worth your immediate focus. But those things," He eyes the African man, the hood only barely shows his scarred face. "needs to be done whatever one likes it or not."

Amadi opens his mouth to argue that he does things he doesn't like doing but stops and realize that Garry has a point, he has no patience when it comes to things like guard duty or cooking, both tasks which he hates doing and let the whole team know about it. No wonder why his sister jokes he has been around their medic too much. "Okay I see your point, but it does not change the fact I am bored out of my mind." He points out to the sniper.

Garry understands, in fact, he too is bored of sitting and watching the same no man's land for hours on end. "Yeah, same here. What about a small game, eh?" He smiles to the young Amadi who nods and asks. "What do you have in mind?" But before the sniper can suggest anything to kill the boredom, his attention is drawn by the moving flaming object in the sky. "What is that?" Amadi asks, Garry does not know, only that they are under attack. "Sound the alarm!" and the Demoman does, Sniper aims his metal bow at the fast approaching object and fire one of his arrows at it. The thing dodges it, sign this is not a rocket. Sniper's eyes wide in shock and horror when his sharp eyes realize what it is: a person surrounded by flames. And that person is out to kill them! "Amadi, rebound!"

The young Demoman jumps forward and a gold transparent shield appears before him, seconds before the flying and out of fire man rams into their spot. The shield turns bright, almost white in the sign it has reached the limit and Demo releases it, returning the powerful attack right back at the attacker's face. It throws the attacker back and although wounded, Amadi can feel he won't be able to rebound another attack from that guy from how his body is shaking from the stress of using his power. "He's too strong!"

Sniper nods, disturbed by this as well, he fires several arrows at the out of fire man. "Retreat!" He commands Demo and the two swiftly disappears into the building before the attacker can charge at them again.

Rudely awoken by his much needed power nap, Jack flies out from bed the second his brain register the alarm. "This is getting ridicules." He grumbles for this is the third attack they have dealt with this week alone. He puts on his blue scout uniform and grabs his weapons. Leaving his room, Scout quickly takes control over the situation. "Spies, give me report who those fuckers are!" The two nod and the moment their female engineer makes sure the team are in their form of radio contact with one another, the two spies, a male dressed all in black and a female, who is unlike he fellow spy, her uniform is not the Mann co standard but one of her own choice. Both of the spies disappears by cloak, going out to assess the situation for the rest of the team.

Scout then turns to the female engineer. "Engie, check your sentries, Heavy go with her!" and those two are off. Scout puts on a bulletproof vest, sure he will respawn but he rather not if he can avoid it. Coming back from the dead gives him a migraine he rather not deal with while fighting.

Sniper and Demo appear with the sharpshooter giving the team leader a sort of strange report. "It's not Team Mirage, Scout. I think it's the War Women, and they got a friend." and Demoman adds in: "He's is powerful, used up all my powers just holding him back."

Well then, better tell those bitches that this team is no more theirs for the taking. "Right, Kreel should be able to keep them from taking over our minds." If not for her then they wouldn't be free in the first place. Scout ready his scattergun. "You all know what to do the moment you hear that fucking song." The whole team agrees they all have a bone to pick with those three women and have a plan of attack just for them.

"Scout, it's not the women, it's Team Fortress." Black Spy reports.

"She got tired of our behavior eh?" Sniper asks with a faint smile, wouldn't be much of a surprise if the Administrator got sick of them going AWOL and made life hard for her by doing pretty much whatever they want.

From the infirmary, the team's Medic appears, dressed like a RED with the only difference is the large amulet around his neck. "Those men are her soldiers of rejects, but-" Medic brushes his fingers through his blond hair, his quite smooth and handsome face, ruined by the deep frown. "They have an uncanny ability to get out of ridiculous situations, so the last thing we should is to underestimate them." He reminds their team leader with his usual hard tone.

Their second engineer, Cowboy leaves the room holding the alpha respawn as fast his cane will allow. "Last time we did, I lost more than a leg." Cowboy speaks calmly but everyone knows his true feelings about this team and knowing they are getting attacked by the very same team that tormented them in the time they were under the Sirens control does not help on his growing foul mood.

Scout has no wish in underestimate these people, but he sure hell won't show them any mercy either. Maybe it's the untold law that mercenary teams will fight when meeting or it's his thirst for some old fashion revenge, does not matter. This team is dead. "They won't get away with it. Team Fortress will soon learn that they shouldn't have fucked with Team Vanguard! Sniper, the moment they pass the line, set their asses on fire. Pyro, you'll finish those off that manage to get past the barrier."

"You got it" Sniper nods and heads out, Pyro does as well but does stop when he gets a message from Heavy- the only member of the team unable to speak English. "Oh, Heavy just said they might use the sewer. Place still broken after Mirage's last attack." Good Wei is so perceptive. "Right, Medic and Demo will block it off." Scout speaks, the two men nod and before heading out. Scout turns to Cowboy, about to speak but the man stops him. "Don't worry about me, Jack. I'll keep this place secure." Sadly that's all he can do after he lost his leg and most of his sight, still Jack is glad even in his broken state, Cowboy still wants to fight alongside them. He nods and heads out to fight the intruding team.

Outside the Team Fortress mercs are seeking cover from the rain of bullets coming from the sentries scattered about, Team Vanguard's sniper finds a good position and joins the sentries in firing at the intruders. He is more accurate than a sentry, and the moment the enemy soldier tries to get a shot in, he fires and hit the man right in the chest with his armor piercing arrows. The demoman pulls the wounded soldier back behind the truck they brought. Sniper frowns when he can just barely see a familiar glow of the potent healing of a medigun. "They have a medigun." He reports to the rest of the team.

Pyro walks up beside him, reloading his shotgun. "Better take him out before they get a charge ready."

Sniper readies a bow, waiting for the moment this team make the move to leave their only safe spot in the area but stop when Cowboy speaks through the link.

"I want their medic."

Sniper and Pyro exchanges worried glances with one another, both know the rage the man has and that is deeply disturbing as the whole team knows how much destruction Cowboy can do when he really gets angry. Many would think Heavy is the powerhouse but for Team Vanguard, their strongest member is their male engineer.

Out on the no man land, the female spy stop and tells Cowboy in a hard tone. "I won't let you sink down on his level." She has lost enough of the man she loves already, that bastard medic won't be allowed to take the rest of him from her.

Black Spy appears beside her, voicing his own thoughts on this argument. "Let us take him down- the enemy won't expect two spies." Team Mirage sure didn't and that cost them dearly.

"The medic is mine." Cowboy repeats, his tone closer to a sneer.

"God dammit Cowboy, I won't allow any of them near the respawn just for your petty revenge!" Scout snaps back, one of the few not going to tremble at their engineer's deadly anger.

Kreel is thankful someone other than her has the guts to talk back to Cowboy. She knows that giving in to this stupid request will only make things worse. "I'm taking him out." She tells everyone, but the words are mostly aimed at Cowboy.

"No! I want him to feel what he put me--"

"If you don't like it, then be my guest and end it as you wish Francis." Kreel snaps back, she cannot see it but several on the team awaits anxiously if this argument will escalate and cause more tension in the team.

Back at the base Francis burning anger fizzles out of his beloved words, replaced with regret on how low he has fallen thanks to his petty need for revenge. How close he was to hurt his own team and most of all, throwing away the best thing that has happened to him. "I'm sorry…" He muses of this dark realization. If someone deserves revenge it is her.

Everyone on the team breathes out a sigh of relief they did not know they held and with this crisis evaded for now, they return back to fight the intruding Team Fortress.

Sniper swiftly scans the situation going on down below and tells the two spies. "Lure them out, I and Pyro can trap them."

"Affirmative." Black Spy replies and turns invisible along with his female companion. Both quietly stalks over to the pinned down enemy team, he ignores the chance of backstabbing the Pyro, instead he waits for Kreel to do the kill both she and Cowboy deserves.

She appears beside the medic who is too busy healing the soldier from the hit he took from Sniper and too late the team realized they got infiltrated. She plunged her knife right into his chest, making sure the now soon to be dead man realizes who she is. "This is for Cowboy you monster!" She sneers.

Black Spy dismisses his own power of invisibility and swiftly shoots at the heavy who is trying to attack Kreel, the man flinches in surprise, giving her the chance to cloak again. The medic collapses, his chest heavily bleeding from the stab wound Kreel gave him. Black Spy does not cloak, instead, he flees the enemy team in hope to lure them out. As hoped, the team was not happy they attacked their healer and several of them take pursuit.

"Sniper got aim on you!" Kreel warns him from her cover. Black Spy swiftly activates his Dead Ringer that activates when the sniper headshots him. The dummy falls with an exploded head while Black Spy continue running, leaving the soon to be prison.

She knows it's a huge risk, but she wants to see their faces when they realize they have been lured into a trap. Kreel appears, the sniper is the first to spot her and the shocked look in his eyes when realizing they got fooled is so much worth it.
Before any of them can aim at her, Pyro fires a flare and his special made flammable substance lying in that area burst into flames, surrounding the enemy team. Kreel smirks and leaves, she is well aware this team is crazy enough to try and run through the fire but they won't get far inside of what is waiting for them.

Hates to say this but: "These people know what they are doing." Engineer remarks of how fast they feel into this trap, and feels a bit stupid falling for it in the first place.

Not that it has ever stopped them for Soldier and Demo get over by rocket and sticky bombs, even Ignis takes flight but the enemy team sure heck does not like the alicorn and that bow-wielding sniper shoots a waves of arrows at him, forcing the alicorn to go after him instead of helping them out. Soldier and Demo help him out by shooting at Team Vanguard's female engineer. They manage to destroy her sentry and kill her, and with the sniper and pyro finally backing off, Ignis can help the trapped team out from the flaming prison.

They run inside, here they encounter the heavy and that put their assault to a sudden halt by the wave of bullets coming from his Huo-Long Heater minigun. Demo wasn't fast enough to get away and get torn to shreds by the man's attack.

"Dag dammit!" Engineer curses on how this other team manage to pin them down every single time they make a push. He puts down a dispenser and lets it heal the team since they no longer have Medic around. Man, he never saw that female spy coming and from her words, it's clear she is holding a deep grudge on the doc.

With the team more or less healed and ready for this new roadblock. "Any idea how to get past him?" He asks the remaining of the team.

"Yes" Ignis walks into the hall, sommons his flames and like a living meteor, he charges at the Heavy. Engineer fully understands the other team's heavy huge startle of such an attak and he didn't stand a chance against Ignis frontal assault. The heavy did survive and with the last of his strenght, he grabs Ignis and hurls the alicorn over to a strange decoration on the wall. Proves not to be a decoration for the moment Ignis hit it, he lets out a scream of pain and the light coming from it, points to this thing is pumped full of electricity. It knocks Ignis out, robbing them of their big gun.

The heavy drops to the ground not long after and for good measure, Sniper shoots him in case he was still alive.
"Alright, so don't touch that thing." Sniper points out, like Engie, he is shocked that seemly harmless and bit root looking decoration is a dead trap. Fortunately, Ignis can endure a lot of damage so he should be fine.
Spotting movements on the upper floors, Sniper looks up and sees a man in blue, at first he mistakes him being a soldier from how he commanded the remaining team around, but it quickly became clear this is a scout when this man uses the stair's railing as his quick way coming down and with a double jump got right above Soldier and shoot the man death with his shotgun. This scout lands right onto Sniper, replaces his shotgun with a survival knife and Sniper yelps in pain as that blade slizes his newly healed hand.

The scout retreats as quickly as he came, Pyro did set him on fire but that did not really change anything as their engineer had sat up a fully upgraded dispenser on the top floor, the scout leaps up there with a uncanny agility and soon will be ready for round two.

Sniper growls in frustrations as he let Engie's dispenser heal his hand, if they didn't have it. Then that slash wound would've kept him from using his rifle properly. It seems the scout has realized this too, Sniper does not like how the man is watching Engie who is too busy upgrading the dispenser.

"Heads up, the medic is still alive." Garry warns the team, quite taken off guard that the medic and heavy is running into the base. He cannot stop them as he lost most of his arrows when that flame guy attacked him.

"Impossible! I stabbed him right in the chest!" Kreel exclaims in disbelief of the news and he replies his hypothesis why her attack didn't work. "He must have had a bottle of medigel on him." He runs over to their second dispenser and with restocked arrows, he quickly joins Scout and the others doing their best to keep them pinned in the main entrance.

Meanwhile, down in the basement, Spy, Zhanna and Miss Pauling are using a path made from what seems to have been from a former attack. Miss Pauling consider it lucky, while Spy is wary as this team is not incompetents and knows it's only a matter of time before they get attacked.

This expectations for an ambush was the saving grace for Miss Pauling as she didn't notice the door was filled with sticky bombs, in last second he pulls her away and saves the young woman to get blown to bits by this team's Demoman. Out from the smoke of the bombs, the Demoman appears, firing his bombs at them which explodes on contact, unlike the ones their own Demo have as they bounce a bit around before blowing up. He and Miss Pauling have to depend on Zhanna covering for them as they draw back. From the cover, Spy pulls out his revolver and shoots at the Demoman. The Demoman falls to the floor, clenching his bleeding chest. Spy is about to move over and take him out but stops and feels his work cut out for him when Ace's son, the medic arrive and swiftly heals the Demoman with the Quick-Fix medigun. "Take out the Demoman." Spy tells the two women. "I got the medic." and he cloaks for he wants to see if that man really can lives up to Ace's name.

Noticing movements in the loose gravel they threw down here for this very reason. Medic leaps out of the way, dodging the backstab and shoot a poison arrow from his crossbow at the spy who thought him to be an easy target. The bolt hits the spy in the chest but it won't kill as the man is smart enough to pull it out before it can inject the full dose. Swiftly changing weapon, medic attacks with his own knife, the spy leaps away and goes on the offensive as well, he easily evades the knife and hits the spy several places in attempt to both disarm and knock him out. It does come as a surprise this spy know this same way of fighting but is unable to gain the upper hand. In fact, neither of them can and their fight to both disarm and kill looks like a deadly and complicated dance, ending with both aiming their long ranged weapon at each other's head. This attempt to disarm the other made it clear who the other is. Medic smirks, not a friendly one though as he's far from happy to meet this other student of Ace. "I have been wondering what kind of person you were. Not many people caught his interest."

Spy must say that this man sure lives up to his father's name. He hasn't met anyone able to keep up with him. The medic might not be a spy or much of a risk taker but from how swift he was to calculate his next action, it wouldn't surprise him if this medic is just as smart as Engineer and Medic. "Funny, I haven't heard him mention you." He retort smoothly, wanting to taunt the man into attacking him.

But Medic here has been trained most of his life for such tactics. "Why should he?" He retorts annoyed this spy went that way, but he can play this mind game as well and tells the man in a cold matter of fact."You of all people should know why he does not talk about it." As hoped this startled the spy, something Medic capitalized on. "Yes, I know about you, Lechance. Not from Ace mind you, his mouth is tighter than a miser's purse but you're not good hiding secrets as you may think."

Much to Spy's humiliation, the medic must've known that these words would've taken him off guard as the man swiftly disarm him. Now at the man's mercy, but the fear the son of Ace will use his only weakness against him as Ace always warned him about, Spy tries to regain his weapon. "Don't you dare—!" Before he can act, though the medic does something. With a simple hand movement, his whole body freezes up and he can do nothing to get out from it. The medic keeps pointing his left hand at him, there is smugness in his blue eyes, but as a true spy, his expression is under constant control. "Team Vanguard holds power no man should have. Can you guess what my power is?" Spy does not reply, nor reveal that he has gotten quite scared that he is literarily at this man's mercy.
"Let me give you a hint:" The medic lowers his hand and Spy cannot stop his body from going down on his knees. "Did you know the human body is 55% water?" Spy's eyes wide in shock. Is this man saying he can control water?!
Is he at this very moment using the water in his body to control him? Then what powers do the others of Team Vanguard have!?
His eyes land on the Demoman and see that Miss Pauling and Zhanna shots have no effect on the man as some kind of shield is protecting him from their bullets.
"You understand Team Fortress never stood a chance." The medic plunges a injection into his shoulder and there is nothing Spy could do to stop him. His body goes heavy and sight starts swimming. The doctor must've released him as he drops to the ground, the last thing he heard is the son of Ace saying: "Be happy we no longer play by Helen's rule."

Back at the front door of the building, the front assault part of the team is unaware that infiltration has failed and still doing their best fighting off the enemy team, which is going really bad.

Sniper lets out a curse when that black dressed spy succeeds in destroying Engineer's building and both him and Engie are getting really paranoid this spy will return up and put that knife into their back.

Sniper spots move movement and not taking any chances since he has no idea if respawn is up, He shoots and a grunt of pain reveals he hit the stalking spy. "Come out and fight like a man you filthy spook!" Sniper shouts after the man. It was bad enough doing this game with Spy. But with this black dressed one; he has no idea what to expect, plus this spy has that obnoxious Dead Ringer. He hates that thing!

The Black Spy returns back to the second floor and lets Engineer's dispenser heal him. He glances down to the enemy team, quite proud he made them paranoid and thus easier for the team to deal with. Pyro sees it too and says as he reloads his flamethrower. "Try and see if you can get rid of the medic. Can't have they do a charge." He nods and after have cloaked, he returns to the jumpy enemy team. He stalks closer to the newly arrived medic and heavy pair, like the rest they are jumpy knowing they got a spy nearby. Spotting an opening, but not for the medic and heavy, someone else will take care of them. So instead he shoots the Engineer but misses and instead of killing the man, the bullet instead blows off the welding goggles and leaving a mark from the bullet. As hoped this really freaks the man out and waste bullets in an attempt to get rid of him. Spy simply uses the Dead Ringer and seek cover, again waiting for another moment, didn't matter he made a loud roar when appearing, all that did was making these men the more paranoid.

And it worked, Engineer spy-paranoia is back in full force, he has put down a new sentry but is too wary of getting attacked again that he won't leave it to find metal for the upgrade. Sort of wish this was their own spy stalking them, him Engineer could at least hear as their spy had a tendency of doing insults right before he strikes. This eerie silence, only broken by that irritating Dead Ringer sound, it is really putting him on edge. His small bullet wound is healed thanks to Medic and the relief seeing the sparking effect on the medigun is overwhelming.

"I am charged!" Medic shouts out of habit and noticing how tense the enemy team has become, he gleefully turns to Heavy, but before he can, three grey and somewhat glowing arrows hit the medigun, breaking it and thus ending the charge. He stands there, staring in shock and horror the medigun fall apart in his hands.
Medic snaps out from his shock when the enemy heavy and pyro team up, forcing them back with a wall of fire and bullets. The rest of the team is quick to aid them.

Soldier, Heavy, Pyro and Sniper all get killed. Leaving only him and Engineer to fight but both know they stand no chance against this small army.

"It seems I made a great mistake in letting you leave."

Medic scans the area and spots the cowboy dressed engineer appearing from the stairs. He looks quite pathetic from how much trouble he has in walking thanks to the lost leg and his mostly gone eyesight. Still, neither her nor Engineer will taunt the man that he is no threat, they, both can feel this looming dread of great danger- coming from this invalid man.

"Not today." Cowboy tells the doctor. "Thanks to you, I have become of no use to my team. The constant pain you have forced me to endure has pushed those I love away, and for what?" He asks darkly, magenta flames appear around his hands, letting this sadist feel the pure anger he feels, anger that fuels these flames of hell. He stops before the medic, fire appearing around his shoulders. "For science? For the greater good?! He removes his goggles, allowing this monster's remaining member to see what this healer did to him. his eyes are gone, torn out and without these specially made goggles, he is completely blind. "If this experiment of yours was about creating a monster from a peaceful man-" using the free arm he blasts this rage-fueled fire at the doctor, throwing him into the nearest wall, but he is far from done with that one. "Then you succeed." Cowboy puts back his goggles and eyes the possible for the first time scared man. "I am not a man of rage, but I can say without a doubt: thanks to you, I am filled with it."

Medic is of course shocked of the powers this man shows off and disturbed that they are fueled by rage from what he did to this man. For the first time, the RED side of him realizes how much damage his curiosity and lack of empathy has caused. If there exists karma then this engineer having the codename Cowboy is the very embodiment of the revenge his victims from the war wants to bring down on him. That side of him now understands why the BLU side wants to do better— not do better with his bottomless need for knowledge but be a better person. And to be better, he needs to survive. Even if Cowboy here was in the listening mood, Medic has never been good at apologizing, he's better at killing anyway, so using what he learned from Twilight in his time in Equestria. Medic summons a shield, blocking Cowboy's flames of rage, it's not as strong as he would've liked. The very heat of the flames is affecting him, forcing him to feel the anger coming from the man. Fortunately Cowboy is not very mobile thanks to the lack of a leg and proper eye-sight, so Medic can get out from the flames, pull out his bonesaw and get rid of this threat before— the female spy suddenly appears, throws him to the floor and before he can defend himself, she sliced up his throat. This time he cannot heal himself thanks to Cowboy have exhausted his magic with those flames of his.

When sure the medic is dead for good this time. Kreel steps away from the body and Francis dismisses his flames, both turn at one another but they need time to mend the rift this anger and thirst for revenge they both have been craving for caused, something that almost ruined their relationship.

The female engineer eyes the two and asks them worried. "Are you two going to be alright?"

Francis pulls down his hat with a sad sigh. "I don't know…" He admits and Kreel nods in agreement. They both will try and get through this but… it will be hard.

Rune turns to the last survivor of the enemy team, must admit that he is relieved this engineer is smart enough to know when it's time to give up as the man has put down his weapon and taken his hands up in surrender. "What should we do with him?"

Jack eyes the man, frowning deeply from his thoughts of what they should do. If this has been in the War Games, they would've murdered the man without a second thought but now? After a moment he gives the command. "Throw him and the spy into the cells."

Rune nods and walks over to the man. "Turn around." The engineer does as told and again Rune is glad the man does not fight back as he put the handcuffs on him. He and Wei bring the man to the cells, making sure to keep him and the just awoken spy separated in case they got the idea to escape.

Walking into the cell the Pyro guided him over to. "What's going to happen now?" Engineer asks the red-haired and maskless man slowly.

Rune eyes the man and thinks since this one did not put up a fight, he can reveal this much: "Now we will discuss what we should do with you." Turns to the heavy of the team, and both leave to join the team meeting.

Author's Note

just for fun, what mlp creature do you think each of my OC mercs will be if they ever visited Equestria.

The Alpha Respawn.

Note: This happens right after the last chapter. It is not made after any episodes or comics.

“Hey, Garry, a moment of your time?” Tristan calls for the Second-in-command the second he made this discovery about one of the females Team Fortress brought with them.

“What is it?” Garry asks, walking over to the medic. Tristan nods to the somewhat big woman, by the looks of it, she died from Amadi’s rebound attack. “Something special about this woman?”

“Yes, she is not connected to respawn.” Tristan points out and does wonder out loud since the team yet hasn’t discussed what they should do with Team Fortress. “Since she died only five minutes ago, she should still be capable for the respawn.” The archer eyes the body of this woman, a slight frown on his face from whatever thoughts going through his head. Then after a moment, Garry voices his decision. “Connect her, in case the team does decide to let these nutjobs respawn.” Tristan nods and through a spy watch, calls for Marcos to fetch him the equipment for his giving task. The black dressed spy appear from seemly nowhere not long after, handing the doctor the gear and turns to Garry. “Jack has called for a team meeting.”

Garry nods. “We will be there in three minutes.” Marcus nods and leaves to relay the message. Garry eyes Tristan injecting the woman with the respawn fluid into her spinal cord. “Is she connected?” Tristan does a few checks, straightens up and nod. Good, now it’s time to decide if Team Fortress lockdown from the respawn should be removed or they will stay dead.
The two leaves the sewers and head up to the room made for team meetings. The others are already there and the moment they take a seat, Jack starts the meeting. “Alright, some of you might not like it, but I think we have to talk about what we should do with Team Fortress.”

“What is there to discuss?” Francis asks with a hint of anger of where this discussion might be going. “Surely you are not planning on letting them respawn, after everything they did to us?”

“Well, they were under the War Women’s control like us.” Rune softly points out from his spot, Francis turns to him, asking: “We didn’t go all homicide when they took control of us. Clearly, these people have an evil inside of them.”

Francis got a point but… “Then with that logic, several of us should be axed down as well.” Marcos voices from his spot in the darkest corner of the room. “We might not have gone all evil when the women took control of us, but that’s because we worked out our issues. Back then, those men still dealt with a split soul.”

“And we all know how fun that was.” Jack remarks in a dry sarcasm of the huge headache of becoming whole brought.

He sees their point, but Francis does not want the man who destroyed him to come back from life “I say they stay dead, they are no better than Team Mirage.” He speaks stubbornly on his idea that this team is not worth their time.

“Maybe we should hear their side of the story before we decide.” Garry suggests, he has a feeling they didn’t attack because of the Administrator. “I have a gut feeling there is more to this than we are aware of— well except for Tristan, he probably does know what's going on.” Said doctor smirks at that last remark. “I’m flattered but even I do not know the core reason to why they attacked us, other than they wanted the control of the alpha respawn.”

“I say we should hear the two survivors out before we decide to execute them.” Chio votes, she does not mind killing someone out in battle, but holding a person’s life like this is rather uncomfortable, especially when she does not know on what moral ground they did this. Sophia snorts lightly and says. “Doubt they would have giving us the same chance.” And Chio replies the second woman of the team. “Maybe not, but that does not mean we should do the same.”

Jack eyes Francis and Sophia, the two most against the idea. He can fully understand why and if this has been in the War Games or under any circumstances then he would’ve let them stay dead but, “We will talk with the engineer and spy, then we decide what we should do.” Jack tells everyone and although the two do not fancy the idea, the whole team do respect his role as the team leader and thus his final say in things.
“Rune, get the engineer.” He commands the pyro and gets up from his chair, and adds as he does not know who will be best for the spy. “Which one of you will be best talking to the spy?”

“Sophia should do it.” Tristan speaks up, he does notice the surprised look in their female spy’s eyes but she is smart enough to keep her mouth shut about this secret between the two of them. The only one also aware of the blood relation between their own spy and Team Fortress is Marcos and he nods in agreement, saying. “Her ability to read people and uncanny acting skills is the best choice for interrogating.”

What is Tristan planning? Sophia ponders quietly. Does he really think her being the younger sister of that man will change anything? So much has changed after the slaughter of their family. What she saw in those red eyes from their last encounter was not the same charming chatter-head of a boy she remembers, instead, she saw a man filled with so much self-loath that she doubts he is even capable of love. She does however not argue Tristan’s decision of letting her do the interrogating, brother or not, she will try and get the information of why his team attacked. “You can count on me.” She speaks to their team leader.

Jack nods and with that, dismisses the meeting for now.

**At the prisons**

Sitting on the only chair in this cell, Engineer eyes Spy who looks like he got run over by a truck. “What did they do to you Spy?”

Spy caresses his forehead from a migraine that drug Ace’s son injected into him. “The medic drugged me.” He muses, just loud enough for the Texan to hear him and is no longer really humiliated by this doctor got the better of him. He is the son of Ace after all. “They have magical powers. The medic was able to pacify me by controlling the water in my very body.”

“A man dressed as a cowboy was able to summon flames made out of anger.” Engineer explains Spy, must admit he is still quite shaken up by that experience. If Medic ever survive this then they are going to have a serious talk about the doctor’s habit of experimenting on people. Engineer and the team have gotten somewhat indifferent towards Medic’s urges to open them up and put weird crap into them, but Medic can’t do that to people like that man. “Medic experimented on him.”

Well, that explains everything. “Not all are as understanding as we.” Spy muses and must add as there was a time where the team did not appreciate Medic’s hobby either. “But that was only after he made the Übercharge implant. Before that, I wouldn't hesitate to plunge my knives into him as much I did to the RED team.”

Engineer chuckles weakly, yeah he remember that time as well. Medic only became tolerable when Heavy joined the team, speaking of the team. “Do you think the others are gone for good?” After all, they never succeed in removing the Administrator's block and there is a limit how long a body can stay fresh.

“I don’t see any reason why they would allow them to respawn” Spy remarks coldly and is a bit weirded out at the thought the others might be gone for good. He realizes it’s because he has begun to care for them and this realization makes him groan, fortunately, Engineer did not catch up on it.
The sound of the door makes both him and Engineer turn to the spot and watches Team Vanguard’s pyro walk inside, this time not with the heavy.

Engineer is sort of surprised when this other team’s pyro unlocks his cell door and tells him: “Follow me.”
He does, but not before he casts Spy a glance. Spy returns it with a stoic stare, not at all helping to figure out what the man is thinking.
The pyro brings him into a middle sized and mostly emthy room. In here sits the scout and after the pyro has made him sit on the second chair, the guy leaves.
Engineer watches the scout, wondering what is going to happen now. This feels like an interrogation room, minus the toture devices. After a minute of silence, Engineer asks. “What now?”
The scout eyes him, saying. “Depends on you. We know why you attacked: you want the respawn. What we do not understand.” The scout before relaxed posture shifts into one reminding Engineer of a cop interrogating a robber. “Why the hell would Helen command an attack on us when she has a bigger fish to fry?”
Engineer hesitates for a moment, he is not sure if revealing this will be good or bad but… well, he is sort of desperate here, so he ends up telling the scout about the kidnapping and why they originally attacked this place: to regain the ability to respawn as they needed it in order to stand a chance against Grey’s new group of mercs plus his robot army.

Jack listens intensely to the whole thing, quickly convinced this man speaks the truth as he hears nothing but sincere worry from this worried father. “Why didn’t you try and ask us for help first?” He asks the engineer somewhat confused.

Engineer gives the man a look, answering by asking a question. “Would you have heard us out?” after all, they are both merc groups and there is an untol law that mercenary teams should fight when spotting one another.

Man got a point and back when he worked for Mann Co, then yes, Jack wouldn’t waste a moment to figure out why another team approached them with a white flag up. But this team is not mainly made out of mercs. “In the War Games, no, but now I would.” Scout tells the man, and explains to why: “Half of my team are not mercenaries. They only fight to help those who can’t. if you came under the banner of peace, then the team would’ve demanded I heard you out.”

“Is that’s why you listen to me now Jack?” Engineer asks, for Jack wouldn’t have heard him or anyone on the enemy team out if this has been back in the War Games. Prisoners were only to get the info where the inteligents is located.
Jack quirks a smirk. “You will be surprised how persuasive a black woman can be.” Engineer can’t help but laugh at that remark. He admits that woman sure could put up a fight, then again; he long learned that women can be just as effective on the battlefield as men. “You don’t have to tell me twice. A woman has saved my butt more than I can count.”

Good to hear this once fellow team member has learned that small lesson as well. “So true. So here’s the deal:”

**Down in the prison**

Kreel stands before the man- who happens to be her older brother. The reunion wasn’t as heartwarming as both thought it would be. The years of separation, hardship and both trained to keep their emotions in constant control is making the meeting feel more like a weird convisation between two buinsessmen. However, Kreel is not really here to reunite with her brother and instead asks him on why Team Fortress attacked. Antoine is at first hesitant but after bit of nudging from Kreel, he does end up telling her about his son and the threat Grey made if they did not claim the alpha respawn.
Kreel’s special power made her able to sense emotions and knew that what he told was the honest truth. Did come quite as a surprise, but a good one. She is relieved that her first observation on Antoine not able to love was false, for if he does not love his son from how worried he is, then she does not know what causes those emotions. Satisfied with the answer, Kreel tells the other spy on what Jack is willing to do if this team proves to be up for a permanent ceasefire. “Our scout is willing to make a deal with your team.” Antoine lifts his head slightly, sign she has his full attention. “If you agree on a permanent ceasefire. We will remove Helen’s block on your ability to respawn.”

Spy simply nods that he agrees on these terms, he is, however, a bit curious on how they are planning on bringing those they killed back as some time has passed and he's not sure if respawn can pick people up after ten minutes. That is after all how they knew if the person went through respawn failure. “Have you found a way returning those you have killed back?” His sister, Sophia nods and explains. “Right after we won your assault, we brought all your slain team members to the machine. One of your women didn’t have the liquid in her, so we had to inject it into her. They are still dead but are able to return if we wish.” She smiles at him. “You’re lucky the respawn likes you.”
Spy raises a brow of that last remark but Sophia does not elaborate and he does not ask further questions. What she has told him is very useful, it’s no wonder why this team chose to camp out this close to the alpha respawn.
“When will you bring them back?” He asks.

“The moment we are certain you and the engineer won’t double-cross us and can make sure the rest of your team won’t pick a fight with us again.” Kreel replies and refuses to admit that her brother's team has been incredibly hard to defeat. The only thing that gave them the winning ticket was their powers and ability to respawn.

**later**

The rest of the team, including Miss Pauling and Zhanna return from respawn, unlike the mercs who were used to the phantom sense of being put back together, it took Zhanna a half hour, while Miss Pauling needed a full hour to recover from it that pretty traumatic experience. “How can you deal with this?” Miss Pauling asks the mercs and Demo shrugs, saying. “You get used to it.” Which she highly doubts she ever will and is starting to understand why some mercs lost their sanity in the first weeks of their contract during the gravel war.

After they have recovered, Jack tells the other team members about the deal they made with Engineer and Spy. “We decided to give you one chance.” He crosses his arms. “We do have some conditions before we even will consider helping you out on this rescue mission of yours. First: your medic will help ours in any way of returning engineer’s leg and eyes.”

“And whatever else he took.” Cowboy grumbles under his breath.

Scout’s blue eyes lands on Medic who shift uncomfortably, leaving the doctor he continues. “Second: as long you are here, my team will have full control over your weapons. Go against this rule and we will exterminate you from the respawn. And third: you will tell us your names.” As expected, the Fortress team found that last condition weird and a bit worrying.

“May we ask why you demand knowing our names?” Spy asks, he really does not want to say his name to a bunch of strangers, hell he is uncomfortable revealing it to his team!
His sister is the one explaining. “The administrator made that rule for a reason, so it will be harder to see the person behind the class. We call each other by name to strengthen our comradely.”
With the medic adding in his somewhat grumpy tone. “It will be a pain in the ass separate us without a name. we have three of the same class for crying out loud!”
Got a point but Spy is still not up for it, not like he is giving a choice. He does wonder if only they will have to reveal their names. “Will you do the same?”

“We thought it would only be fair.” The female engineer replies and think she might as well start. “My name is Chio.” And her younger brother quickly follow suit. “Amadi.” and now two of their names has been revealed. Chio suggests the other merc team. ”Would fit best if two of you now will say your names.”

The team eye one another, none of them have really expected to reveal their name like this. They had sort of expected just to know each other by title, only a few of them know each other names.
But this team got a point, they have been fighting side by side for years and as things are going now, many more in the future. Letting out a sigh. “Dell” Engineer speaks, few of his team give him a surprised look. Heavy is the first to recover and reveals his name as well. “I am Mikhail.”

So far so good. “Rune.” The pyro speaks and points at their heavy who looks like he’s taking a nap. “That’s Wei— he does not speak English.” Wei opens his eyes when his name got mentioned but soon is back to his nap as he already has been told this was going to happen.

Seems like they really are doing this, Sniper thinks, lets out a sigh. “Lawrence” He turns to Demo when he reveals his name as well. “Tavish.”

“I am Tristan.” The medic speaks and to a certain spy’s surprise, the black dressed spy speaks up next. “Marcos.”

Soldier grumbles, he does not like revealing this and would rather fight them but the others made it clear they need these people’s corporation. “Alright fine! My name is Jane Doe and that is all you get out from me, maggot!” The scout raises a brow. “That’s the name of an unidentified female.” He points out. Does that man insult his good name?! “Got anything against my name pinetree?! My name comes from great America and will carry it with honor until I get shot dead and respawn won’t throw me back into the fight!”

“Just go with it.” Tavish tells the very confused other team. He and the other knows this is not the name Soldier was born with but it’s what he calls himself and thus will only react on it besides from his class name.
The scout turns to his team’s medic and Tristan says without meeting his eyes. “Yes, and no this idiot won’t react on it.” Wait, does that man knows Solly’s true name?? How did he manage that?
The scout facepalm but does fortunately not ask further questions. Instead, he waits for someone else to speak up their name. Proves to be Medic. “Argh fine! If it makes you feel better. My name is Josef.”

“Much better.” The scout says deadpan and points at himself. “I’m Jack.” and the sniper who sits rather chill on his chair. “Garry Lockstin.”

Spy really does not like this but it has to be done unless they want this very uneasy alliance to go down the drain. “This does not leave this building.” He warns pretty much everyone. His sister ensures him. “Would never dream of it.” The black spy nods that he too won’t blackmail him for revealing his name. “My name is Antoine.” Spy finally speaks, not sure how to feel about all of this.
The Vanguard team eye their masked pyro, she does not seems aware of them, probably taking a trip through her dream world of rainbows and candy.
Engineer elbow her and Pyro notice that everyone is staring at her but makes no move in removing the mask or talking for that matter.
So Engineer- or Dell has to ask the other team. “Is it alright is our Pyro does not say anything? I mean they have only recently trusted us to see their face.”
Team Vanguard shows who they think as their leader when everyone turns to the scout, quite a surprise seeing a scout as the boss of anything. Probably because he is used to scouts- including his own son being impatient and immature in anything other than doing a kill. This scout, however, has the attitude of a man who has been in the military. Perhaps had his own squad before he became a Mann Co scout. The scout crosses his arms and after a moment of silence. “Fine, but that means you won’t know the true name of one of us.”
“That would be me.” His sister says cheerily. “You can call me Kreel.” Antoine frowns lightly, not because she refused to reveal her name but of this nickname she chose. He does not recall she has ever called herself Kreel back when they were kids, must’ve been a name she picked up in their time of separation.

“I am Francis. Wish I could say it is nice meeting you,” Francis turns to Josef, small flames appear on his hands. “but it’s really not.”

“Cut it out Francis, we don’t have time for another cleanup!” Jack snaps at him and slowly the flames around Francis' hands dissapears. He really looks forward not have to deal with that crap. Jack turns to the two women, however only one needs to speak her name. “We already know Miss Pauling. any merc of Mann Co knows the obedient bird of the cold hearted bitch.” Miss Pauling shoots him a glare which he completely ignores. Instead turns to the bigger woman.

“I am Zhanna.”

“Alright, now we can get down to business. Josef, Tristan will show you our infirmary.” Jack tells the man his team like the least of this group of people.

Tristan gets up from his seat and is going to say this straight out to this new doctor. “You better not mess up my stuff, and if I find some organ in a jar I haven’t labeled myself- I swear to god I won’t stop Francis turning you into a crisp.”

What a buzzkill. “Oh, so you are one of those doctors.” Josef remarks deadpan, already knowing he and this medic won’t get any educational chats. This other medic going by the name of Tristan shoots him a glare. “Yes I am one of those taking the oath seriously. Deal with it.” Well at least he is honest about it, Josef thinks and follows the man to the infirmary.

“What are those?” Spy asks, making the whole team follow his finger to the now very strange crystal looking object that somehow knocked Ignis out and the alicorn has yet not woken from that.

To be honest. “We are not really sure.” Amadi admits. “They are part of the respawn machine and for some reason only react positively on us.” He gestures at the team. “Everyone else gets knocked out like your flaming comrade.” So imagen his surprise when the other team’s pyro cheerfully touches the root and instead of getting knocked out like any other besides them would, their pyro gain a power which is the ability to summon flames. Everyone jaw fall at the sight, Amadi does recover fairly quickly and remarks to his team. “Oh how lovely, another guy able to control fire.” Rune sends a bemused look to Francis but his bad eyesight kept him from noticing.

“What the bloody hell is going on?!” Sniper demands for he can’t for the life of him figure out why Pyro suddenly can create flames after have touched some object that knocked Ignis out!

Seeing this, Jack realizes they might indeed not be as alone in this as they thought. “Come.” He says and bring them to the respawn machine.

Miss Pauling gasp of what she is seeing. Instead of a large machine inside a metallic room, she remembers back when the doctors connected her to it all those years ago. The alpha respawn now looks like someone has planted a tree out of crystal and let it grow underneath the machine. This tree is so entangled with the machine that it looks to be part of it, in its trunk is the computer keeping track on those connected to the machine, further up is the liquid the doctors injected into the mercs and up at the branches are each of the core data of the people connected to it. The roots of the tree has been what they have spotted through the building, made sure that removing it, one has to destroy the whole building. “How did this tree get here?!” She exclaims in disbelief seeing it, fear it might destroy part of the machine which can be what has caused respawn failure.
The cowboy dressed engineer- Francis limps past her as he explains. “Over the years this tree began forming around the respawn machine, according to the logs in the system, the technicians tried to remove it but all ended up knocked out like the fire technician of yours. They were forced to leave it alone and as time passed this tree came to be.” He titles his head towards her. “I have studied this strange phenomenon and for some reason, it seems respawn and this tree is the very same thing. If we kill the tree, then everyone connected to respawn might drop dead as well.”

“Any idea why mercs from the past would fail to respawn?” Dell asks. This is the alpha respawn after all. He blinks when the other engineer replies with a strange smirk on his face. “Try and ask it, who knows, maybe the respawn is in a chatty mood.” Dell turns to the rest of the team, they too have no idea what Francis spoke about. He hesitates but does walk over to the computer embedded in the middle of this crystal tree trunk and again after some hesitating, he writes ‘report’ but instead of a report about the mercs connected to it.

‘stop fighting?’

Dell stares dumbfounded at the question the machine wrote. He eyes the Vanguard team, the female engineer walks over and read the message, she lets out a small laugh and writes ‘yes’.

The machine replies ‘that is good, no need fight fellow bearers’.

Those words make it run cold down Dell’s back and he asks it. ‘who are you?’

‘we are alpha respawn’

That’s quite the surprise that he is talking to the alpha respawn but not really mindblowing as Grey also has created mildly sentient robots, some he and the others fight daily. Does make him wonder if this machine is aware enough about why most cornected to it would die. ‘what caused the past respawn failure? Why did the past people cornected die?’ the machine did not reply for some time and for a moment Dell thinks the machine has no idea what he asked, but then.

‘their heart so dark, cold. Tried to help, make them see we cannot do program with so much dark in heart. They did not hear, so they die.’

Dell’s jaw falls in shock of what the machine has just told him, slowly he turns to the others, just as Jack voices his thoughts on the subject on why some people die and others live.

“If you want to hear my opinion on it, I say the respawn is choosing.”

“No.” Everyone turns to Dell and he, quite shaken up tells them what the respawn told him. “It’s… it’s the other way around. We choose its help.”

“Wait what?” Amadi eyes wide in surprise and voices what the rest of his team think. “It has never been that smart. Usually, we can only make it tell us about our condition.”

Curious about this spike of awareness and also wondering why this tree’s branches have the exact numbers as the Element. Dell pulls out the goggles he and Time-Turner made and puts them on. He gasps of what he is seeing. This tree is brimming with magic! And checking the Vanguard members he sees that they are surrounded by the colors of the elements, Jack is surrounded in yellow like Soldier were in Equestria. As the Element of courage. “Well now I be.” He muses as he looks at himself, he and the others glow a faintly white while Pyro glows her Element color. It seems that by touching the tree they gain this magic, which must be the source to their strange powers. He notices the female engineer has the same glow as Pyro, that must mean she has that element as well. “I think I know why the respawn got more aware with us around.” He says and takes off the goggles.
Turning to the confused Vanguard team. “It’s gonna sound strange and you might even think I am crazy, but I promise you what I am about to tell is the honest truth.”

“That’s my Element, keep your own.” Tavish calls out laughing. Dell sends him a smile before he tells the Vanguard team about Equestria and what Ignis told them about a being called Harmony who supposedly is the creator of the Elements, the very Elements who reside inside all of them.
When he is done, the Vanguard team exchanges looks with one another, Garry being the one admitting. “That… is a lot to take in.”

“Yeah, more so when you are the one ending up in it.” Tavish points out, but he is quite happy they did come to that world, sure opened their eyes for certain viewpoints. The black spy- Marcos stares at the tree for a moment before he speaks. “If what you say is true, then why would the respawn accept to keep people like us alive?” Tavish would like to know that as well, good thing the tree can tell them.

‘You have lot of discord, but want to walk in path of harmony. ‘ The respawn replies after Francis has asked it. Both teams eye one another, humbled by the words that they all have done terrible things but their determinating to do better has been what saved them from dying like the rest.

Did confuse one of them though why they have been the only ones. “I’m surprised not more people survived.” Lawrence voices and asks some of the people who have been connected to respawn way longer than he has. “Didn’t the former mercs share any form of comradery?”

“Why should they?” Miss Pauling asks quietly and feels really bad she made sure that rule of Helen, the one that the people hired shouldn’t become friends- it has been the death of so many. “You were forbidden in becoming friends.”

“So I noticed.” Tavish muses dryly from his spot on one of the large roots of the tree. Jane eyes him, quietly agreeing that he didn’t like them got pitted against one another by the Administrator because of their friendship.

Jack shares that same thought. “That is why Team Vanguard went AWOL, we couldn’t stand the thought of fighting alongside people who could turn on us if the pay got good enough.” Francis, Tristan and Marcos nod in agreement, latter adding. “I don’t like to be around people I cannot trust, my job is dangerous enough as it is.”

The others quietly agree with him on that, they do have sort of mix feelings in the fact that the only thing that keeps them alive is because they ignored their contract and instead listened to their emotions and need for comradely. That new knowledge is for some very humbling as they know how hard it has been to get on good terms with the others and that made them so much more thankful for the friendships they gained.

**Later**

When Ignis finally regained consciously, he was quite startled to see the tree and told the mercs. “I never thought I would see Harmony’s tree. Only the king and queens of the alicorns were allowed to see it.” and that made him fully believe that the reason the respawn knocked him out was because he was unworthy. Turns out the real reason is that the respawn mistook him for a threat as one of those past technicians who tried to cut the tree down and simple defended itself. None of the mercs told Ignis that small fact.
Watching this powerful alicorn tiptoe around the roots of the respawn was too hilarious to watch.

Author's Note

yeah, I just went there. the Tree of Harmony is in the human world and is part of the respawn, so now the question is: what about the tree in Equestria?

Team Interaction

Note: This happens about an hour after the last chapter. It is not made after any comic or episode and the mercs of Team Vanguard are all my OC's.

Since several of Team Vanguard didn’t fully trust the other team would keep their words on the ceasefire, Jack decided they should stay in the area that once was a large office, now just a huge empty room. Wei puts down the mattresses and sheets while Jack tells team Fortress. “This room will be your sleeping quarters. How you will handle it is up to you.” Adding mostly to Antoine. “Don’t bother sneaking around at night.” Well aware that spies have a tendency of doing just that. “Chio has put up cameras all over the building, so even if you do cloak; she will know if you have gone places you're not supposed to.” The other spy does of course not show it but Jack has a strong feeling he is annoyed by this. With that warning said, Jack explains this new ally group. “When we have repaired our defenses and the medics have figured out how to return Francis back to the field, then we can talk about saving your scout and Dell’s boy from the Mirage team.” and with that, he leaves.

“This is going too slow.” Dell grumbles, who knows what this other team is doing to his son? But as his own brain and Miss Pauling reminds him. “They are still unsure we are trustworthy. Jack has any reason of being wary of us.” Dell sighs and nods he understand, truly he does. Doubt he would trust anyone from an enemy team. He had trouble even trusting the clone of Keahi back in the War Games. “I know, it’s just…” Logan did not ask for this. If anyone should be captured and possibly tortured; it should be him.

Antoine can relate with their engineer, he too worries deeply on how his own boy is doing. Unlike Dell’s son who is only leverage, Jeremy has information and he has been working long enough for Mann Co to know that the mercs the company hires are not known for their mercy or sympathy. So it is very lucky they managed to form this shaky alliance with this other merc team. He is certain the only reason for this is because both teams share the connection of the Elements residing in their bodies and he happens to be blood-related to one of their spies. Without that, then the outcome could’ve been a whole lot different. “They will help us as soon they know we are on their side.” He tells Dell and the Texan nods slowly. Reclaiming a cigarette from his disguise kit. “My suggestion; we should stay on our best behavior.”

“Spy’s right.” Miss Pauling says. “They won’t help if they fear we will stab them in the back.” Casting a weird look to Tavish as he remarks with a laugh. “Doubt the respawn will be happy if we start fighting again.”
Brushing the fact that the respawn has gained a sense of sentience aside, Miss Pauling explains the team she will try and speed things up by talking to the Vanguard team leader but won't make any promises as Jack really do not trusts her.

**Next day**

“Up and at it boys!” Chio calls out to the hall, slamming two pots together, quite the rude waking, her own team is used to it though. Team Fortress is more or less as well, but they are used to it’s their soldier doing the rude alarm clock shtick.

“Seems like every team has one of those...” Lawrence grumbles and leaves the madras he has been sleeping on, he is the first fully dressed, but Jane is not far behind.
The two leave the room they have been sleeping in, and very easily find the place where the Vanguard team eats. Lawrence is a bit hesitant in joining these other people but when none of them really reacts when Jane takes a seat and claim the newly warmed bread, he joins at the table and quietly starts eating.
The others join not long after, the breakfast happens in silence, none sure if they should speak since this alliance is still on thin ice.

Chio is the one who breaks this awkward silence, telling everyone at the table. “The main entrance is in serious need of repairs.” She turns to Mikhail and Jane. “And I could use your manpower, so when you’re done eating—“

“I don’t take orders from a woman!” Jane snaps back, not noticing the others staring at him in disbelief or facepalm.

Chio is quick to throw this ball back though. “Oh I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you needed balls between your leg to be good enough for such things!" she retorts, miffed at this subject once again came up. "Since you are too manly to hear me out, then what about you do it all by yourself?” She asks the quite caught off guard Jane hard, leaves and a moment later throws a checklist at his face. “This is what I found of disrepair, but since you don’t need me then perhaps you should check the place all over again.”

Not wanting to be looked down at a black woman. “And I will!” Jane declares and leaves, not realizing he got played by her.

Chio, still more than miffed over being insulted that she was lacking a chromosome, turns to the others. “Anyone else going to whine about my gender?” She demands them angrily, hands on her hips and looks more than ready to go on a tantrum on them as well. “Or will you let me do my job in making sure not another team of idiots blow up half of our base?”

Tavish can’t help but laugh of the sass from this woman. “That’s a woman after my heart! Too bad I am already taken.” He remarks to her, Chio chuckles and winks grinning to him. “So am I brother, now could you help our own Demoman in restocking our bombs?”

“Sure thing” Tavish salutes, unlike Solly he can see this woman knows what needs to be done and won’t question her. Leaving the table, he quickly spots the other Demoman and follows this also black but only a few years older than their own scout man. “You don’t sound like you’re from the savanna’s.” This younger Demoman remarks and he replies. “Nah, I’m from Scotland lad.” Amadi makes a ‘ohhh’ sound and after a moment of silence he says. “I and Chio are from South Africa.” That’s interesting, it’s not often he meets fellow black people and least ones originating from their original home continent. “How long have you been here in America?”
Amadi chuckles weakly. “Couple of years maybe? We came here in search of a job but Americans really do not like black people.”
Yup, he knows that feeling too. He and Solly sure hell didn’t start on good terms, it was only when they found out they both liked to hear the history of bombs they started getting on speaking terms. It was slow but over time Jane got able to look past his skin color.
“How did the two of you join this team then?” He asks Amadi, from what he got through the speeches Miss Pauling made during the War Games. Women were not allowed to become a merc, which is weird since their pyro proved to be one. Maybe because they got low on merc? Who knows, he was drunk half the time during those meetings.

Amadi still laughs of that memory. “Oh man, it was the funniest thing I had seen for a long time. Marcos had caught scent of Chio’s skills with computers and mine with explosives. He told us his team needed people like us and asked if we were interested. As you can see, we agreed. Jack was not happy, he was a huge racist jerk back then. Chio responded by kicking him right in the noggin before she walked over and helped Francis to fix their intercom.”

Tavish whistle of Chio boldness, she got guts he gives her that. “What did Jack do… after he recovered?”

“From the kick to the balls or his team be so amused that they straight out told him she has to stay?” Amadi laughs which his fellow black man does as well. “He was reluctant but let us stay and over time came to appreciate both her and me.” Both turn to the door when the sound of Chio start yelling at someone, reveals to be Jack by the sound of the voice. What they can hear it sounds like they are arguing about how to fix the sewer system. “They do that a lot. The rest of us simply lets them blow off their steam on one another.” He explains to his fellow Demoman. “Garry will step in if they get too caught up in the discussion— he’s our mediator you see.”

“Huh, I think we have one of those too.” Tavish realizes much to his own amusement. “Ours is Engineer.” Amadi laughs and asks with beaming eyes from talking with a fellow Demo. “Do you have the power duo as well?” Oh yeah, although he has another word for that duo, they have gotten more relaxed showing they are an item to the rest of the team. “Aye, that’s our medic and heavy. They make a mean übercharge pair.”

Amadi takes a moment to figure out what Tavish meant by übercharge. “Ohh you mean the charge— that’s what we call it. Well, our medic prefer using the Quick-fix, so we don’t have the charge. He usually sticks to Jack or me but we aren’t the big guns of the team.”

“Let me guess, one of them is the cowboy engineer.” Tavish says, what Dell told him, that man proved his powers when he gave Engie and Medic one hell of a smackdown yesterday, he nearly turned doc into a crisp! Reminds him never to piss off that man.

“He is our strongest guy, but he is not one of the power duo.” Amadi points out, Francis is deadly of course but only when he is really, really angry and usually he is hard to anger. So far only people daring to make a move or hurt Kreel and Fortress's medic has succeeded in making Francis angry. Usually, Francis prefers to stay back and work as the defense, letting the others go on the offensive. “Our power duo is pyro and heavy.”

“Really?”

Amadi nods. “Really, you will be surprised how much those two can wreck things when they first decide to team up.” The older Demoman laughs and as they head into the workshop to do the task Chio asked them. “Oh, I think that what killed me during our fight yesterday, not sure, I barely saw it coming.” Amadi laughs. “Yeah, that happens often when they start on that team up attack.”

** In the infirmary**

“Absolutely not!” Tristan snaps at this man who dares to call himself a doctor. “We will not use animal parts! I don’t care if it is easier, will make him stronger or whatever you think. We are going to use human parts, end of story.”

Annoyed Josef throws up his arms, already getting tired of this man stubbornness. “Your way is going to take forever! I doubt our scout can wait for you to find a suitable donor.” It’s not like Francis will feel the difference if his new organs will be from animals. Getting animal organs are surprisingly easier to get human organs, surely three spies can track down the parts they need on the black market. But nooo, this doctor is so darn set on sticking to the book. “Trust me, I have done this several times on my own team, it takes some skill but it works. Besides, I don’t hear them complaining.” He tells Tristan in matter of fact and is about to tell the other doctor about his accomplishment of the übercharge.

“Not anymore perhaps.” Tristan retorts with crossed arms. “But I am certain they did back when you started. Not like you cared I am sure. You might be smart, but there is a fine line between genius and insanity and you are clearly insane.” The other doctor brushes it off by saying apprehensive. “You have to be a bit insane when working for Mann Co.” True, for Mann Co to even consider hiring one, that person should already have a resume coated in blood. “I won't deny that. They want good doctors, and I am sure they saw you perfect for the job. Never mattered to them that one's accomplishments are covered in blood from innocent people, in fact, I think they wanted you to continue the experiment you did in Auschwitz.” As expected, that hit a nerve. Josef spins to him, sneering. “Don't mention that place, what I did; I only did it to survive!”
He thinks not, the operation to make the charge work is a clear indication of his old habits from that camp hasn't been erased during the War Games. “You might say that, and maybe you did it in the start. But don't come and tell me you're the victim when your past behavior told otherwise. We saw how indifferent you was about using animal organs by the sheer reason you want to see how the body reacts on it. I watched you laugh while you tore out Francis's eyes, glee at my struggle to recover from the drug you injected into me in order to save a comrade." Tristan walks past the man, telling him hard. "You can deny it as much as you like, but you can't fool me saying you did not have a choice. You enjoy performing these horrid experiments-- does not matter for what reason, as long you get something out from it, the torment of that person has been for the greater good.”

Josef fists his hands, fuming in anger of the nerve of this man, but deep down… he knows Tristan is right. This was how he was in the past… how he still is. Does not mean he likes hearing it. “Don’t lecture me about morals." He snaps at the other doctor. "Your papers told you have been just as bad as me.” Tristan's face reveals nothing of what the man is thinking, like Antoine, this man has the perfect poker face.

“I won’t deny that, yes I can be cruel and has done things I do regret. Most of those things I did during the War Games.” Tristan voices somewhat softly, he walks over to the blackboard showing diagrams on his theories how the alpha respawn works. “And yet, what I have done is only a drop in the bucket compared to you. To be honest, I am surprised respawn kept you alive for this long.” The other doctor does not answer, glancing back Tristan notices that Josef has a face that reveals he too is confused about this. That is interesting but Tristan is not really looking to sympathize this man who caused his team so much despair. “Maybe it hasn’t and you are living on borrowed time.” He turns back to his calculations. “I do wonder how your team will react on your respawn failure. Will they care? I doubt it, you are the sole reason why my team does not trust your team. And because of this, your scout-- along with that innocent child will suffer.” Tristan this time turns fully around to the German and calmly remarks to the trembling man. “Not that you would care, surely you could’ve done so much more harm than Team Mirage ever could.”

He tried to keep it cool, but this man just had to keep pushing it. Josef’s hands flare with magic and in reaction to his now quite messy emotions of anger and despair, it lashes out.
Tristan flinches from the sudden attack, surprised he strokes a finger over the slash wound he received over his shoulder, eyeing the blood for a moment the man then turns his hard gaze to Josef, who is more than a little startled on how the magic reacted. This has never happened before, and it scares him in knowing this power can strike out, both on those surrounding him but also against his own body in reaction to his deep regret. He backs away from the intense watching and also glaring Tristan. “That was an accident...” He tells the man weakly, not wanting to ruin the alliance for the others, least when they need Team Vanguard’s corporation in order to be able to respawn.

Tristan believes the man this time, he knows how hard it is to fake startled reactions, and looking in Josef’s eyes, he can see fear in those steel-blue orbs, he does forget about that when he notices that the slash over the cheek the German got from this weird power— Josef hasn’t touched the roots of the alpha respawn. Whatever this is, Tristan’s own curiosity is perked when watching the other man’s wound heal right before his eyes. This does give him an idea, and this is the time where his own cruelty comes into play. “I believe you.” He tells the other man and with his own power, he forces Josef down onto his knees, and inject the same drug he gave Antoine yesterday into the man. The moment Josef was knocked out, he does not waste a second in his own experiment, well aware this self-healing might reduce the time on that sleep sedation.

He does wake sooner than expected, all thanks to the self-healing this magic Celestia granted him. He wakes in a very inappropriate timing and Josef cry of pain got muffled by the gag the other doctor has been smart enough to stuff into his mouth, well aware that no person can stay quiet when their leg's gets cut open. Instinctive he tries to get away but again Tristan has been smart and restrained him to the medical table, keeping him in place.
“And this is where my form of cruelty comes in.” Tristan tells him in a matter of fact as he cuts deeper into the leg with his own bonesaw. Curiously, not much blood leaves the torn flesh. “I will do whatever it takes to heal those I care about. Even if it means the torture of another.”
Josef does not yell at the man nor curses his name. He gets it, not sure what Tristan is trying to get from him, only that he does it for Francis sake.
Another muffled scream of the excruciating pain from Tristan cutting past the muscles and almost passes out when the blond breaks the thighbone. Josef must say that this pain scales up to the same level as Pyro's flames, again he understands why the other doctor does not bother to give him anesthetic to this procedure, for starters it won’t work and another… well, Josef has a feeling that the true reason why Tristan does not give him any is the blond's way of cruel retribution.
So true, Josef really gets the sense what it means to be the victim on the table, forced to suffer from a doctor unknown experiment. However even if he is in great pain, Josef do take notice that he is barely bleeding even if his whole thigh has been opened up. He’s in too much agony to figure out why but he does note himself in asking when Tristan is done.

Tristan grabs a hypodermic needle and sucks out the bone marrow from the German’s bone. He does not close up the leg as he needs to be sure he got enough for this idea he got. Leaving Josef, he heads over to his telescope, checks the cells and smirks seeing that the generative ability are in there as well. “Perfect.” He pulls out both the tissue and blood sample he got from Francis, tries to mix them up with Josef bone marrow cells. What he gets is encouraging but he needs more time and a deeper understanding of the cloning progress if this is going to work. Oh, which reminds him.
Tristan picks up another needle, walks over to Josef who does a rather good job not screaming his lungs out from the agony he’s definitely going through. “Good news, you might actually redeem yourself towards my team.” He smirks, grabs the other man’s jaw so he won’t move and jag the needle into his eyes.

**Inside the workshop**

Garry and Francis do each their repairs on weapons, the archer does it on his own bow from the hit it took from Ignis while Francis smelt more bullets for the team, he does stop his work for a moment when Garry suddenly asks. “What do you think of Fortress?” Francis lets out a grunt as his only reply, he still thinks they did a mistake letting this team respawn. The only thing keeping him from shooting them all is the fact that he respects Jack.
Garry does not speak further, good for Francis is not really in the mood for talking. He does feel bad he isn’t, but it’s hard to let go of his anger, more when he is reminded what that doctor did to him every time he walks or tries to read. At least he can still be of some use by making the team bullets, but he misses working with more detailed tasks.
A knock and Francis stops his work, turning he can see it’s Fortress’s engineer with the pyro close behind.

“Would it be alright if I helped you out?” Dell asks the other engineer as polite as he can. He has no wish in anger Francis, partly because of the man’s power but mainly because he knows in order to save Scout and his son, they need Vanguard’s help. Francis huffs and returns back to work… okay? Dell is not sure if that is a hint he should get out or if it’s alright to stay.

Well, seems like he again has to be the one building bridges. “You good in repairs?” Garry asks Dell, and hands the other engineer his metal bow. “It got quite the beating and my skills in engineering is not that great.” He explains the other man, thinking this simple task might put them both on good foot with one another.

Francis knows what Garry is doing, man always been the friendly one but it still angers him that he cannot do the archer’s repairs anymore. “I can’t do it since your medic gorged out my eyes.” He remarks darkly and has to take a deep breathe when flames appear around his hands.

He did see those flames though, and that remark… Dell can only imagine how the man is feeling. The mere thought of losing the ability to build, be a hindrance instead of an important asset to the team, it’s scary. At least Me- Josef realized his mistake. “Doc is trying to make up for it.” Dell tells the other engineer somberly.

“Only because we didn’t give him a choice.” Francis snorts and now on the subject, he stops his work entirely and turns to this seemly friendly man, but they all saw his true side when the War Women got a hold on him. And you might as well drop the act, I know you don’t really care about any of us.” His bad eyesight made him unable to see the shocked face on the other engineer. “All you care about are machines and how much better it is compared to human flesh." He points at Dell's right hand. "I know what’s hiding under that glove of yours.”

Dell fists his gloved hand, and a darker part of him is disappointed it’s not metal, while another is relieved. He removes the glove and shows the angry man it’s still out of flesh. Francis stares dumbfounded at the hand, so Dell explains. “The merge of my two souls returned my hand to normal. I dealt with parts of metal from what the side you met did.” He lightly touches the spots he and the doc removed the metal parts. Thanks to the medigun, there aren’t any scars. “I won’t deny that I do consider metal stronger than flesh, but… well, it does not mean I should replace my whole body with it and only think logically as a machine does.”

“Wish you learned that back when your other tried to give me a robot leg.” Francis remarks, he notices Garry leaves the room but he’s more interested in having this talk with the once enemy.

“Why didn’t you get it?” Dell asks confused. “It would’ve—“

“I’m old fashion Dell.” Francis stops him. “If you lose a limp, then you gotta live without that limp.” He touches the googles working as his eyes. “I would’ve accepted this if it happened through a freak accident or if it was my own darn fault. But your medic did this on purpose and he enjoyed every second of it.” Flames appear around his shoulders, making Dell take a step back. “I do not trust any of you from Team Fortress, the only reason I haven’t killed you is because Jack is willing to give you people a chance.” Francis turns back to his task. “I don’t need your pity, so shut up and repair what I no longer can.”

Well, so much in trying to be friendly. Dell can’t really blame him though, can only hope the man gets a bit more receptive when he’s not missing his leg and eyes. “Alright.” He replies softly, walks over and starts repairing the other team sniper’s bow. Keahi joins him, sits on a nearby stool and swings her leg while watching him tinker with the metal bow. She does for a moment eye Francis and before Dell can stop her, she has walked over to him and with a few muffled words summoned a flame in her palms. Francis stares at the flame, then to Dell's surprise. He chuckles. "Yeah, I can only do that when angry." Keahi speaks again, pointing at his hat.
Francis grabs the tip of it. "Just a silly hobby of mine, I'm not really a cowboy." He takes the hat off and puts on Pyro, the firebug claps her hands like an excited child, much to Francis amusement and the smiling man returns back to work.
Dell is quite baffled how the firebug made the man open up, she really has a talent in that it seems. "Don't use your flames, alright." He tells Pyro. "Can't have you burn his hat." Turning to the cowboy dressed man when he remarks. "Don't worry about that, my hat and uniform are fireproof. I learned that the hard way. My team heavy likes to stick near the machines and that is not really helping when his minigun spews out flames like sand caught in a storm."
Dell chuckles. "You think that's bad, try and deal with one who thinks fire is the way of making friends. I have to keep a bucket of water nearby all the time because of Pyro here." Pyro giggles from her spot, Francis looks up in surprise, then laughs. "You have your work cut out for you." That Dell can more than agree on and more than thankful Keahi broke the ice for them.

**Infirmary**

Mikhail had walked inside to be sure Josef haven’t gotten any crazy ideas with Vanguard’s doctor, instead he found the other team doctor has restained and doing some sort of horrific experimenting on Josef which is causing the man tremendous of agony. He didn’t think, merely reacted. With a roar, Mikhail grabs the blond man and throws him into a shelf, half of its contents fall down from the impact. Mikhail turns back to Josef, fear welling up in him when the torn open leg begins to spew out blood in a scarily fast pace. He tries to stop the bleeding but in matter of seconds, Josef bleeds out. Mikhail stares at the dead man for a moment, first in shock how fast Josef died, then he takes note that the wounds are the exact same spots as the male engineer. He turns slowly around to the recovering man. “Explain yourself or I will crush any bone.” He growls dangerously and the doctor better has a good excuse for this.

Tristan corrects his medical coat, must admit this heavy caught him by surprise. “He would’ve done the same.” He brushes off his action but does come on other ideas when Mikhail strong hands grab him around the throat. Seems like there is someone who cares about the German after all. “Alright, alright...!” He wheezes through the death grip. Before he can explain himself though. Marcos must’ve been nearby, for the black dressed spy appears right beside the large Russian, pointing his revolver at the man’s head. “Let go of him, now.” Marcos warns him dead serious, about to warn the rest of the team but Tristan stops him with one of their secret hand signs. Marcos is confused but he does- although slowly- lower his weapon. As hoped, Mikhail releases his grip around his throat. Recovering from almost getting strangled, Tristan explains the man, going to Russian as it sounded like the man still has trouble with the English language. “/I discovered your medic has some passive healing ability, and calculated I could use his stem cells in order to regrow a new leg and eyes for Francis./”

Mikhail blinks surprised that this man can Russia, he does quickly push that aside and asks, also on Russia. “/Where are these stem cells located?/”

“/Practically everywhere in the body, but I needed those found in the bone marrow. I went for the eyes for that reason as well ./” Tristan replies and after a moment he adds. “/His passive healing ability made him nullify analgesic, so I didn’t bother to give him any./”

Mikhail nods slowly, accepting this explanation as a good enough reason for what the man did to Josef. But even if Josef would’ve done the same, it does not mean he will let people experiment on Josef. He will look past it this time but he won’t hesitate to kill Tristan if he finds the man cutting up Josef like that again. “Better got enough stem cells.”

Yeah, he sure hopes so too. Mikhail’s tone makes it clear that if he wants more then he has to fight this man and Tristan does not think he can restrain this man by his water ability nor drown him fast enough before Mikhail here kills him with his bare hands. Tristan nods and leaves to clean up the mess the short struggle caused.

Marcos stares at the large man, quietly giving Mikhail the warning that the Russian has to kill him first before getting to Tristan. Mikhail returns the gaze that this protective nature is mutual and for some weird reason, that gives both men a sort of understanding. Mikhail leaves the doctor and spy in the infirmary and steps inside the room the respawn is programmed to put them after it’s done putting them together.
“Why did you not fight back?” Mikhail asks after Josef has respawned.

Josef looks at his slightly trembling hands, he can feel the magic reacting from Tristan’s harsh words. “I deserved it, knowing how it feels to be at the receiving end...” He muses. He will never tell the stick in the mud doctor this, but in some sense, Josef is thankful Tristan did this to him. A harsh lesson he really needed someone to tell him straight out and won't give him any slack before he shows he is serious in becoming a better person.

Author's Note

I am planning making interaction with more of the two teams in the future. feel free to suggest who you would like to read about.

Back Again

Note: This happens a week after the last chapter. part of it is based on the episode "One Bad Apple"

Grey has been careful to keep father and son separated, only letting Dell know that he has a grip over him in knowing his son is still alive. The Mirage mercs, no longer trying to go against Grey thanks to the Sirens, brought the boy to his father but only long enough for Dell to know his son is alive and not too badly hurt. He wanted to hug his son, have the chance to take him away but know that's not how Grey is playing this game. He's only allowed longer meetings with his son the moment he has gotten past the Administrator's block and allow team Mirage to be connected to the respawn as well.

He hates to do it, but he does not really have a choice. Besides, even if Team Mirage got connected, the chance of them going through a respawn failure is great as they do not exhibit the virtues the Elements of Harmony finds important. Sure, the enemy team might get the perk of long life, but the ability to respawn? Dell highly doubts it.
His power to see how something works down to the tiny details has mostly faded but Dell still had just enough of this power to know how the machine Chio gave him works and get past the firewall Grey's technician had sat up. With this, he can warn his own and Jack’s team that staying in the building holding the Alpha Respawn is really a bad idea.

‘The Sirens somehow can drain our powers and use it to gain strength. They did it with Jane and only pure luck that Grey need my mind clean saved me from getting under their control.’

Not long after he gets a reply: ‘We got your message. Sorry, but you are on your own now.’

Dell understands why they have to abandon him and the others, it’s just too dangerous with the Sirens able to gain strength on the magic they can pick up from the Elements residing inside the Alpha Respawn.
Still, it would’ve been nice knowing the team would've been ready to charge the building if needed, but guess that’s not an option. Dell begrudgingly returns back to work on the block.

**down in the prison cells**

Zhanna is doing a bit better as she has been thrown into the same cell as Scout, he is quite beaten up, but according to his words. “Could’ve been worse I guess. they are more interested in getting a hold on…” He does not finish the sentence, but Zhanna knows who Grey truly wanted his hands on. “Your father.”

Scout blinks that she knows about this. “How did you?— never mind, what is the plan? You do have a plan right?”

“If little man stop talking, Zhanna will tell" Which he does. Good thing this annoying chatterhead knows how to shut up and Zhanna explains that she and his two team members all have some sort of residue that will take them. “—to land of ponies when set on fire.”

“Ohhh like when Ignis teleported us.” Scout realizes and must admit that this plan is quite clever. “So, now we just have to figure out and set this whole place on fire— man where is Pyro when you need them?” He laughs weakly. Scout does not notice the unamused look on Zhanna’s face.

“Engineer gave me lighter that burn very strong.”

So she has the way to get them out from this place all along? “Really? Then why haven’t you used it?” He demands.
“The women have my maggot bear, I will not sleep easy without him.” The Russian woman explains quite upset and angry about this fact.
Uhhh okay, at least his old man is better doing pet names. “Just set him on fire, someone in Equestria is able to put him straight again.” Scout tells her, he heard from the others that their partner has the ability to snap them back to normal by a simple touch. So they simply need to get Solly to Derpy.

Zhanna casts the scout a look, she was already aware of this, but how does he think she can do that when those woman has stolen her future husband and keeps him away from her loving grasp?
The sound of the door to the prison makes her turn, dreading some of the enemies will come and torment them. But it proves to be Dell, he looks quite tense- afraid even to be down here.
Scout is about to speak but the man hushes him down. “I’m only allowed to see my boy for a moment. If Grey’s men realize I am chatting with you…” He glances to where the whimpering boy resides.
Zhanna gets up, understanding this is Dell’s chance. “Take boy, we will follow when Soldier is with us.”

That’s going to be tricky, according to Mikhail, only sincere emotions will make one able to break the chains of the Sirens. He was able thanks to the genuine love he felt to the doctor. Soldier is committed to Zhanna, that is clear but Dell thinks at the moment their relationship is more bonded on lust and admiration to one another than anything else. She won’t be able to break him free. But… well, Jane is many things, but he’s not the man to abandon a mission nor the people he has decided is part of his squad. “… I think I have the best chance snapping him out from it.” He admits slowly. “It will get messy but if I succeed, Solly will attack the enemy.” And when that happens, hell will break loose but they could use a good distraction and that's one thing Jane is really good at.

“Hey what about your kid?” Scout asks, he and the kid have been talking a few times and although Logan is traumatized and scared out of his mind, he’s still a sweet boy and Scout would really hate to see him get hurt for this stunt his old man is about to pull off. Engineer eyes him behind those welding goggles. “Do you know how to pick a lock?”
Scout nods. “Yeah, but that was only my brothers' door and a few lockers from school.” Nothing compared to a prison cell. Did seem to be good enough for Engineer, the man leaves to speak with his son, cannot hear what the two are saying only that Logan stops crying.
Engineer leaves not long after and about three hours later, he returns with some very quick made lockpicks. “Make it count, Grey is getting suspicious so I won't be able to return with more.” Scout takes them. “Alright, how do I know when it’s safe to get out?”

Dell scratches the back of his neck. “Well, I’m pretty sure there’s going to be explosions.” He remarks and leaves before Grey realizes he hasn’t been working on the respawn.
Back at the room Grey gave him, Dell has to work on the block in order to remove suspicious, but fortunately, right before he got truly past the block he spots Jane walking down the hall along with some of Grey’s guards. He eyes the machine, did for a moment consider destroying it and thus Grey's chance to get past the respawn block, but consider otherwise as he knows that even if Grey finishes this machine, he won't be able to use respawn as he wanted. So leaving the half-finished machine, Dell grabs his wrench and chuck it at the more twitchy than usual man, as expected Soldier attacks him and although Dell prepared himself for this and is in equal strength with the patriot, but, even if Soldier is really lacking in brain, he got enough to remember how to do proper hand-to-hand combat which Engineer here does not have, and that factor was what ended up with him getting his ass kicked.

“Any last word ya cow-heading Canadian?” Soldier asks, ready to blow this man’s head off with his shotgun.

Ignoring the both offending and yet hilarious insult— mostly the Canadian part. “Yeah, you’re abandoning your main mission soldier.” Dell tells Soldier, it did confuse the man; the Sirens has that boring effect to make one quite narrow-minded.

“My commanding officers wants me to guard this place!” Soldier retorts but back in his mind, he knows that’s not true and that shows in his slightly wavering voice.

And Engineer heard it and he latches onto it, if this does not work then he will be trapped in an eternal loop for who knows how long. “Think Solly! What was the reason you attacked the robots?” He flinches when the song in Soldier grip harder around the man’s mind, making his fingers tighten around the trigger but the shot never came. The green shine in Soldier’s eyes fades and his expression frozen in his moment of clarity. “The prisoners!”
That’s it! He remembers! “That’s right! We’re here to save Scout.” Engineer urges him, to say he is relieved that his hypothesis of being able to get through the song and reach his comrade is an understatement. Soldier struggles against the song, and maybe it's a good thing he has a very simple mind, for the second the thoughts about Scout has festered in his head, Soldier starts to ignore the command of the Sirens, jumps on his feet and charges towards the prisons with a battle cry Engineer heard more than once during the War Games.
He follows the man. No need to worry about his lack of a weapon, Soldier is making short work on anyone getting in his way. Did prove troublesome when the alarm got activated and about halfway down to the prison cells, Team Mirage's Pyro appears and blocks their way with a ready flamethrower.

Soldier does not stop his attack and blindly charges at the enemy pyro. Engineer tries to stop him. “No wait!” but the man does not listen and the moment the flames torched Soldier, Ignis magic activates and Soldier got taken away by a large burst of flames. These magical flames consume most of the hallway, and in a matter of seconds, the flames have gotten a grip on the wooden furniture and not planning on dying out for quite some time. Engineer has no idea if these new flames are magical or just plain burning ones. Whatever they are, he can’t get caught in them. So leaving the burning hallway, he finds another path to the prison.

He does encounter the enemy soldier and wasn’t fast enough to get away so he ended getting shot in the arm.
“Surrender or you will be stuck in respawn for all eternity!” The man warns him, but Engineer here is not planning on dying today. He checks the wound, and puts part of his torn sleeve into the spot to stop the bleeding. With that issue fixed for now, he readies his wrench but before he can, he hears the sound of what he for a moment mistakes Heavy punching someone, he checks and realizes it was Mikhail sister who did the punch that knocked the man out. Behind her is Scout with a scared yet determent looking Logan behind him, which gets replaced with relief when the boy spots him. “Dad!” Logan runs over to him.
Engineer picks up the boy and hugs his son as if he is never going to let go of him. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” He apologizes to Logan, he never wanted this to happen.

Logan sobs from the relief he feels, more happy to be with his father and knowing he now can leave this place holding these scary people. “Can we go home now?” He asks.
His father starts walking. “We can’t… it’s not safe anymore.” His father tells him somberly as if he thinks it's his fault. Logan does not really see why his father thinks that as he wasn't the one who made these scary people kill grandfather and take him away. But if they cannot go home... "Where can we go instead?" Logan asks his father.

“To a place where these people can never get us.” Dell replies and can’t help but chuckle when Logan asks quietly. “What about mom?” She did make an emthy promise she would get him back, one Dell knows she cannot keep ever since the Administrator helped him out with the rights to his boy. But since it did worry Logan, he assures him. “She won’t know of this place.” That seems to calm his boy and Logan nods. “Okay.”
So far so good, now they just have to open a portal by fire. Easy enough, Soldier solved that problem for them.
“This way.” He tells Scout and Zhanna, leading to the place.
To their luck, the flaming hallway is still there and although there are several robots, none of them tries to stop them as their program is set on extinguishing of the spreading flames. He turns to Zhanna who pretty much traps Scout in a one arm grip and charges at the flames, they burst up in effect to Ignis magic surrounding her and as hoped, both she and Scout gets taken away. Well, Dell likes to think so for he can’t see any burning bodies inside the fire.
“Close your eyes.” He tells Logan, not wanting to scare his boy with what he is about to do. Logan eyes the fire scared but does show his trust by closing his eyes and turning his head against his chest. Logan probably thinks he will run through the flames– probably best he thinks that. Dell tightens his grip around his boy and runs into the burning hallway.

It only hurt for a moment before the magic activated. Engineer is sort of happy it got foggy in the realm between the human world to the one populated by equines, not sure he wants to feel the sense of been turned into a horse with bird features. Maybe it would've helped to keep his disorientated mind more sharp for when the flames disappear, he takes a tad too long realizing he plunges to the ground. It does he do not have time using his wings, so in attempt to at least save his son from a hard landing, he turns in the air and slams back first onto the ground and almost gets knocked out for a moment, at least he has gotten a bird's ability to handle hard landings, so no broken bones.

Logan clutches to his father after the sudden hit to the ground, slowly he opens his eyes, wide twice their size when he sees some weird bird creature that is sort of dressed like his father. He jerks away, scared to how this creature got a hold on him but stumbles when his spine does not like having him walk on two legs. Gives the creature the chance to recover and… speak with his father’s voice. “Logan, don’t be scared, it’s me.” Blinking in confusion, Logan eyes this equine bird. “D-Dad? That’s you?” This honey colored with strong blue plumage hair and tail– his father nods and helps him up, there Logan realizes that he too looks like his father, except he is yellow-lime with his hair- um feathers is green turquoise. It takes him several moments to comprehend what has just happened. He does slowly get the shock under control as his father explains him of what is going on and why they look like this. When his father is done, Logan stares a few seconds at him, asking slowly just to be sure he got this right. “So… um, we’re in another world?” His father nods. “And you have a house here?” Again his father nods.
Logan looks around, taking notice that the townfolks all are very colorful ponies but only a few gave them confused looks while the rest seems to know his father. He notices a few foals and realizes that if they will stay here for some time: “Does that mean I will go to school with… ponies?” That does not really sit right in Logan's head, he's used to tending to horses, not go in school with them.

This last one Engineer chuckles at. “Yeah, but only when you are ready. I know it takes time to get used to all of this:” He gestures at his own chest, like with Demo when he became whole, his body has gotten shaper colors. Logan nods in agreement, at least his boy is taking this whole thing way calmer than he did. “When you feel up to it, some of my friends here have younger siblings. I am sure they will be more than happy to show you around.”

“Can we see them now?” Logan asks, yeah sure this is quite mindblowing but he is curious to get to know kids on his own age. Weren’t any back at the farm so it will be nice having someone at his own age around again. His father is a bit caught off guard by his request, but recovers quickly and smiles. “Sure thing. Come, let’s go.” Logan tries to follow his father who is way more adept in walking on all four, but all that gets him is stumbling over his feet. His father is kind enough to let him ride on his back, which is a big plus since he has been too big for that back in the human world.

On the way, they encounter Scout and Zhanna– who has been turned into a syrup brown earth pony with cedar socks and dark purple with lighter shades hair. Not sure what the cutie mark is supposed to mean, for Engineer, it looks like three blue crystals bound together by a line. Derpy and Time-Turner are with them who explains. “When we heard Soldier is in trouble, I thought it will be best if we helped them out.” Derpy nods in agreement and about there she notices Logan sitting on his back. “Ohh you must be Engineer’s son, nice meeting you, I am Derpy Hooves and this is my friend Time-Turner.” She smiles up to the still trying to get used to all of this boy.
“Um, hi, nice meeting you too?” Logan replies although it sounds more like a question than a greeting. Engineer does not blame his son being still very confused with all of this.

The group leaves not soon after, leaving father and son on their own little mission. Engineer glances to his son when Logan asks a bit confused. “Why did she call you Engineer?” So he explains. “Well, you probably already know my line of work is dangerous.” Logan nods, looking quite uncomfortable and he feels bad reminding his boy of where he had been these past weeks. “So my boss— well former boss told us not to reveal our names. The residents won’t rat us out or be any danger, but it was out of habit.” Engineer notices a pony wave to him, remembering that stallion to be one of the ponies he helped to repair that roof. He returns the wave before moving on. “The ponies have a different culture when it comes to names, so Engineer is a name for them and that’s what everyone here knows me as. Now, I can’t really bring myself to correct them.” He admits and figure it will be a pain in the neck doing so, not that he minds being called Engineer, he’s so used to it that it is pretty much a second name for him.

He did notice that those ponies have sort of weird names, but after what his father told, Logan gets the sense that his human name might be the weird one. “Do you think they will find my name weird?” He asks. That does make his father stop to ponder. “Hm, that has never really crossed my mind. But now that you mention it, I haven’t encountered a pony with a name a human would use.” So that means his name will make ponies give him a very weird look and… maybe some might even bully him for it… Something Logan really does not want to go through again. “Maybe I should have a pony name too.” He suggests quietly. But his father does not think that’s necessary. “There is no need for that, the ponies are really accepting and if you tell them your name is Logan, then that’s what they will call you.” Maybe but Logan really does not want to take any chances, less so when he will be in this place for quite some time.

Engineer arrives at his partner home and is sort of glad she does not have a customer at the moment. “Rarity?” He calls and moments later the white unicorn arrive from her workshop, she beams seeing him again. “Engineer! It so good to see you again! Oh, and who is this sweet thing with you?” She asks when noticing his son. Engineer smiles lifts his boy back onto the floor. “That’s my son–” About to introduce him but Logan speaks before he can. “I’m Sungust, nice meeting you.” Engineer blinks of this pony name his boy came up with, Rarity did of course not notice this is not Logan’s real name. “Nice meeting you too Sungust, how is Ponyville? I figure you were a bit… eh startled when you first came here.”
Logan nods shyly. “Yeah... thought for a moment dad was someone else.” Engineer watches the two chat and must respect his son wish in not wanting to use his human name, he’s sure his boy has his reasons. “Any chance Sungust can meet your younger sister?” He asks the unicorn, and puts his right claws on his boy's shoulder. “Thought it would be best he got someone on his own age to play with.”

“Oh darling, that’s a kind thought.” Rarity laughs softly, she would probably have done the same if she and Sweetie Bell arrived in a completely new place and have to stay for a while. At least this way Sungust would have somepony to know when starting at school. “Sweetie Bell is not with me, but don’t worry, my parents do not live far.” And after having put away her work glasses, Rarity brings father and son to her parents home. As hoped Sweetie Bell is curious about this possiple new play-mate.

“Hi, I’m Sweetie Belle, wow, I wasn’t aware Engineer has a son. What’s your name?” Sweetie Belle asks excitedly that this other foal-bird hybrid wants to be her friend. She did not notice her strong approach made the other foal take a step back. “Sungust.” He replies somewhat awkwardly. Sweetie Bell then noticed that Sungust here does not have any cutie mark! “You don’t have a cutie mark...” She squeals excitedly. “That means you can be part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!!”

Not sure what this girl pony is talking about... Logan turns to his father for a bit of help but his father is too busy chatting with the adult ponies. So not wanting to be seen as a fool and really wanting to be part of a group— even if he has to play with a girl, he simply agrees he does not have a cutie mark... whatever that is. “Nope, don’t have one of those.” She squeals again and runs outside the house. “You have to meet the others!” Logan again turns to his father, not wanting to leave without telling. This time his father notices his look, then at Sweetie Belle waiting impatiently for him outside. “Go on, I’ll pick you later.” With a nod, Logan follows Sweetie Belle, however not as fast as he would like. Moving on four legs is harder than he thought, fortunately, Sweetie Belle is kind enough to wait for him and his slower pace did do that they encountered her two friends, both girls but Logan thinks he can deal as they seem very open to welcome him into their group.

“Today is going to be great.” Apple Bloom cheers and explains her unicorn friend. “My cousin Babs Seed is coming on a visit and know what: she doesn't have her cutie mark!” Nodding to the train station. “We’re heading to pick her up, wanna join us?”
Sweetie Belle nods excitedly. “Yeah!” While Sungust is a bit more nervous but still agrees to come with them.

**The train station**

While the three girls are jumping excitedly around, Applejack decides to get a small chat with the nervous colt they brought along. “I take you are Engineer’s son.” The colt nods. “Y-Yeah, I’m Sungust.” He introduces himself. Applejack thought as much, the same species was a huge clue to that, plus Engineer has more than once talked about his son. “Nice meeting ya Sungust. I’m Applejack, a friend of your father. He helped me and my family making a cider machine since the demands for cider have gotten bigger than we can deliver.”

Yeah, his dad really can make life easier for people– or ponies with his machines. But… well he has never gotten the hang of it… “He’s very good at machines.” Logan agrees, feeling sort of a let down when Applejack remarks. “He sure is, some sort of a family thing like mine have with apples.” Fortunately, she does not have time to ask that dreadful question if he is planning on following in his father’s footsteps for about there the train arrives. That puts the three girls into an excited frenzy, more so when another filly appears.

In seconds Apple Bloom is up in her face, crying excitedly. “Babs! Babs! It's me, your cousin, Apple Bloom!” The two other girls swiftly join her, allowing Apple Bloom to introduce them. “And this is Sweetie Belle, and this is Scootaloo, and this over there is Sungust—“ The only boy in this group waves nervously beside a somewhat amused Applejack. “—and we are so, so, so glad you're here!” Apple Bloom finishes with her and her friend practically bursting Babs Seed's personal bubble in their excitement to see her.

“Thanks, I'm happy to–“ Babs Seed tries to speak but in their excitement Sweetie Bell interrupts her. “This is gonna be the best two weeks of your life!” Babs Seed tries again to speak. “Sure hope it's gonna be–“ But again she is interrupted, this time by Scootaloo. “Seriously, we are gonna have a blast!”

Sweetie Belle nods they sure will, for they will now have more members at their club! “There is so much we are going to show both you and Sungust! Oh and the Summer Harvest Parade's going on while you're here! You'll get to ride in a float!” That did catch Babs Seed’s attention. “Really? I've never been on a float before.” Which reminds Scootaloo. “We've got a really big surprise for you, so close your eyes.” She covers Babs Seed’s eyes, not taking notice of how nervous the filly is.
Apple Bloom does the same to Sungust but when he is both bigger and for some reason very unsure on his hooves and uh… talons, she instead snatches her sister’s hat and uses its big size to cover his face while she and Sweetie Bell guide him along.
At the destination, they uncover the two eyes with Apple Bloom introducers their clubhouse. “I give you: the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse!”

Babs Seed raises a brow of this club name. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders?” The weird colt that seems to be part bird looks around the tree house, way more fascinated than she really feels about this whole thing. And her feelings about this plums down to the bottom when Scootaloo explains. “A club devoted to helping ponies get their cutie marks!” All three show their flanks, revealing they too do not have one. Babs Seed’s is thrown back to her school and the name callings, instantly covering her flank with her tail.

“We're its founding members.” Scootaloo explains, not seeing the scared expression on Babs Seed’s face. “Technically, we're its only members.” Sweetie Bell admits and Apple Bloom is quick to add. “But we're always looking to expand, and you two seems like perfect candidates!”

Logan is still not sure what a cutie mark is, but apparently, these three girls are trying to get something on their– well they are horses so he guesses it’s on their flanks.

Babs Seed does not like this club at all. “I do?” She asks and is starting to ponder coming here was a good idea. Scootaloo walks over to her. “Well, yeah, since you don't have a cutie mark and all.” She points out, hitting their empty flanks together. Babs Seed jerks away but that ends up with her bumping into the weird colt who also is a blank flank. Backing away from him. “Oh, yeah...” She blows parts of her mane away from her eyes. “that…”
The weird colt, however, is way more interested in this than she likes. “What do you do to get a cutie mark?” Much to the three members joy.

“Glad you asked.” Apple Bloom smiles. “Allow me to show you just some of the highlights of our clubhouse.” She eyes her friends and when they did not get the subtle hint, she points at her friends to help her out. They quickly get it and run over to a piece of paper with each of their faces on “This is where we do our role call.” Sungust titles his head at that while Babs Seed frowns lightly. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hurry over to the small table, miming they are eating and drinking. Apple Bloom points out in case they did not get it. “This is where we eat our lunch.” Then hurries over to a bullseye carpet with a lamp over it, Sweetie Belle stands under the lamp. “Sometimes we stand here and think of great ideas.” Scootaloo turns on the lamp, Sweetie Belle pretends she got a brilliant idea. Apple Bloom beam when Sungust lets out a small laugh at this show and he looks really interested. Babs Seed on the other hoof... not so much, so after Apple Bloom has called for a small meeting with her friends, she remarks in a hushed voice. “Thought she'd be more impressed...” and Sweetie Bell points out. “She's from Manehattan. If we wanna impress her, we need to really wow her!” The three think of what they can do to really impress the city filly, Scootaloo is the one coming up with an idea. “The float! She can ride with us on our Summer Harvest Parade float!” The two others think that is a brilliant idea, so they take Babs and of course Sungust to the barn where they have the float standing.
“Here it is! The official Cutie Mark Crusaders float for the Summer Harvest Parade!” Scootaloo presents the float they have been working on these past days.

Logan steps closer to this float, he notices this float is not out of tree or Styrofoam. “Is that… a real pumpkin?” He asks awestruck, more so when Apple Bloom nods it sure is. “Yup, it’s grown from the family farm for this very thing.” That is really impressive, no human can do such a thing and they have hands! “That’s so cool!” He cries awestruck to the three girls and turns back to this huge pumpkin that has been turned into a float. “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

This is a huge victory for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they beam to one another that this colt is a sure member and turn hopeful to Babs Seed, does fade a bit when the other filly does not seem very impressed. So Scootaloo tells her the perk of being a member. “As a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, you'd be able to ride on it with us!” She steers, flapping her wings in her excitement. “It'd be totally fun.”
Babs Seed laughs nervously and just to their luck, the schools bullies decided to drop in and mock them. “More like funny… looking!” Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laugh at their mocking joke.
The two walk inside and Silver Spook asks still in that mocking tone. “What is that thing, a giant orange?”
Apple Bloom tries not to let it bother her and tells the two meanies. “It's a pumpkin.”

“More like a lame-kin.” Diamond Tiara mocks and turns when a male voice points out quietly. “...Like you could do any better…” She raises a brow of what she is seeing. “What are you suppose to be? A pegasus with too much bird?” Silver Spoon laughs at her insult and adds her own insult when this weird Pegasus backs away. “More like a chicken, a chicken brain!” They laugh loudly, then Diamond Tiara notices the fourth filly and notices something is missing. “Who's the new blank flank?“

“She's my cousin, Babs. She's from Manehattan!” Apple Bloom replies, stepping forward in sort of her way showing that she will not let their bullying affect her. Her statement did catch Diamond Tiara’s attention as the other filly remarks Babs Seed. “Manehattan, huh? Well, I guess you have that going for you.” And Silver Spoon asks mockingly. “Suppose you're gonna join their little club? What's it called? The Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

Babs Seed looks carefully at both groups, the group of her cousin, clearly the outsiders of the town, then to the two other earth pony foals, they are bullies but in her mind: the best choice for the moment. She blows her mane away and speaks in a mocking tone. “More like the Cutie Mark Crybabies!” She laughs and joins the two bullies. At least then they won’t be after her and it’s not like she is friends with the three others or part of their insulting group.

“Hey!” Apple Bloom cries in disbelief her own cousin is siding with those two.

Diamond Tiara however really finds this interesting. “Ooooh, heh, big city attitude! I like it!” Silver Spoon nods in agreement. More so when the blank flank says cocky. “Oh, yeah? Well, there's more where that came from! Check this out!” She walks over to the pumpkin float and kicks the front wheel away, much to the shock of the blank flanks and much to the amusement of her. The pumpkin vehicle does falter and they get out of the way, just as the whole thing rolls outside, completely ruining the float. And this new filly gives the three a sick burn. “Looks like somepony's pumpkin just got squashed!” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laugh.

Family or not, Apple Bloom is not having a bully in her home! “When I tell Applejack–“

“You gonna tell Applejack what?” Babs Seed stops her menacingly, it helps to be slightly bigger than her cousin as that makes her more threating and the other filly nervous.“W-Well, you know, uh...” and that’s what she wants, and just to be sure these three won’t tell an adult. “What are you, a snitch?”

This filly is interesting, so she can ignore Babs being a blank flank. “Come on, Babs, you should hang with us!” Diamond Tiara suggests and leaves the barn with Silver Spoon close behind. “You know, the cool ponies, not these babies!”
Babs Seed follows them.

“What... just happened?” Apple Bloom asks dumbstruck on how a seemly good day with two new friends has suddenly turned into a bad one with her cousin not only sided with their school bully but destroyed their float!

“I think Babs just went to the dark side.” Scootaloo says. Sweetie Belle points out they should tell Applejack but Scootaloo agrees with Apple Bloom they shouldn’t as that will make them snitches and babies.

Maybe the two got a point and yet… “Then... why do I feel like crying?” Sweetie Belle asks her friends, they don't answer her.

Leaving his spot now that the bullies are gone. “What now?” Logan asks slowly, parts of him really want to seek out his father but the fear that it will only make it worse is greater than the trust that his dad can fix this problem. It’s not like this problem is a machine…

“First, let’s head back to the clubhouse.” Apple Bloom suggests and that’s what they do. After have done some sulking and thinking, she comes with the idea they can’t let the destroyed pumpkin float stop them from joining the parade. “We're gonna build a new float, that's what.” But her determent is blown away by Scootaloo pessimistic remark. “Why bother? She'll probably just ruin that one, too.” She sighs, her winged friend probably right…

Sweetie Belle still thinks they should tell Applejack. “We could always tell Applejack.” But the two others are not on that plan as they both cry a loud “NO!” Which makes Sungust jump, Sweetie Bell feels sort of sorry for him but is glad he didn’t do like Babs Seed and join the bullies.

“We're not gonna be a bunch of tattle-tales!” Apple Bloom points out to Sweetie Belle, no way she will prove Babs Seed right. “Besides, she's only here two weeks.” She closes the tree house door, explaining her old and new friend. “We'll just avoid her like the plague until she goes home.”

“Avoid her. Yeah, how hard can that be?” Scootaloo asks and that soon will be proven to be harder than they thought.

Author's Note

about time the story got back to Equestria, won't be much of a crossover without the ponies XD

Parental Protection

This happens a few days after the last chapter. part 2 and made after the Episode "One Bad Apple"

Inside the small house Engineer bought the last time he was here in Equastira, the turned human prepares breakfast for both him and his son. It’s quite different from what the ponies eat as they are mostly vegetarians- eggs are the only meat he has seen them eat. Through a bit of testing, Engineer has come to the realization that the form he and Logan were giving can digest meat such as fish but poultry give this kind of creature indigestion. He learned that the hard way.
Bit of a pity that egg is off the table, but at least they can still eat beacon and sushi-- which is Logan's favorite dish and fish is easy to get his... uh claws on: There are a lot of good ponds around Ponyville and that gives Engineer a good excuse to go on future fishing trips with his son. Getting pork or bacon is a bit tricky though, meat from a pig is considered animal food for the ponies. So it's a good thing Applejack is willing to let him get some of the meat from the pigs her family breed, that saved him to only have one akward conversation with a pony that humans such as him eat pork pretty much daily. He rather not have such a talk with the pet store owner.
“Logan, breakfast ready!” He calls and puts the sausages onto a plate.
Logan arrives from his new room, still unsure on his feet but he is fortunately learning. They start eating in silence, broken when Engineer asks his boy. “Are the three girls treating you well?” He has taken notice that Logan hangs out with the three fillies that call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders and being the partner to one of the girls older sister, well he is aware those three have a habit of getting into trouble in their attempt to get their cutie mark. Engineer is a bit worried about the girls' shenanigans will get his boy into trouble.
Logan nods slowly. “Yeah, they are really kind to me.” But this dad notices that his son does not sound as happy as he should, but he’s not going to confront him about it straight out, at least not yet. “Uh huh? What have you been doing?" Engineer asks calmly, but do keep a sharp eye on his boy's expressions. "Heard from Applejack she has been helping Apple Bloom and her friends to build a float for the upcoming parade.” And he's no longer questioning the ponies habit in doing celebrations all the time. Logan nods again but he refuses to make eye contact. “Uh, yeah, I have been… helping them on it.”
Wow, his son is just as bad as him when it comes to lying. It’s a wonder why he didn’t get the element of Honesty. The signs are clear that Logan is not telling the truth, but he will let his boy have the chance of saying what is bothering him on his own. “I see, what about the other kids in town?” This time Logan does not answers, he waits at first but when it’s clear his son is too afraid to speak for some reason, Engineer decides to push him, gently. “Look son, whatever it is that bothers you; you can tell me. I won’t get mad.” He assures his boy, even if Logan has done something bad, he rather wants to hear it from his son than figure it out on his own.

“… It’s not you I’m worried about…” Logan muses, winches of the skeptic look his father gives him. “Sorry…”

Seems like his boy hasn’t gotten into trouble, more like someone is giving him trouble but he is afraid to tell. Why? Engineer is not sure but intends to find out. “Someone giving you trouble?” He gets no answer and he does not like how Logan reminds him of a trapped animal from how his keep glancing to his room and fidget as if wanting to run away. Letting out a sigh, he leaves his chair and puts himself beside his boy, folding a wing over him. “Logan… I can’t help you if you don’t say anything.”

But if he tells then he will be a snitch… “I can’t… it will prove them right…” Logan whispers tearfully. These past days has been really hard, Babs Seed has really been persistence in making his and the Cutie Mark Crusaders life miserable, and yet, Logan does not want to be seen as a snitch, for that will only show Babs Seed correct.

Sounds like whoever is giving his boy trouble is making sure he won’t talk by bullying him into silence. Sadly Engineer does not have an idea how to get around this, he never dealt with bullying through his childhood. But he knows someone who can help him out with this issue.
After breakfast and Engineer leaves Logan at Rarity's parents along with the three other girls, from how down they look as well, it seems they too have been bullied into silence.
Nothing he can do, but wanting to fix this, Engineer gallops into the Everfree forest and when getting to the spot, he knocks on Zecora’s door. The zebra opens the door. “Is Spy here?” He asks, Zecora nods and steps aside and allows him to see the other turned human doing... Engineer is not sure if he should be in disbelief or roll around laughing at the sight of Spy reading a book with one baby foal pulling his tail and another sitting between his front hooves with a funny expression as if trying to comprehend what’s so interesting about that book.
That very scene is so weird and adorable that Engineer can’t help but stare dumbfounded. This is so different from how Spy was during the War Games- hell in the human world in particular! Zecora helps him to gets Spy’s attention by saying: “Allow me to be the girls' mother, meanwhile, you will speak with our visitor.”

Spy turns to Engineer, face not at all showing his emotions of amusement on how dumbfounded the Texan look. “I see your plan worked.” He remarks and as hoped it snaps Engineer back to reality. The horse hybrid nods. “Yeah, your boy is here as well— you haven’t seen him?” Spy rolls his eyes that Engineer really thought he wouldn't check up on his oldest child. “Of course I have.” Jeremy has been avoiding the hut because he is still unsure about the girls. So Spy decided to give him space, figure his son will come when he is ready to take the role as the big brother for these two girls.
But enough about Scout, he's old enough to do his own thing. “Now, what service do you require from me?” He asks, for that sense of worry and frustration is a huge indication that the turned Texan came to him for help.
Engineer sighs. “Well, I think my son is having trouble with a bully but he is afraid to tell me who.” Spy raises a brow, partly because he wasn’t aware that children won’t tell if someone is bothering them. But the biggest part is that he doubts he is the right one for this job. “You got the wrong changeling for this, I know how to keep secrets and how to reveal someone else’s.” Eyeing Lavernia sitting in between his hooves and think that even with the advantages of sensing others emotions, Dell knows more about children than he does.

“I would appreciate it if you found out who is giving my boy a hard time.” Engineer points out, at least then he can get a proper talk with the kid and set a stop to the bullying.

That he can do, but. “It would’ve been easier is your boy simply told you.” Spy remarks but does leave to find this bully Engineer wants him to track down, outside the door he hears the horse hybrid groan, clearly annoyed. “It sure would… but it’s not like I can make him talk as if he was a prisoner.” Hm, yes, Engineer does make a good point, would've been easier though but that's how it is to be a parent.
Spy disguises himself as a foal and starts wandering around town in search for this bully. He spots the Cutie Mark Crusaders along with Engineer’s son running away from three fillies, one of them he hasn’t seen before but it’s clear she is the head bully from how she is practically hunting the others. He does not interfere in what is going on, instead, he is gathering info and follows the two groups to Sweet Apple Acers. Here the bullies make the Cutie Mark Crusaders slip inside the farmhouse by using banana peels they probably stole and leave their victims laughing. Spy follows them, still in his colt form. The bullies lead him to a tree house, here the head bully declares: “What about we reclaim their tree house for our own?” The pink filly, one Spy knows is bad news from merely walking past her on the streets. “What a good idea Babs, they won’t be needing it.” and they claim the clubhouse.
Spy is about to leave and report his finds but stops as he sees a chance for more information on what Engineer will be dealing with when the victims; quite down from been chased all day head to what they probably think is their safe house. The moment this filly named Babs sees them, she starts shouting at the original owners of the tree house. “Hey! What're you doing at my clubhouse?”
“Y- Y- Your clubhouse?!” The pegasus filly may stutter on her words, but Spy is close enough to sense it’s not out of fear but anger and disbelief. “This is our clubhouse!”
“Well, it was yours, and now it's mine.” The head bully points out and the two other bullies declare the tree house as theirs.

“That's not fair, Babs! We never did anything to you!” Apple Bloom exclaims close to tears on why her own cousin is so mean to them for no apparent reason. Not that Babs Seed cares. “And let's keep it that way. Now scram, crybabies!” and to put salt on the wound, Babs Seed, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara start doing that mocking dance, laughs and head into their clubhouse.
She and Scootaloo glare up to the spot, frustrated by this constant harassment but for Sweetie Belle, this is the last straw and she starts crying loudly. Sungust is not doing much better, he looks really wounded and gone quieter than before.

Spy has seen enough, he leaves the four kids and returns to his home where Engineer is waiting. He finds the turned man having a small chat with Zecora while the girls are investigating his hardhat and pulling his wing. Spy clears his throat so the worried father knows he has returned. Engineer turns to him and does not waste a second. “What did you find?” and Spy tells him everything he saw.

That gives him something to work on. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.” Engineer thanks Spy, carefully removes the small kid from his back and after having retrieved his hardhat, he heads out, does stop to voice this quite startling discovery about these two babies being Spy’s. “When were you planning on telling us about those two?” Nodding to the two half-changeling kids.
Spy smirks. “Why ruin the fun?” Typical spy, Engineer rolls his eyes and heads out. According to Spy, the two groups should be at Sweet Apple Acers, so that’s where he is heading.
Halfway there, he encounters his son and his three new friends. And Logan must’ve realized that he now know from how he winches from his gaze. Engineer must admit that he is annoyed he had to go through all this hassle in order to solve this problem of his son. “We are going to have a talk later.” He tells Logan hard and leaves them, they are not the main issue at the moment.

“You told him?” Scootaloo asks Sungust in disbelief. But the only male of the group shakes his head. “No! Of course I haven’t said anything.” So the question: “Then how did he learn about it?”
But none of them has a clear answer, only that Sungust's father sounded angry and that means they are in trouble.

Noticing the sound the somepony approaching, Babs Seed thinks the crybabies have returned to reclaim their clubhouse, leaves the two others and shouts down to them. “Didn’t you hear me the last time, babies? This is our clubhouse—“

“You are in big trouble missy.”

Babs Seed flinches in her realization this is not the Cutie Mark Crusaders but an adult creature of what Sungust is, which means this must be the father and he does not look happy. “Oh uh… hi mister.” She greets him with a weak smile in hope to deflate the situation but it does not work. All it did was making his frown deepens. “Get down from there, we are going to have a chat.” He tells her in a commanding tone. Babs Seed gulps and glances back to the two others but they are no help, Diamond Tiara shoots her a ‘don’t pull us into your mess’ glare. So Babs Seed has to face this adult’s anger on her own, with head down, she walks down to the waiting and angry father.

“I would be in a more forgiving mood if you haven’t bullied my son into silence and I had to go through all this trouble just figuring out who was bothering him.” Engineer points out, might be biased but he brought Logan here to be safe and barely a week in, he is getting hunted down by this girl. “I’ll darn make sure your parents hear of this and if I ever catch you bully my son or his friends again, stern words is the last thing on my mind.”

Babs Seed eyes this adult scared, she knows she’s caught and if her parents hear of this. She will be in house arrest for a month. “But—“

He won’t hear her excuse for this behavior. “I don’t wanna hear it.” He sternly cuts this filly off and leaves her. “There’s no excuse in what you have been doing.” His anger does fade slightly from how deflated and broken she looks, shows this filly does at least regret her actions. With this girl set straight, Engineer heads over to the farm so he can explain Applejack and her family of what has been going on in their backyard.
Applejack is horrified of what he is telling her. “What? But why would Babs Seed become the very thing she tried to get away from?” She asks which catches Engineer off guard. “Are you saying that girl got bullied?”

Applejack nods. “That’s exactly what I am saying. She came here to get away from all of those bullies, so I do not understand why she would turn into one.” But whatever the case, it has to stop. “I’m gonna have a talk with her and make sure this nonsense won’t continue.”

“I have already had a few words with her.” Engineer points out. “She does look to regret her action.”

That’s at least some good news. “She better, what Babs has been doing is wrong, more so when she knows how much it hurt being the victim.” But at least Engineer stopped it before things got out of hoof. Babs Seed has a lot of redeeming to do with her sister and friends, which reminds her. “Say, while I talk with Babs Seed. Can you look after Apple Bloom and her friends? They seemed to be on good terms with your boy.” Big Mac nods in agreement as he too has seen Sungust spent a lot of time around the three girls.

“Alrighty then, I’ll have them at my house.” Engineer agrees. It gives him a chance to get a serious talk with them too.
With this agreement set, Engineer heads out to find his boy and friends. It’s a bit tricky as they aren't at his home, instead, they are hiding out in town. But fortunately for him, like Pinkie, Engineer is on good terms with pretty much anyone in town and they are more than happy to point him the right direction. He finds the group in the park and tells them to follow him home, they do and look as if they are heading to their funeral. It’s quite pitiful, really. “You’re not in trouble.” He assures the four but will admit. “But I am disappointed you didn’t say anything. All of this could’ve been solved if you just spoke up.”

“That’s what I kept on saying!” Sweetie Belle exclaims and is happy when Apple Bloom apologizes and promise her. “We will do it your way if this happens again.”

Good, they learned something from this. Engineer smiles and thinks it’s about time these kids will have some fun again. “What about we head over to Sugar Cube Corner and get an ice cream. Treat’s on me.” As hoped that cheers the girl and his son up as they all replies with a happy: “Yeah!”

***
After have talked it over and learned that Babs Seed only became a bully so she wouldn’t get bullied again, the Cutie Mark Crusaders decided they can forgive her for the bad behavior as long she promise not to do it again. Babs agreed and thus, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo can finally welcome two new members into their club. They made the capes all members got and their first mission as a Cutie Mark Crusader was building a new float for the fast approaching Harvest Festival.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were both quite annoyed that Babs Seed has sided with the ‘blank flanks’ but this time Babs turned her bad girl attitude against them. “If you do not back off I’m gonna tell your mothers about what you have been doing!”

With Logan adding with way more confidence now he knows he has both friends to back him up and a father to help if things got too tough. “Or I will ask my father to have a firm talk with them.”
Neither Silver Spoon or Diamond Tiara wanted that as they know that would get them in major trouble, so they did the wise choice by backing off and leaves the Cutie Mark Crusaders with their project.

At the day to the parade, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have finished their float which was a huge cornucopia filled with all the fruits and vegetables Applejack allowed them to use for this project. The towns ponies loved it and when the show was over, the towns ponies crowded around it just so they can get a better look, much of the pride of this group of kids. They did, however, soon get enough by the crowd and leaves Applejack to sell the fruit and vegetables from the cornucopia and they run out to play in the park.
Scootaloo is a bit disappointed none of them earned a cutie mark for their hard work on this new float but quickly shrugs it off. “Oh well, there is always next time.”
The others except Logan nods in agreement, Sweetie Belle notices the worried expression on his face and asks confused. “Something wrong Sungust?”

There is, Logan asked his father what a cutie mark is and father told him it’s indeed the marks on the ponies flank, but what they are won’t get a cutie mark. And that worries Logan, this whole club is about getting one. Still, he knows he can’t hide this from his friends… but what if they won’t be his friend anymore because he won’t get a cutie mark. “We’re friends right?” He asks them quietly. The four girls blink but all nod with Apple Bloom saying. “Of course we are. What’s wrong?” She asks worriedly.
Logan lets out a sigh and tells what his father told him. “I… I won’t get a cutie mark… dad says only ponies get one and… I’m not a pony.” The four girl eyes wide in shock and from how they exchanges look with one another Logan fully believes they won’t be his friend anymore. Guess he should’ve seen it coming... So he leaves.

Sweetie Belle doesn't want Sungust to leave, but without the ability to earn a cutie mark… he can't be a member... “I still want to be his friend.” She tells the three others somberly. Apple Bloom agrees but like her is not sure if he can be a member if he cannot earn a cutie mark.

Scootaloo ponders for a moment, then gets an idea. “Sungust wait!” She calls and gallops after him, he stops and she asks him. “Do you know what your special talent is?” He gives her a confused look but as hoped he replies after a moment of thinking. “Umm… everyone expects I will follow my father’s footsteps but…” He sighs. “It’s not what I want...” and that is enough for this young filly. “And that makes you a member! You might not get a cutie mark but that does not mean we can help you find what is your special talent.” Sungust blinks several times, then lives up and gives her a big smile. “yeah, I guess you're right.”

The others beam happy that Scootaloo found a loophole in their own clubs rules, they want to stay friends with Sungust and allow him to be a member, even if he cannot get the same thing they are after.

Cadet Program

Note: A lot of you have asked for this, so finally here is it!

This happens a week after the last chapter and part 1 of the episode "Wonderbolt Academy"d made from the episode "Wonderbolt Academy"

*Ponyville*

Derpy is usually very happy on doing her job as mail pony, but today she is a bobble of cheer as she will be giving her partner the letter if his application to train at the Wonderbolt academy has been accepted or not. He will be the first she will do a mail delivery and finds him at the small apartment he now has since her room is too small for both him and his special somepony. She is happy on his terms but this Zhanna kind of scares her, that earth pony does not like having her near Soldier. Derpy can’t really understand why, though. Whatever it is, Derpy still will do her job and deliver this letter. She finds Soldier doing his morning excise. “Hi Soldier, I got a letter for you.” She greets him and Soldier is kind enough to stop his trotting so she can give him the letter. But when it’s clear he has forgotten how to use his hooves, she helps him opening the letter and holds it so he can read the reply from the academy. “What does it say?”

“I got in!” Soldier declares proudly and Derpy cheers, does turn into a giggle when he cannot recall what these Wonderbolts are. “Who are those Wonderbolts again?” He asks a bit confused, he knows they are part of the army, but that's it. Good thing his partner is so good at explaining things. “They are the air force of the pr- I mean presidents army. And now you have been allowed to train with them!” Derpy cheers excited on his behalf.
Ohh, that’s is really good news! He will train with the air force! “Today is a good day!" Soldier agrees, his dream of being part of the army has been fulfilled and now he is allowed to train with the Air Force! "When do they expect me to stand in line?”

Derpy checks the letter. “Precise midday.” Which means he better get packing. “Remember to pack, you will be training with them for quite some time.” Soldier salutes. “Good idea, I will be going now!” and trots into the apartment.
Derpy giggles and is about to head out to deliver the rest of her letters but stop midflight when Zhanna’s voice suddenly asks her. “What do you see in Soldier?” Derpy turns around, not entirely sure what this rather big earth pony is asking. “Um, well he’s my partner and a good friend” She replies Zhanna hesitant.

“Only friend?” Zhanna asks as she does feel quite threatened by this Derpy. Her boyfriend clearly cares about this grey pony and if this Derpy has any romantic feelings then she better be prepared to fight. But it turns out she does not have to as Derpy nods and says with a small smile. “He is a good pony but not my type and…” She lowers her gaze and in a sad manner touches her left hoof. “I am not ready to find my new special somepony.”
Zhanna is relieved that Derpy and her Soldier are simply friends, that does make things easier. “You good pony, will find romantic partner one day.”

That’s the sweetest thing Zhanna has said to her ever since they met, so Derpy is certain they might get along in the near future. “Thanks.” She giggles and flies off to do her job as mail pony.
After have delivered to everyone in town, Derpy checks her last letter … it says Rainbow Dash, she gasps when noticing that Rainbow Dash has as well gotten a letter from the Wonderbolts and that is quite exciting. Maybe she and Soldier will train together!
Derpy flies over to where Rainbow Dash lives and find not only Rainbow but her five friends waiting at the mailbox. “Hi girls!” Derpy greets them, lands before their small picnic and pulls out the letter they are probably waiting for. “Got you a letter from the Wonderbolts.” Rainbow Dash snatches it from her hoof, opens and reads it. Her excited face fades as she reads it and tells the others in disbelief. “I… didn’t get in...”
Everyone are in shock to hear this, Pinkie Pie mostly. Derpy does title her head in confusion why Rainbow Dash didn’t get in, and just as she is about to voice her thoughts. Rainbow reveals she was just messing with them.
“Gotcha! Ha, you guys are so gullible. Like I wasn't gonna get in!” and she gets super tackled down by an excited Pinkie Pie, “I'm just sooooooooooo happy for you!” the pink pony cheers as she hugs Rainbow Dash tightly. Derpy smiles but is a bit worried if Rainbow Dash can breathe in that hug.

“Uh… thanks?” and after a moment, Rainbow Dash got enough and asks Pinkie to let go. “I kinda need to get going.” Pinkie Pie hugs her extra tightly before she lets go. Rainbow caress her sour back from the hug, even a pony like Pinkie, her earth pony magic does make her quite strong and it sure can be felt when she gives out these hugs. Anyway, now it’s time to show the Wondebolts what she is made of! “The sooner I get there.” Rainbow Dash takes to the sky and show of her speed and agility to her friends. “The sooner I get to show them my stuff! See you guys in two months!” She grabs the bag Rarity and Applejack have ready for her and is off to join the other students at the Wonderbolt academy. She hears Applejack wish her luck, but an awesome pony like her: “Don’t need it!”

Pinkie runs a bit ahead and out from her magic saddlebag she pulls out a megaphone, shouting through it: “DON'T FORGET TO WRITE!!!” Which made the whole area bend to the shout. She turns to her pretty knocked out friends from the shockwave she made, asking worriedly. “Do you think she heard me?”
She didn’t get an answer.

*Hours later, at the Wonderbolt Academy.”

Rainbow Dash arrives at the Academy and as she flies over to the spot where all new recruits were told to stand, she watches the trainees do their training and she can’t wait to be the one doing it! “This is gotta be sweet!” She spots a group of ponies not in the trainee uniform and knows she found the new recruits, to her surprise she recognizes a few and especially one of them. She decides to land beside him. “So, you got in too?” Soldier nods and it amuses her how excited he looks, can’t blame him, she is quite excited as well.

“Well, lookie what we got here.”
The captain of the Wonderbolt, a yellow mare with wild in the fire color of orange mane and hair walks over to the new group of recruits, her name is Spitfire and it’s her duty to make sure only the best flyers will become a Wonderbolt. The new recruits do the wise choice to stand in line but they need more than this to impress her. “Bet you all think you're Wonderbolt material, don't ya?”
“Yes, ma’am!” They all shout.
Spitfire walks back and forwards these new wannabe recruits. “Think you got what it takes to be an elite flyer?”
Again they all shout. “Yes, ma’am!”
So she reminds them what it means to be a Wonderbolt. “Well then. Let me be the first to tell you...” She stops abruptly and shouts to the recruit. “If you think being a Wonderbolt is a fancy weather manager or group of ponies showing off now and then; you are GREATLY mistaken!! To be a Wonderbolt; one needs top of the line endurance and nerves of steel in heat of battle!” Noticing one showing signs of weakness, Spitfire steps over to the shaking pony, asking her. “Will you be willing to fly into a fully charged thundercloud? One I must remind; can kill you.” The mare, now trembling in fear up shakes her head. “I thought so.” and Spitfire has no use for a such a pony. “You’re out, go home.” The mare stares at her in shock and Spitfire tells her. “I’m not repeating myself.” So with head down, the mare leaves. Spitfire then turns to another she has noticed is looking doubtful, asking him. “Are your wings strong enough to create a tornado? And I am not talking about a flimsy one able to lift leaves. I am talking about one that can suck up rocks in size of your head.”
He winches and shakes his head, but do says. "I will train myself to be able ma'am." That's what she likes to hear. "And I will train you newbie, but don't expect me to hold your hoof." She turns to the rest, checking and is happy to see none of them are shaking, so they have so far the nerves and confidence in their flying skills. “These eight weeks I will put you through hell! And I promise you will ache every night and be exhausted!” She eyes every member of these new recruits, walking over to a rainbow-haired pegasus she has seen before and know is a strong flyer, but she ignores her to instead address the whole group. “If you cannot keep up, if you do not have the mindset, then you are out! Do I make myself clear?!”

“Yes ma’am!” They all shout and one of them has the cheek to speak. “Try me so I can show my stuff.”

Spitfire turns to this cheeky pony. “Oh I will try you recruit, but let me make something perfectly clear:” and she is right up at this pony’s face. “You do not speak unless I permit you! All of you five hundred laps!” They moan and she shouts again at them. “If you cannot handle that then I have no use of you! GO!!” She whistles and they take to the sky, the cheeky one is about to but she stops her. “You will do five hundred extra for the cheek.” It does take the mare off guard but she does recover quickly and takes to the sky.

Rainbow Dash is a bit caught off guard by how strict the captain is and being a Wonderbolt is way more serious than she thought, but she is determent to prove she is Wonderbolt material and flies the laps as fast as she can. The other recruits are far from being as fast as her or this other one Spitfire shouted at, this other mare does not look bothered and like her enjoying herself.
On her count, this is her last lap. “One more lap to go!” she grins and eyes the equally fast mare who returns the grin. “You’re on!” and they speed the last round. Both land on the ground and Spitfire walks over to them. “Not bad… for a newbie.” Before pointing out to the other mare. “You’re not done, get up there!”
The other mare smirks and turns to get up flying again, but she does stop for long enough to introduce herself to Rainbow Dash. “Name’s Lighting Dust.” and Rainbow introduce herself before Lighting Dust does her extra rounds.
Rainbow Dash decides to get something to eat while the others finish up, she does stop when one of the recruits collapses from exhausting onto a cloud. Spitfire flies up to her and tells her something. “Guess she’s out too.” Rainbow Dash muses and for a moment eyes Soldier worried but although he’s not the fastest, he is keeping up no problem. So the danger of him being thrown out is unlikely. Happy about this, Rainbow trots into the mess hall.

**Two weeks later**

Half of the recruits have been sent home from failing the basic endurance tests, now to see if any of these wannabe recruits has the skills to become a Wonderbolt. Spitfire brings them to a machine to test them in such a thing. “The Wonderbolts are the fastest, best precision flyers in the world. But spin-outs can still happen. And when they do, a Wonderbolt must be able to recover quickly. This...” One of her fellow trainers turns on the machine. “is the Dizzitron. It's gonna make you very – I repeat – very dizzy.” Spitfire eyes the recruits, now all dressed in the Wonder Bolt recruit uniform. “Your task is to try and recover and fly straight again, as soon as possible. Once you have recovered you must come in for a smooth landing. Now, who's first?” Of course two of them are more than happy to try it out and no wonder, so far they have been on top on the training.
Spitfire on purpose ignores them, instead walks over to the most unsure looking pegasus. “You, you’re up.” She tells her and is sensing a soon to be home sending when this mare asks nervously. “M-Me?” The mare eyes the Dissytron and gulps. Spitfire narrow her eyes, pointing out this mare’s two options. “Either you get in there or go home.” The mare eyes the machine again, then drops her head. That's enough for her, so Spitfire tells her hard. “You’re out, go home.” The recruits have learned that when she says that, there is no second chances. So the mare walks in a defeated manner away. Spitfire turns to another, again ignoring the best flyers. “You, get up there.” She tells a stallion. He nods and flies up to the machine.
When secured, Spitfire commands her fellow trainer to start the machine, when sure he is dizzy enough. “Release!” and the stallion gets thrown out, up into the air. He recovers but the landing needs some working on. “Decent, nothing to write home about, you will see more to the Dizzitron in the future.” She tells the still very dizzy stallion, will admit he might be Wonderbolt material if he continues like this. She sends two more, one of them wasn’t able to recover, so she gave him a choice to keep doing this until he got it or go home. He chose the latter. With that stallion out of the way, Spitfire commands Rainbow Dash’s to get up in the machine.

Rainbow Dash is not worried at all about this machine, she has tried to get spun around by a tornado and recover so she is confident she can do the same here. Must admit she does get dizzy and when thrown into the air, she needs a moment to figure out what is up and down but when she does, it’s all in matter of flapping the wings, turn the right way and Rainbow Dash speeds back to the ground, landing with only minor troubles as she is still a bit dizzy.
Spitfire does not voice it, but Rainbow Dash is confident she impressed the captain. She lands beside her fellow recruits, one of them whispers. “You made it look so easy.” And she replies proudly of her own skills. “I make everything look easy.” After another mare, Soldier is called up. Rainbow Dash watches him get spun around and thrown into the air, for a painful second it looks as if he won’t recover but he does and Rainbow has to bite her lip so she won’t laugh out loud when this not smartest pegasus decides to let gravity do most of the work and he crashes like a stone down onto the ground, fortunately, he is one of the few ponies allowed to do it as he strong enough to handle the tough landing and walk away from it with only minor bruising.
Rainbow Dash notices that Spitfire raised a brow of this before reminding Soldier. “Next time, I want you to fly down in your landing.” and Soldier salutes. “I try to remember it next time, ma’am!” and he trots over to join the others. He looks really happy to be here and Rainbow Dash has the feeling that the training is what makes him happy, not the whole Wonderbolt thing. Sounds like Soldier.

“Okay, Lightning Dust. You're up.” Spitfire calls and Lightning Dust flies over to the machine, doing a rather odd request. “Ma'am, can you put the Dizzitron at maximum speed?” She seats herself and pulls down the flying goggles. “I wanna push my limits.” Spitfire exchanges a look with her fellow trainer, both getting bit the warning signs but this training is to test the limits of the recruits. So Spitfire allows this request. “Okay. You asked for it.” She signs the stallion controlling the Dizzitron to put it up to its full speed, the machine spins rapidly and by her command, it hurls Lighting Dust up into the air.
She recovers surprisingly quickly and Spitfire must admit she is impressed. “Not bad.” This pony does have skills so now she simply has to drop the cheek and they might have a Wonderbolt here.

As more recruits get flung into the air by the Dizzytron, Rainbow Dash notices that none of them ever came close to her and Lightning Dust fast recovery, she voices this to her fellow fast flyer and Lightning Dust makes a good point by saying. “They should make us Wonderbolts right now.” She nods in agreement. “Yeah, they should.” She and everypony else turn when Spitfire calls for their attention and explains what’s going to happen the next weeks of the Academy.

“For the next weeks, you'll be working in pairs. Tomorrow morning, I'll post the teams, including who'll be lead pony and who'll be wingpony.” And she leaves the recruits. “Dismissed!”

**next day**

Confident she will make the lead pony, Rainbow Dash walks into the mess hall and asks the two first recruits she meet “So, which one of you lucky gals gets to be my wingpony?” But when they start snickering, Rainbow asks them confused. “What?”

“You might want to check the wall.” One of them says and leaves, still with a big smile of amusement of what Rainbow Dash thought she would be.

Rainbow Dash hurries over to the wall and is in disbelief of what Spitfire has decided she should be: “A wingpony?” Why in Celestia's name would she be picked as a wingpony?! She has the best record of the entire team!
Checking who will be her lead pony, Rainbow Dash is in shock to see that Soldier has gotten that role. This is going to be a disaster! And something she is intending to do something about!
Rainbow Dash heads over to the captain’s office to speak her mind about the role she has been put in but stops when she notices Lighting Dust tail disappears into the room, saying pretty much the same words Rainbow Dash would have if she had gotten inside the office first. “Why did you make me a wingpony? I am the best flyer in this entire team!” She would have said it a bit more respectful though, it is the captain of the Wonderbolt she would've been talking to.
Rainbow Dash sneaks up closer and hears what Spitfire’s response is to this.

“First: five hundred rounds for entering and speaking without permission. Secondly: the reason I made you a wingpony is to see if you can obey orders. It does not matter how great you are if you compromise the entire team by disobeying your commanding officer.”

“I will obey if my leadpony wasn’t one of the worst of the entire group.” Lightning Dust retorts. “Thunderlane will only slow me down!”

There is silence for a moment, then Spitfire speaks again, her tone harder. “You better drop that one-show attitude you have going Lightning Dust. If you cannot accept this decision and follow your leadpony’s command, then get out of my sight! I have better things than hear some wannabe pony’s whining! You are dismissed.”

“But—“

“That’s a command Newbie.”

Rainbow Dash swiftly gets out of the way, just in time before a very miffed Lighting Dust leaves the office. Leaving he hiding spot, Rainbow Dash replays the reason to why Spitfire put both her and Lighting Dust as wingponies; to see if they can obey commands. She does not like it but if this what’s it takes to become a Wonderbolt, then so be it.
Rainbow Dash leaves to get her badge as wingpony from one of the other trainers. With it on, she joins the others outside and her leadpony.
Soldier is quite happy with the role he got, she gives him a weak smile but really has to bite down her own hurt pride from not have gotten the lead role.
Checking the other teams, she notices that all have been teamed up so one with a strong personality or wings got the role as wingpony while those a bit unsure on themselves has become the leadpony. Eyeing Lighting Dust she feels a sympathy for her fellow strong flyer.

“Fall in line!” Spitfire shouts and the recruits do just that, with them standing properly and attention on her, Spitfire reveals what today’s training will be about. “Today you will all be participating in a flag hunt. We'll divide you into two teams, red...” A trainer pony shows the red flag to the team having Lighting Dust. “and blue.” The team with Rainbow Dash and Soldier. “Whoever finds the most flags of the opposing team's color wins.” The recruits cheers and Spitfire overhear one of them saying like an excited cheerleader. “Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!” Spitfire is immediately on this pony and reminds both her and the rest of the recruits. “If you think this is gonna to be fun, you are sadly mistaken. This is not recess, this is for training purposes. Lead ponies will have the command and wingponies must obey their leadpony. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma'am!”

“Then let's go!” Spitfire shouts and blows the whistle, sending the two team off on the hunt.

“Let’s show those RED maggots who is the best team!” Soldier shouts, eyeing Rainbow Dash who nods but not as enthusiastic as he thought. “This is not a funeral, this is war! Now move out and catch those flags!”

“Alright.” Rainbow Dash replies, still not very eager about this. She follows him throughout the area, trying not to get in front- which is hard as Soldier is really slow compared to her.

Even with his limited brain capacity, Soldier is good at one thing and that knowing the team's strength. He is aware of Rainbow's speed, in fact, he fully believes her to be a scout and thus treat her as such. “Fly ahead and check the area, I’ll make sure no RED will attack from behind!” Rainbow Dash gives him a confused look, which does annoy him. “Why are you stalling?! Move out maggot!” and Rainbow Dash flies ahead, scanning the area while Soldier keeps an eye out on the RED team.
He does snap his attention away from the enemy team when Rainbow Dash calls. “There’s one!” He nods and both speeds down.

Noticing that the crack where the flag is, the two fallen trees covering the flag is smaller than she expected, Rainbow Dash suggests Soldier worried. “We should slow down. It doesn't look like both of us can make it at this speed!” and is again caught off guard when Soldier commands her to stop, she hesitates but does as told. Soldier does not slow down and crashes into one of the trees, breaking on impact. Moments later he calls. “No enemy in sight! Get down here and grab the flag!”
She does and together they leave the now larger opening and flies over to where Spitfire stands.

“Soldier and Rainbow Dash have found the first flag!” Spitfire calls to the rest.

With that intelligent secured, Soldier takes to the sky and is glad he did not have to tell a scout like Rainbow Dash to keep up with him. Would make her a lousy scout if he had to. Again he commands her to scout ahead and this time she does it without giving him stupid looks.

While scanning the area for more flags, Rainbow Dash decides that being Soldier’s wingpony is not that bad, he sounds to know what he is doing and is letting her use her speed to find the flags. Checking on the others she notices that Lightning Dust is still looking very miffed, maybe it’s because Thunderlane is not that great of a leader? That or Lighting Dust really does not like being a wingpony.

Author's Note

Since I do not live in America, not been in the army nor know anyone personally who has, I have gotten most of my knowledge about the army by watching documentaries.
What I understand, Spitfire has an attitude as an American drill sergeant, since the sergeants I have seen in Danish army is way calmer but has a hash method that if the recruit cannot keep up by each week evaluation then they are sent home.
I gave Spitfire bit of both of these attitudes as her shouting is part of her personality.

Worth of the Wonderbolts

Note: This happens about the same time during Soldier and Rainbow Dash's training. part 2 and made from the episode "Wonderbolt Academy"

**Ponyville**

Before the Sugar Cupe Corner, two things are happening to the bearers of the Element of Laugher. Pinkie Pie has for the last week been standing before her mailbox, waiting for Rainbow Dash and Soldier to send her a letter and refuses to leave her spot before she got one. Her partner, Scout has been keeping her company, been kind enough to do a small picnic with her before the mailbox and that’s where Zecora, along with her two foals found them.
Sauda and Lavernia jump off their mother and giggling run over to one they know is very fun to be around: Pinkie Pie. Said pink pony does snap her attention away from the mailbox and smiles down to the equally smiling fillies. “Hia!” She leaps up and jumps around the giggling fillies. “Whatcha doing?” But the two are yet not old enough to speak other than doing a few incoherent sounds.

So their mother answers for them. “I am searching for a certain herb, so I can help a none singing bird.” Zecora smiles on how much the two girls like to hang around Pinkie and is also quite amused by the funny look Scout has on his face as this is the first time he meets his two sisters personally.  That does give her an idea. “I still have a lot of things yet obtained so could the two of you keep the girls entertained?” Pinkie Pie does seem a bit split for a moment but one look at Sauda and Lavernia. “Alright, I can keep an eye out on them.” She agrees and starts playing with the two fillies.
Zecora nods and turns to Scout, He stares at his younger siblings as if he has no idea what to do with them. The girls notice it and turn to him, staring at him equally confused. “Scout.” She gets his attention. “You can look after your sister, right?” and takes a step back when Pinkie Pie gasps loudly and before she can blink, said pink pony is right at her face, crying in utter surprise. “Sauda and Lavernia are Scout’s sisters?!” and Pinkie topples down Scout into a tight hug. “This is great! I am so happy for you Scout!”

“Uh... thanks.” Scout replies, yet not really sure what to do with those two girls currently giggling at Pinkie's antics. When he gets Pinkie off, he figures he might as well see what he is dealing with. “Sure, I guess I can look after them.” How hard can it be, anyway? Zecora nods and heads out to finish her shopping. Scout eyes his younger sisters, both staring at him in wonder, the one with the horn titles her head, reminding him of a confused cat and he must admit; that raises the cute factor.
“Um... hi.” He greets the two, they, of course, do not answer, only the one looking mostly zebra now also titles her head at him. They do snap their attention away when Pinkie jumps excited past them while doing a small song of how great it is that they are his siblings. “-You are going to teach them all the fun stuff! Have a tradition as I have with my older sister Maud!”
“Uh sure.” Scout replies and does highly doubt that is going to happen, these two are girls and no way in hell is he doing girl things with— “Auch!” He yelps and jumps from the sudden pain from the tail, checking he realizes that the zebra looking- Sauda he thinks- has somehow gotten behind and now chewing his tail. He tries to make her let go by moving his tail away but this girl is like a dog refusing to let go of a toy and she gets dragged along. Sauda only let's go when she starts giggling too much but is quick to try this again. He’s not, this one has a strong bite, he trots away and both girls follows, turning into a weird chase.
“um, little help here?” He asks Pinkie Pie, not wanting to get his tail chewed on again.
Pinkie finds a baseball and throws it over to the girls, both forget about him and instead chases the ball. The one with the horn- Lavernia he thinks, gets the ball and starts runing off. Scout quickly catches her as he is pretty sure both his father and Zecora will kill him if he lets any baby run away on his watch. “You have to stick close.” Still ball in mouth Lavernia looks up to him and Scout can’t help but laugh on how silly she looks. “Gees, you look a frog with that—” she spits it out and the baseball hits him square in the face. “ball...” He finishes, eyeing the babies and Pinkie laugh at that trick Lavernia did on him.

“I was starting to get worried about you, Pinkie.” Twilight Sparkle voices as she approaches the small group. She stops and stares a bit off guard when Sauda suddenly starts growling at her before running over to hide behind Scout and Pinkie. “Um… why did she growl at me?” She asks Scout confused about this sudden hostility from an otherwise cute baby. “Sauda already knows me.”

Scout must admit that one of his new sisters knows how to show teeth even in such a young age is quite surprising yet somewhat also appealing as that means at least one of them might know how to put up a fight when they get older. Anyway, back to why Sauda growled at Twilight and must say “Your emotions are a mess.” He points out and does wonder what is causing that to the newly made alicorn. "Maybe she doesn't like your wings?" He jokes, but it's clear Twilight did not appreciate it.

Twilight shoots Scout an annoyed stare, then drops her gaze with a sigh and makes a nervous smile. “Well, you know me. Got a lot of new princess stuff to do.” The half changeling nods with a: “Yeah, but you’re still the nerd of all nerds.” and he starts munching on a muffin. She gives him a small glare for that remark. “I am not! I just like having everything organized.” But must say she does appreciate that he does not take her new title that seriously. He sends her a ‘yeah right’ look which she decides to ignore and turns to Pinkie Pie. Like the rest, she is worried about how their pink friend has been glued to the mailbox ever since Rainbow Dash and Soldier left for their training. “Still waiting for the letter?”

Pinkie Pie nods. “Yuep,” and voices her worries to Twilight. “It's been fourteen days already. By now, Rainbow Dash and Soldier probably doesn't even know our names anymore!” She cries up to the sky and steps past the worried looking fillies as she continues. “They probably can't remember our faces! "Pinkie Pie? I never heard of a Pinkie Pie! Who is Pinkie Pie?”" and checks the mailbox again for this letter that will prove to her that Rainbow Dash and Soldier still remembers them. So glad that Scout did not leave to train as well. Which reminds her: “Hey, why didn’t you sign up to become a Wonderbolt?” She asks Scout, quickly adding. “Of course I am really happy you haven’t left as well. It would be the worst if my own partner would forget about me...”

They have been separated for almost a whole year and he still remembered her, does make sense to why Pinkie was so happy to see him again. “There’s no way I’m going to forget about you.” He tells his partner and after have swallowed another muffin, he answers her question to why he didn’t sign up to train to become a Wonderbolt. “I was thinking about it, but being in the army sounds freaking boring.” The closest he will ever come to work in the military is being a mercenary. “So no thank you, I would much rather be something more entertaining than standing guard on the same spot all day, long and listen to someone like Soldier.” He much rather wants to be a baseball player, although he highly doubts he can become that with this path he chose or the world he is currently in. Maybe he should check out what this world has to offer of sports games. Turning to his partner, Scout suggests. “If you are so worried about them forgetting you-“ he snaps his head to his tail when Sauda again bites it. He tries to get her off, still speaking to Pinkie Pie “- then why don’t you send them a letter?”

“Of course! That's a great idea!” Pinkie Pie cries in joy and Twilight lets out a sigh of relief, to then jerk back when Pinkie suddenly crawls out from the mailbox with an even better idea of what they could send their lost friends. “How about we send Rainbow Dash and Soldier a care package? You know, before they forget all about us?” Leaving the mailbox, Pinkie muses as she highly doubts they do still remember them from how long they have been gone. “Although, come on, let's face it. It's probably too late for that. But, uh, maybe it'll jog their memory somehow.”  Twilight taps her lightly on her shoulder, assuring her. “Pinkie Pie, I'm sure Rainbow Dash and Soldier still remember our faces and who we are. But I think sending them a care package is a great idea.” And that’s what Pinkie needed to hear and she jumps over to Sugar Cube Corner but stops when realizing. “What if the package gets lost in the mail? What if somepony else gets the package by accident and then she remembers us instead of Rainbow Dash and Soldier and then she becomes our new friend? And then—“ her partner puts a hoof on her mouth

Is this how the other feels when he first starts talking? If that’s the case then he can see why they find it sometimes annoying, but at least his river of words is not about something one shouldn’t even worry about. It usually on how awesome he is. “What about we just give them the package in person?” Pinkie mumbles something he can’t understand as he still keeps her from talking, but he has a pretty good guess what it is from the confused emotion she gives out. “I mean ponyson.” He corrects himself, and finds this whole pony figure of speech quite silly but he is in a land filled with sentient and brightly colored ponies.

“I’ll ask the others if they would like to join.” Twilight Sparkle smiles and trots off.

Scout removes his hoof from Pinkie and pulls his tail out from Sauda’s mouth, at least she got the hint from his emotions and instead went to use the baseball as chew toy before taking the run for it when Lavernia wants it.
He watches them play around but just has to roll his eyes when Pinkie Pie points out seriously. “When we give them the package, don't be upset if they don't recognize you at first. It may take a while before they get their memory back.” Even his sisters stare at her as if they too have realized how silly it is to worry about something like that. Something Scout finds very amusing and thinks having them as his sisters won’t be as bad as he thought. Probably going change his mind when they start chewing on him again.

**At Wonderbolt Academy**

Rainbow Dash finds herself annoyed,  she and Soldier didn’t win the capture the flag they did yesterday but Thunderlane and Lightning Dust did as they dared to push themselves harder, sure they did both got quite beaten up but as Lightning Dust said: only the best of the best becomes a Wonderbolt and those unable to keep up will be thrown out. Soldier is willing to take risks, he truly does but his lack of speed and him having the command is really getting annoying. “Today we gotta win, otherwise Spitfire might think I’m not good enough to be a Wonderbolt.” Rainbow Dash muses to herself while dressing up for today's obstacle race.
She joins Soldier, who is always is up and ready an hour before anyone else, must give him props for that.
“You ready for today?” She asks him and he replies back with a wide grin. “I am born ready! Move out!” and they fly over to where the training exercise will happen. When the others have joined. Spitfire tells them. “Today we'll be doing our famous air obstacle course.” Rainbow Dash looks up and sees that the trainers have machines there creates highly charged thunderclouds and making a powerful wind. Others are gathering heavy rain clouds and ready normal clouds for the rings they are supposed to fly through.
“The object of this exercise is to work on your precision flying under extreme circumstances. I will time you, but this is not a race.” Spitfire reminds them. Rainbow eyes meet Lightning Dust and the other pegasus winks in the sign she highly doubts this is not a race. Spitfire sends them off and Rainbow keeps close to Soldier, but can’t help and want to hurry on him when she spots Thunderlane and Lightning Dust pass by them.
The two reaches the highly charged thunderclouds, Lightning Dust easily dodges them but Rainbow notices that she is ignoring that Thunderlane is supposed to be the leadpony and help him—which she doesn’t— when he got caught by one of the thunderclouds. She and Soldier are too far off to hear them, but Rainbow Dash can see that Lightning Dust is calling at Thunderlane to hurry up, he does but is quite ruffled up thanks to the thunder strike he took.
Eyeing Soldier, Rainbow Dash wonders if she can take the lead as well but knows this stallion is not one should argue with, he's stubborn like Applejack.
They reach the thunderclouds and Rainbow dodges the clouds, Soldier does get caught in them and for a moment she is split from helping him or just push him to keep up. Eyeing Lightning Dust and Thunderlane who are way ahead, she decides the latter. “Hurry up Soldier!”
He gets out and joins her with the question: “Has the enemy captured a point?” No idea what that means but Rainbow figure he’s trying to speak code and if that’s what it means to get him to move it. “Yeah, and way ahead.” She answers.

In that case. “Chaaaarge!!” Soldier does a head-dive and completely ignores the thunderclouds, in fact, he is destroying them, making a free pass to Rainbow Dash to get up ahead. “Get up there and take that point!”

“Yes sir!” and Rainbow flies up ahead, Soldier does eventually catch up to her and the leading pair. She eyes the stallion and does think she can work with this.
They reach the area with the rainclouds, the wind and rain are stronger than Rainbow expected and almost get thrown off course but Soldier catches her and pretty much makes her use him as cover while he plows through the harsh weather. The bit strange aid allows them to pass Lightning Dust and Thunderlane with the latter unable to keep up thanks to his encounter with the thundercloud and Lightning Dust is not really helping as she keeps verbally pushing him. “Come on! What kind of lead pony can’t even handle a bit of weather?! I have seen snail fly faster than this!” Rainbow Dash feels a bit sorry for the fellow Ponyville residents but there is nothing she can do about it.
When out from the storm clouds, Soldier lets go of her and slow down at what is before them: machines blowing a wind strong enough to even push him off course. Rainbow eyes him and suggests. “We should avoid the winds, fly full speed and we can get past them.” Soldier frowns at her suggestion but before he can speak his mind of what he is thinking. Thunderlane and Lightning Dust tackle into them in their speed to get past. Rainbow recovers quickly while Soldier takes a bit longer, he accidentally hit some of the others recruits but does recover. “Move out!” He commands and they fly towards the machines. Rainbow Dash is forced to stay beside him so there are more close calls as she would like getting past the machines. Landing Rainbow is annoyed that the other team won once again and her mood did not improve when she heard Spitfire praise Thunderlane and Lightning Dust. “Definitely made the right decision making you two a team.”
The two smiles, although Thunderlane in more a nervous manner.
Spitfire turns to Rainbow Dash and Soldier, saying pretty much the same thing but of a different reason. “Been a while I last saw this well-oiled team-up, keep at it.” and dismisses them. Soldier and Rainbow Dash both salutes with the stallion cheering of the good teamwork they did today. “You deserve a medal!”
Rainbow Dash beams, it does make her feel a bit better for not have won the race.

“Um, Lightning Dust, I appreciate you push me to get better and all but, you are supposed to be my wingpony!” Thunderlane points out, tapping at the golden pin on his chest. “That means you have to follow my lead.”

Rainbow Dash and Soldier eyes the supposedly best team but for now decides to let this play out.

Lightning Dust rolls her eyes, as she still hasn’t gotten over the fact she has to listen to somepony slower and less skilled than her. “Hey, you snooze, you lose! Besides, Wonderbolts wants best of the best and with how I helped you out, you should be thankful! I mean-” she steps towards the stallion trying to pretend he is Wonderbolt material. “- if it wasn’t for my leadership, you would’ve been thrown off the team ages ago.”
Thunderlane scowl deepens. “But I am the lead pony!” and she retorts back. “The moment you can keep up with me, then I will follow your lead.” and with that, she turns around and leaves for the mess hall. “Not every pony is destined to become a Wonderbolt, so you have to kick down a few doors to show you are the best, right.”

Thunderlane lowers his head in defeat, he guesses she has a point… Lightning Dust has after all made them the leading team. “Yeah… I guess you’re right…” and he follows her.

Rainbow Dash frowns of what Lightning Dust have said and like Thunderlane she can see the point. Its clear Soldier is slowing her down but… well, he seems to have experience in something she wasn’t aware of, it has helped them get through the obstacle courses with only minor injuries. But is that really better than being best on the list? She is not sure.

**the next day**

Checking the wall for what today’s training will be, Rainbow Dash blinks in surprise that the teams have been teamed up, so now she and Lightning Dust are on the same team. Much to the fellow speedster’s joy. “This is going to be so awesome! With the two of us, we are sure to wipe the floor with the others.”
Rainbow nods in agreement. “Oh yeah.” It will be nice to win again for a chance. They head over to get something to eat before practice, at the table, Lightning Dust starts complaining how Thudnerlane is holding her back and asks Rainbow. “Don’t you feel the same with your partner? What I have seen, he’s even slower than mine!”
Rainbow Dash does not fancy back talking a friend, even though she and Soldier rarely spoke to one another, she must admit the time at the academy has made her come to see the stallion in a different light. “I admit he’s slow but—“
“You shouldn’t let that stop you.” Lightning Dust interrupts her, putting a hoof over her shoulder. “Do what I do and sooner or later, Spitfire will realize that we are the best.” She winks as encouragement. Rainbow Dash does not answers, she feels split.  She blames this mindset on her partner, but Rainbow Dash wants to do this fairly, she wants to show she can do her best and obey orders as the same time, even if she does not like it. But she is starting to doubt if this mindset counts with these ponies such as the Wonderbolts. It’s clear Spitfire wants strong flyers, why else would she keep praising Lightning Dust?

After breakfast and the recruits standing in line, Spitfire explains them today’s practice. “Today the task is who of the two teams can remove the most clouds in a matter of two hours.” The trainers have spent all morning filling the sky with clouds for this very thing. “I want all of the clouds gone, and if you fail, we will repeat the exercise until you do!“ It is an impossible task but this practice is meant to push the recruits past their limit even if the odds are against them. Spitfire nods to the trainer, he blows the whistle and the two teams are off.

Soldier is quick to give out commands. “Take the small clouds! I take the big ones!” Rainbow Dash nods and speeds off to handle the smaller ones while he destroys the bigger ones that need a bit more work.

Thunderlane is about to do his own command but Lightning Dust has already taken off, forcing him to take the clouds he encounters on the way.

Lightning Dust joins Rainbow Dash and sees a good opportunity to show she has what it takes to be a leadpony. “Follow my lead!” Rainbow Dash eyes her surprised. “But—“ she rolls her eyes. “Come on, the rule is to take out as many clouds as possible, doesn't matter how we do it.” Rainbow Dash hesitates but does follow her lead and they take out any cloud in their path.
When they take out a bigger cloud Rainbow Dash’s leadpony is trying to take, the stallion starts shouting at them.  “I told you only take the small ones! Stick to the program!” Lightning Dust stops to remind him. “Relax, we are doing your job easier.” But this one does not get it. “Stick to the smaller clouds! That’s an order!” Which she promptly ignores and flies off to destroy more clouds.

Rainbow Dash hesitates but does what Soldier told her and sticks to the smaller and easier clouds. Lightning Dust appears again, having a smirk she's up to something once again. “I have an idea about how we can literally blow away our competition.” Checking on the other team, Rainbow Dash can easily see that they have the lead. “But we are way ahead.” She argues and points out as this is starting to get a tad too close of disobedience Spitfire. “Look, I know you don’t like being a wingpony but Spitfire—“

“Spitfire is wrong.” Lightning Dust retorts back, she flies over the other side of Rainbow's view. “And if we are going to prove to her that we are made to be Wonderbolts, then we have to take chances. Rules are meant to be broken after all.” She offers Rainbow Dash a hoof. “Are you in or not?”

Rainbow Dash hesitates, thinking on what Spitfire said on they became wingpony so they can be tested if they can obey but Spitfire has as well praised Lightning Dust in her reckless behavior, so is she pushing the recruits to go and ignore the fellow team? Is that what it takes to become a Wonderbolt?  Rainbow Dash makes her decision. “I’m in!” Much to Lightning Dust satisfaction. “Then follow my lead!” She does and they fly in a tight circle, creating a tornado there suck in all the nearby clouds. But they went too fast and both lose control, sending the tornado lose on the base. Rainbow crashes onto the ground, recovering she notices, much to her horror that an air balloon- having her friends inside has been caught by the tornado. The robes breaks and her friends fall down to the ground far below the academy. Rainbow Dash cries in horror and swiftly take action, on her way to save her friends, she calls for the only pony she trusts at this moment. “Soldier, follow me!” He does and both throw themselves over the cliff and lets gravity help them pass their falling friend. She takes the lead and begins to speed around a large patch of clouds, Soldier joins her and they make the clouds so compacted that it can hold even unicorns and earth ponies. The compacted cloud bursts, sending the group back up in their air but are saved thanks to Thunderlane has rallied the other recruits, catching and bringing them to safety.
The two flies back up with Rainbow asking her friends worried. “Are you guys okay?” They all nod.

Soldier lands and gets tackled into a hug by Derpy, he claps her friendly on the hoof.
Zhanna walks over to them, taps Derpy on the shoulder and the grey mare steps away. Allowing the slightly bigger than normal earth pony to give Soldier a big kiss. “My hero of the day.” Soldier grins and must say: “Rainbow is a really good team member. It was her idea.”

Said rainbow-haired pegasus smiles weakly of the praise before turning to Pinkie Pie who hasn’t fully recovered from the free-fall. Worried she got hurt, Rainbow Dash asks if she is alright. Pinkie Pie gets all teary and jumps up to glomp her. “You remember me!” Confused about why Pinkie thought she would forget her- she is really hard to forget. “Well... yeah, of course, I remember you. But…” Getting Pinkie off, she asks her friends confused. “What are you all doing here?”

“We wanted to bring you a care package.” Applejack replies, showing her said package that got quite the beating from the tornado. “Didn't realize you'd be in the middle of some crazy tornado drill.”

“We wasn’t.” Soldier tells them, not aware Rainbow Dash made said tornado. “Thing appeared out of nowhere, must be a crazy weather wizard around somewhere.” He grumbles the last, scanning the now clear sky for said wizard.

Lightning Dust flies over and rudely pushes herself past the other recruits “That... was... awesome!” She cheers on how well that plan worked. Rainbow Dash isn’t as thrilled as hoped, quite the contrary. “Awesome? My friends could have been smashed to pieces!” She shouts angrily but such small things do not bother a winner like Lightning Dust. “Yeah, but they weren't, right?” She flies up to the sky, scanning it for any remaining clouds. “Can't say the same for the clouds. We totally wiped them out with that tornado.” She flies back, doing a confident resting position while still flying. “The other cadets will have to be up there for days to bust as many as we did.” She did not see nor care of the angry frowns she got from the others recruits. Lightning Dust offers her hoof to Rainbow to bump it. “Proves we’re the best.”

But Rainbow Dash does not care about that anymore, she has seen what this behavior will bring and that is something she does not want to lose. “A hoof bump? Seriously?” She pushes the hoof away and must admit to her fellow flyer. “I get that you want to be the best. So do I! But you're going about it in the wrong way. You have pushed Thunderlane to exhausting and more than once endangered him.” Nodding to said stallion who is still missing several wing feathers from the last time Lightning Dust pushed him too hard. “You unleashed a tornado that nearly demolished my friends! Don’t you care about others than yourself?” She asks this other pony, startled on how little Lightning Dust seems to care about her words.

Lightning Dust snorts and rolls her eyes. “Oh I do care about others, but unlike you, I am not afraid to push myself and if it means a few has to get hurt, then so be it.” She takes to the air again, reminding everyone. “And from the looks of it, that’s exactly what the Wonderbolts wants. The weak have to go and the strong will stay, it’s been like this since day one.”

As much she hates to admit it... “Yeah… it has.” She agrees but if Lightning Dust way is what the Wonderbolt wants… then... she leaves and heads to the captain’s office, knocks and when getting the permission to enter, Rainbow Dash walks inside. Spitfire is not happy to see her. “This better be important. You're supposed to be up there busting clouds with your team.” Rainbow salutes, stating out “We're done with that, ma'am.”

This catches Spitfire by surprise. “You have?” She takes off her sunglasses and checks the clock, it’s only nine which means. “Nopony has done it this fast. That's an academy record! Explain your methods.” She commands the recruit and Rainbow Dash does; she and Lightning Dust created a tornado. “A bit excessive for cloud-busting.” Spitfire admits but must say “But judging from your time, it was obviously an effective tactic.”

And that’s the problem. “Yeah, well that "effective tactic" nearly took out my friends!” Rainbow Dash retorts, it takes Spitfire a bit off guard. “No disrespect, ma'am, but there's a big difference between pushing yourself as hard as you can and just being reckless. And if being reckless is what gets rewarded around here, if that's what it means to be a Wonderbolt, then I don't want any part of it.”

Spitfire frowns of what this recruit is saying. “What are you saying Newbie?” She asks and gets it when Rainbow Dash puts down her wingpony pin with: “I quit.” This catches her really off guard, more so when this mare is one of the best recruits. Rainbow Dash leaves, and it takes her a moment to recover. When does she leaves the office and commands the stallion who kept track on the cloudbusting on details of what has been happening?

“From the looks of it, Lightning Dust didn’t bother to hear what her leadpony had to say and went on her own. Later she dragged Rainbow Dash away from her leadpony and not long after they created the tornado.” He explains Spitfire.

So, it all comes down to disobedience and that cheeky Lightning Dust. She hid it well and although she is the best of the recruits, Spitfire won’t allow a pony with no regards to the higher command to become a Wonderbolt. She swiftly heads out, find the perpetrator and demands for an explanation, at first Lightning Dust brags about her record-breaking deeds which are impressive but: “How many lives did you endanger doing your record breaks?” Lightning Dust blinks but she does not have time for this. “Answer me!”

“Uh… a couple of ponies but does that really matter?” Lightning Dust retorts back; reminding the captain. “You want the best and I am the best! I can’t help if somepony gets hurt when I fly past them. If I have to slow down every single time, nothing will get done. That’s what you want, right?”

Spitfire can now see that all this record timing and competition in training has damaged the recruiting, makes her wonder if she is really as good a captain as she thinks… that she can take up later. Now she has to correct things. “Come with me.” She commands Lightning Dust and trots over to catch Rainbow Dash before she leaves. She finds the pony about to take off. “Rainbow Dash!” Said recruit turns around to her and Spitfire does not blame her for being all angry, well she is pretty angry too. “How dare you storm out of my office without giving me a chance to respond!” Calming herself and reigning in her pride, Spitfire explains this recruit that has reminded her what it means to be a captain of the royal army. “The Wonderbolts are looking for the best flyers in Equestria, but you were right.” She turns to where Lightning Dust is standing and Spitfire steps towards her and speaks what Rainbow Dash taught her. “Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. It's not just about pushing ourselves. It's about pushing ourselves in the right direction. I hate to do this since you are the best if we look at the records but if it comes to what it truly means to be a Wonderbolt:” She tears off the wingpony pin from Lightning Dust. “You are the worst of the recruits, and you know what that means.” Lightning Dust flinches away, for a moment she looks she wants to argue but stops from the glare Spitfire sends her so the broken mare leaves. Spitfire then turns to Rainbow Dash with a smirk. “I’m not allowing my best recruit to leave.”

This is the best day ever! Rainbow Dash is beaming of the greatest praise she has ever gotten and from the captain of the Wonderbolts no less! Spitfire puts back on her sunglasses and is back to be her captain persona. “Now get out there and give me twenty!” Which she is more than ready to do. “Yes, ma'am!” She joins the other recruits and is more than happy to stay as Soldier’s wingpony for she still has a lot to learn when it comes to obeying orders.

Author's Note

and that is the end of the Wonderbolt academy chapters, did you like the changes I did?
also, I am not planning on putting Spitfire into the chapter made after Rainbow Falls, I have different plans with that upcoming chapter.

Snipers Hunting Trip

Note: this happens two weeks after the last chapter. it's not made from any tf2 comic or mlp episode.

**Human world**

The mercs reside inside a safe house the Vanguard team has been using before they claimed the alpha respawn building as their base, apparently what Miss Pauling understood, the AWOL team has places like this all over the country, even has a few all the way over in Europe. Miss Pauling must admit she is impressed, these save houses probably has been the reason why Helen hasn’t been able to capture and get them under her control again. That and of course it does comes in handy having the son of Ace and two spies around, all three having a web of contacts and thus not much gets past their attention.
Miss Pauling has however taken notice that the Vanguard team is only on top as long as they have the information and enough time to prepare for certain attacks. This team, unlike the mercs of team Fortress, Jack’s team is not built for aggressive tactics and therefore forced to be extremely careful. The only reason they defeated team Fortress was because they had respawn and these powers the alpha respawn gave them.
Miss Pauling hasn’t tried to see if the tree grants her power, she figures that she is not on its good side and only has a limited number on how many times she can respawn.
Speaking of respawn, this safehouse has one, built by a former engineer, which Francis later upgraded it to reach them further away, so dying won’t be a problem in this untouched forest. Currently the two doctors are using the room where the respawn resides, what they both told: the machine is the last step to restore Cowboy back to his former self.
She sorta hopes it will succeed, that whole thing Medic did to Cowboy is the main reason why the Vanguard team are wary of them.
Her train of thoughts breaks when the Vanguard Pyro offers her a cup of tea. “Here, thought you might want something warm.” He says. Miss Pauling is a bit caught off guard by this but being polite she takes the cup and drinks the homemade tea. It is quite good, has much more taste than the tea she buys in the shopping mall. “Thanks.” He simply nods and leaves, joining the heavy and female engineer in playing in some game Miss Pauling does not recognize.
Miss Pauling turns her gaze away when she spots Sniper leaves but quickly stop to pay him any mind and instead ponder if she should ask the Vanguard Scout of what is going on as it feels like the whole team is waiting for something.

Lawrence steps outside this hidden hut out in the middle of a grand and mostly untouched forest. For once he does not mind of just sitting around, waiting for whatever the other team is waiting on. But to his surprise, Lawrence notices that he’s not the only one who got the idea to enjoy the nature that surrounds them. He spots the other sniper— for most it would look like he is just wandering aimlessly around but for Lawrence, he can see that Garry is tracking something. Curious he walks over to the blond man and before he can ask, Garry asks him. “What do these tell you?” Nodding to the prints in the somewhat muddy forest floor. Lawrence kneels down, follows the prints with his hands and only takes a moment to see what Garry also saw in them. “There is a big pig nearby, wounded on its left foreleg. Wolf maybe?”

“Doubt it, wolves go for the back, not the front leg. My guess is a rival, don’t you think eh?” Garry remarks with a smile and is glad there is for once one who can read tracks as him. “I’m planning on hunting this boar down. We won’t be leaving at least until a few days and I could need some wild meat.” Eyeing the Aussie, still smiling. “Want to join me fellow hunter?”

Hell yeah, he’s going to join him. It's been ages he last went on a proper hunt. “Yeah, I’ll join.” Lawrence nods, the other sniper is quite satisfied with his answer.

“Good, you know how to use a bow? We can’t risk exposing ourselves by the sound of a sniper rifle.”

Lawrence nods on both, and Garry is kind enough to borrow him a bow as the only one he got is the one Celestia gave him and that bow cannot kill. Even though it’s useless in this world, he refuses to throw it out as that silver bow is just too gorgeous, plus a gift from a royal.

Marcos meets the two hunters on the way back, after Garry has told him they are going out to catch some food, he briefly explains them. “Alright, the meeting with the customer should be done when you have returned.” and explains on both of their mildly confused faces. “We need to smuggle a small family out from the iron curtain, will be tricky but he is paying well.”
“Be sure to give us all the details when we return.” Garry requests, Marcos promises he will and they go each their way.

The two hunters track the wounded boar deeper into the forest, Lawrence eyes Garry and can see this other man is used to walk in the wild. Like himself, Garry movements leave little trace and he is very mindful where he is stepping. They follow the tracks and they find it in at a small clearing, the two seek cover behind a bush, watching their prey. The beast is limping but it’s clear it won’t go down without a fight from how it does not look fully bothered by its wound.
Lawrence aims at the boar, blinks when Garry corrects his hands but figures the man maining a bow knows what he is doing and when done correcting, Garry steps back and whispers to him. “Aim for the leg, you won’t be able to kill it from this angle.” Lawrence nods, aims the arrow at the already wounded left hindleg and shoots. The boar squeals in pain, topples over but does get back up and starts running, not fast though thanks to the wound it got from the fight and the arrow now stuck in its leg.
Lawrence and Garry quickly take pursuit.

Garry takes the lead, leaps onto a fallen tree trunk and unlike his fellow hunter who needs to stand still in order to aim properly, his mastery of this weapon makes him able to make the shot way quicker, even if he’s on the move. He shoots an arrow, hitting the boar right in the neck. It staggers several steps then falls to the ground, still alive though. “Darn it.” Garry curses, he really hoped that arrow would’ve made a clean kill. But it didn’t and now they have to risk approaching the beast and finish it off, and something tells him this boar still have enough to put up a fight.
Glancing to Lawrence, the other hunter has realized this too from the deep frown over his forehead. Without a word the two pull out each of their melee weapons and wary approaches the grunting and struggling to get on its feet beast.
This time Lawrence takes the lead, holding his kukri ready to either finish off the beast or use it to defend himself. Garry stays back, readying another arrow just in case the boar would get up.

Quickly Lawrence steps over to the boar, ready the kukri and about to put his hand on the beast’s head so he can make the killing blow but the second he touched the head, the boar leaps up and bites his hand. He lets out a loud curse, both from the pain and in surprise this beast caught him. Before it can really mess up his trapped hand, Garry shoots an arrow into its side, getting the boar’s attention just long enough for Lawrence to plunges his kukri right into its throat and the beast bleed out in seconds. It drops onto his trapped arm and its weight forced him down onto the ground as well.

“You alright there?” Garry calls the moment he’s sure the boar is dead.

Getting his hand free from the beast, Lawrence pushes it away and gets up from the muddy forest floor. “Yeah, didn’t get a proper hold.” Both look down to the slain boar and after a moment of silence, Garry eyes him with: "At least it didn't run when it caught you, but it would've made one hell of a story, eh?" Lawrence chuckles at that remark and must nod in agreement that would've made a way more interesting story. "Yeah, but we could say it did."
"We could, not like the others would know." Garry agrees, both laughs at the idea dramatize the boar's retaliation and Lawrence must admit. “First time I’ve done a hunt along with someone, and killed a boar. I usually hunt kangaroo and crocodile.”
Garry walks over and removes the arrows from the boar. “I always bring people on my hunts, we did once take down a boar. That one put up a fight as well. But then again, so do I.” He gestures at the scratch marks scar over his face. “Would’ve been more than scarred if I haven't.”
Now that he does speak about that scar. “What animal gave you that one?” Lawrence asks sincerely curious about the story of that scar, he can clearly see it is coming from a large cat but which he does not know. He has never faced a big wild cat in Austraila’s bush.

“A cougar, beautiful creature but you better hope not meeting one without a weapon.” Garry replies, he returns the arrows to the quiver.

“I can say the same about crocodiles.” Lawrence remarks and tells the man about the one that almost took his leg when he wasn't looking where he was going, he even shows the scar he got from that encounter. The two help each other to carry the slain boar back to base and when they return, they are talking about their many hunting stories in such a way that it sounds like they have been friends for years. Lawrence must say he has never tried acquaintance turns to friendship this quickly before, but he and Garry just click.

A few of the other mercs hanging outside turns around at the voices of the two snipers chatting about their past hunting trips, and in the way they are talking, Sophia just can’t help herself. “Birds of a feather flock together.” She tells them, smiling.
Lawrence and Garry blink, stare first a bit confused at her, then at one another and they laugh with Lawrence saying sheepishly. “Yeah, something like that...” She's glad Garry has gotten himself well acquainted with the other sniper but she’s not really surprised, that Canadian has a talent in forming friendships on a dime.

Tavish walks over to them, whistle at the sight of what they caught. “Bloody hell that’s a big pig.”

“We are a lot of people too, eh?” Garry grins and the two puts the boar down and leaves with: “I and Lawrence caught it, now some of you have to cook it.”
The others laugh, even Sophia rolls amused her eyes by that cheeky remark but she can see the point. "That someone is going to be Wei." She notices that Lawrence is hurt and tells him. “Our two medics finished attending to Francis not long ago, you should let them look at it.” Gesturing at the wound.

“It looks worse than it is.” Lawrence deflects the suggestion, then jerks off-guard when this female spy suddenly is a bit too close for comfort, he does not step back since she keeps him locked with that sweet smile of hers. “Oh, there is no need to act tough around me, Lawrence. I already know you’re one handsome man.” She gently strokes her fingers over his chin. Lawrence blushes, he knows she is playing him, she is a spy after all but it’s hard to ignore the fact she is a very beautiful woman and has a sexy voice. “Eh…” He tries to speak but has no idea how to responds. Kreel smiles and finishing the flirting touch over his chin. “Let the doctors look at you, it would be such a shame if we lost that rugged face of yours.” Red like a tomato but too flustered to even try points out that he will just respawn, Lawrence does as she suggested and is more than flustered that she wrapped him around her finger.

Sophia giggles on how easy that was, clear Fortress sniper is not used be flirted with she will have a ton of fun with this one. He looks quite cute when flustered.
“How’s Francis?” Garry asks, snapping her out from her ideas how to tease the Aussie. “Did they succeed?” She nods they indeed have to her team's sniper. “They did, though it took its toll on him, so he is currently resting from the whole ordeal.” but even with Francis restored, she is far from trusting Josef and won’t hesitate in killing him for real if he ever gets any smart ideas.

“That’s good to hear.” Garry smiles and heads into the house to hear what this new contract Marcos spoke about is really about.

**Later that very night**

Lawrence has been giving the night watch, not that he minds, it’s nice to be surrounded by the sounds of only the creatures of the night and be a bit away from the more noisy members he shares a room with-- especially Kreel who has been teasing him nonstop with that flirting of hers. "Darn flirty spook..." he grumbles and after have scanned the area, Lawrence returns back to carving the branch he found.  
Lawrence doubts anyone but them knows about this place but like most of the members on team Vanguard; he doesn't really want to argue with Jack’s high vigilance as the man has a reason to be a bit paranoid. Probably what has saved the team several times from the Administrator clutches during the years.
A sound that does not belong to an animal and coming from inside the base shift Lawrence attention to the door, he blinks when Pyro- without a mask joins him. He opens his mouth to voice his confusions but the firebug interrupts him by asking a rather strange question. “Can you find something important?” He raises a brow and she explains. “Something been lost long time, you can find it if you leave them behind.”
Lawrence’s frowns deepens, not sure why but something feels off, sure Pyro speaks about weird things but never like this. “What the bloody hell are you talking about?” He asks and ponders if this is Kreel messing with him again.
Pyro eyes him and for a split second, her amber eyes shift into emerald green, that catches him off guard, enough that he does not interrupt when Pyro speaks again. “The seeds are growing, the past has to be known. The wrong choice cannot be taken again.”
Lawrence stares at her, then the sound of a twig breaking snaps his attention to the forest, the black dressed spy appears from his mission. He stops not far from Lawrence with: “At ease, I know I’m hard to be seen in the dark but I rather not go through respawn this late at night.” First there Lawrence realizes he has drawn his submachine gun, lowering it, he turns back to the very eerie talking Pyro… she’s gone. where did she go? He checks the area but finds no signs of her.

Marcos frowns at how paranoid the Fortress sniper is acting. “How long have you been awake?” He asks, the sniper meets his eyes and asks rather confused. “Didn’t you see our Pyro?” He shakes his head. “No, only you acting like Jack when he hasn’t gotten enough sleep.”
The sniper eyes the tree stump again, musing. “Did I imaged it?” Okay, this guy cannot do more sentry duty for the night. “I’ll get Rune to take the shift, you should get some rest.” He tells the sniper and walks inside to fetch his team’s pyro.

“Oi, I can finish my shift!” Lawrence argues annoyed that this black dressed spy thinks he cannot do three-hour sentry duty. The spy appears from the base, for a second Lawrence prepares himself for an insult as Antoine would’ve done, but instead the man points out with a sincere tone. “I don’t underestimate your abilities but you are not thinking straight and that can make you do mistakes. It’s best to be safe than sorry.”
Lawrence stares baffled at the man, one who spoke as if he is aware of how much it means to be there for the team.
Before Dell left, the man did say these guys have the Elements of Harmony colors, and from how Marcos here spoke, Lawrence thinks he just found out who of team Vanguard carry the same element as him. Quite weird really since he is a spy— and there he has to remind himself this man is not Antoine. “Alright.” He sighs and follows the man inside, before Marcos leaves he asks just to be sure. “You’re certain you didn’t see my team's Pyro?”
The black spy eyes him, no sign of irritation that someone wastes his time in those blue orbs as Antoine so often has. “I only saw you.” Lawrence nods, the spy leaves and he heads to his room, pondering what this illusion Pyro had said, it didn’t make any sense but something tells him it was quite important.  

**A couple of days later**

A man in the late thirty walks nervously into the warehouse he was told to arrive in at this time of early morning. He clutches the small suitcase as he is still unsure if this was such a good idea. He was told to go here by the man there made the promise that this team would help him with his problem. Still, this is dangerous times and for all he knows, this could be a trap.

“Mr. Tymon.”

Mr. Tymon jumps in fright and snaps to the person standing in the shadows, it is hard to make out the man thanks to his black clothing and mask, not at all helping on his already ragged nerves. “Y-Yes?” He replies fearfully.
The man steps into the light, only there Mr. Tymon calms down when it reveals this the same black dressed man there told about these mercenaries in the first place. “The team has agreed to take the job, do you have the money?”
The huge relief makes him falter for a moment, does quickly pull himself together and hands the masked man the suitcase filled with the requested money.
The masked man opens the suitcase, and closes it as soon he knew the money are legit. “We expect the other half of the payment when we return with your wife and children. If you fail to deliver, then we cannot promise the safety of your family.” Mr. Tymon nods scared, well aware of the risk and he is willing to pay if it means the safety of his family. “I will have the money ready. Just— please return them safely. The... The other people I hired never returned.”

This last part catches Black Spy’s attention. “Who else did you hire?” These other freelancer mercs could be a problem.

“Two men, one masked like you, the other… well, his face was really messed up.”

Black Spy nods and after the client has left, he uses the hidden teleporter which gets destroyed by Engie the moment he returns to their current base. He hands his own teams heavy the suitcase and joins the others in the operation room. They are currently discussing how to get past the Iron curtain— the invisible line that cuts through Europe and the Soviet Union.
He walks up beside Tristan and whispers in their mother’s languages to his brother. “/Father took this mission but abandoned it for some reason./”
Tristan snorts, not loud enough to get the others attention though. “/Why does that not surprises me./” He replies with a sneer, Black Spy does not reply, he knows that trying to defend their father is no use. Tristan won’t stop loathing the master spy who happens to be their father… not that he can blame his brother though. Their father has never taken a side to anything other than his own.
He turns his attention on the plan Jack is telling the others.

“— when Francis, Kreel and Lawrence have put down the portal, we will move out, get the family out and leave.” Jack explains the team. “We can’t risk a shootout in that city, for according to Miss Pauling—” nodding to said woman. “there are no respawn covering that particular city. If we die there, then it’s game over. Now, is there anyone not sure what their job is?” No one speaks up, so he takes everyone know what to do. “Good” and tells the first team to move out.

On the way out, Sniper stops when Ignis suddenly tells him. “Keep an eye out for the white rabbit.” He eyes the alicorn, confused about why he would say such a weird thing. Ignis shrugs apologetically. “That’s all I can tell you.”
Sniper hesitates but does ask. “One of these future visions?” Ignis nods, well that makes sense and yet not. “What’s about this white rabbit?”

“I do not fully understand it myself, only that this white rabbit is important.” Ignis explains the mortal man, the vision he got did show him this mission will not go well... it showed him the mercs getting split apart by darkness. Those who dodged the darkness got getting swarmed by birds that destroyed everything they touched, to then be swallowed by fire along with the Conduit of the Elements. The only light in all of this was a badly wounded and alone Sniper, taken away by a white ghost rabbit. The man needs to go with it in order to survive and… find the memories of Nebula…
Ignis does not know how to stop this fast approaching disaster, only he has to be on his toes as his fire magic might be the only thing that can save them. The man before him, however, can only be saved by the ghost rabbit.

Sniper stares at the man who wants to be vague at a stupid timing. “...Right.” He replies slowly, not entirely sure how to react to all the weirdness that has been going on lately. He will keep an eye out but unless it proves important then he has better things to worry about than a white rabbit.  

**Many hours later, Sweden airport**

The drive and plane ride has been one of the most awkward for Sniper and that’s saying a lot as it takes him longer than most to notice such things, but even he felt the awkwardness between Kreel and Cowboy. They were polite to the extent if became cringe-worthy, acting as if they walked on eggshells around one another. He has no idea what’s the deal is with those two, only that he thinks he rather wants a hostile tension than this awkward politeness they have going.
Kreel uses her charm on one of the guards, persuading him to let them through with the teleporter and their weapons. Sniper notices that Cowboy keeps staring at those Kreel flirt with, he’s not sure why though, only the engineer grows tense, as if ready to shoot every time the man she flirts with gets touchy. Maybe he is protective to a fellow team member? That’s Sniper guess anyway. His confusion raises further when they pass the man and Cowboy makes a remark he did not understand but the guard sure did as the man lets out a snort as if annoyed, then after a few words that sounds somewhat threatening; both Cowboy and the guard starts laughing.
Still chuckling Cowboy leaves the guard and after have noticed the confusions on Sniper's face, he briefly exp. "My country and Sweden has an amusing relationship with one another. Like brothers who resent yet still love the other." Sniper does not reply, he does not know what it means to have siblings and thus not sure how it feels like to have an annoying sibling. He ponders about that as they leave the airport.
After a long silence on the road, Kreel speaks: “It’s too late for us to find a suitable boat.” And at the driver seat Cowboy nods. “Right.”
Sniper, on the other hand, does not have in mind simply agreeing to the female spy. “Wouldn’t it be easier to steal a boat during the cover of night?” and to his slight annoyance, Kreel apparently has Cowboy wrapped so much around her finger when the man argues for her. “If we steal a boat, then the coast guard will give us more trouble than they are worth.”
Sniper internally rolls his eyes but is surprised when Kreel speaks in the same tone as Cowboy did. “Cowboy is right, best to keep our heads low as much as possiple.” Sniper eyes the two, no longer able to keep his mouth shut about it. “Do you two have a problem with one another?”

“No.” Both spy and engineer say hard at the same time. The Fortress sniper raises a brow and Cowboy tells him still with that hard tone. “It won’t affect the mission.”

Sniper nods slowly, he believes it won’t but he still rather want hostile tension over this, at least there he knows what he is dealing with.
Cowboy stops the car at a hotel and not the cheap kind Miss Pauling puts them in when during missions away from the battlefield. No, this is one Spook would prefer to stay at and that makes Sniper frown. “Isn’t this too expensive and flamboyant?” He asks. Kreel laughs as if he said a joke. “You clearly have no idea who you are dealing with here.” and leaves.
Sniper eyes Cowboy, now the man has a goofy smile on his face, which only caused more confusions for him. “I don’t get the two of you.”  

Cowboy snorts a chuckle at Sniper’s remark and eyes the sniper with the cloned vision of his earlier eyes, the scars around them are the only signs of what he has been through but something he can live with. “Yeah, we get that a lot.” He replies. They wait for about a half hour, then he gets the coded message from the small radio Chio made them, gives him the sign of what back-story she has chosen for this place. It’s the rich movie star with the hot clerk, not his favorite but could’ve been the mobster, which is a pain in the neck as he still has trouble doing the Russian accent so he’s not complaining. “Alright Lawrence, time to put on a show for our rooms.” He tells the sniper, pulls out two disguise kits used for something just like this. One of them he hands to Sniper. “Number three should do it. As long you don’t open your mouth, it’s not made for an Aussie like you.” and he finds the disguise of the movie star built for this back-story. Before leaving though he does a quick double check on the movies the man he’s disguised as has been doing lately. Good thing Sophia is a megafan of that guy.
Sniper sends him a stare of disbelief. “You gotta be bloody kidding me.”
Cowboy leaves the car and puts on the disguise of that movie star. “This or sleep in the car, your choice.” He tells the Aussie, and after have made sure the disguise surrounds him correctly, Cowboy heads to the hotel.
Sniper grumbles but does leave the car and puts on the disguise of an agent.

“Not a word, and keep up that scowl.” Cowboy adds, Sniper raises a brow but does not voice his question, instead simply follows the blond man inside the hotel.

**ten minutes later**

“I can’t believe that worked…” Sniper whispers to the two inside the elevator after have gotten past the clerk who— without much issue let them get one of the hotel’s best room without having to pay for them!
Kreel giggles as if he’s being silly. “Oh please, underestimate a woman's charm does not look good on you.” Which causes Sniper to blush in embarrassment.
They find the room they scammed themselves into,  Sniper whistle as step inside. This single room could fit his camper, and even though it’s not extremely fancy, it still has an elegant style and beds big enough to fit three men each.
Kreel waltz past him. “Now if you will excuse me, this lady needs a long warm bath.” and disappears into the bathroom where she will probably stay for an hour or so.
Cowboy puts down the teleporter and the bag holding their weapons into the wardrobe, grabs a magazine and without paying the room much mind, he takes a seat on the couch and starts reading.
Sniper does not move, he’s honestly not used to be in a hotel room that offers more than just a measly shower and a bed. Now the one feeling awkward, he walks over to the couch and turns on the television. Not like there is anything special for him and if there was, then he does not get a word of what the people are saying. Only it sounds a bit like Medic when he starts singing in his drunken state. Speaking of accents, Cowboy does sound a bit like Medic, just a bit more- for a lack of a better word; bland. The man was able to speak with the people here without a problem but he does not think he’s from Sweden, Cowboy does not have the same dialect.
Kreel appears from the bathroom about an hour later and again she and Cowboy got this awkwardness around them, it soon got too much for Sniper. “I’ll be outside.” He tells the two and leaves the room to get some fresh air.

Kreel watches the man leave and is not sure if she should giggle or feel sorry for Sniper that he was caught in her and Francis uncertainty about their relationship, she turns to Francis and he too eyes the door, frowning slightly. She must say she had hoped to get some privacy and with the Aussie out of the way: “Francis, we need to talk.” She speaks in a serious tone.

That they indeed have to, these past months have really screwed up their relationship. “Yeah, we should.” He muses and puts down the magazine. The pain and anger he felt, it consumed him and that in turn hurt the woman he loves. “It was wrong of me to push you away like that, but…” He sighs, Sophia takes a seat before him, quietly listening to what he has to say about this subject. “It wasn’t the pain that caused me to lash out, you know how high my pain tolerance is.” She nods. “I was angry because I kept seeing myself as a hindrance for the team– for you… I couldn’t do anything to aid anyone, and even though you tried, I noticed the pity and…” Francis fists his hands and is glad the powers of the Alpha respawn isn’t activated from the anger he feels. “...You have no idea how frustrating it was to be the invalid man everyone constantly needed put into their consideration. More than once I wanted to leave, spare you the trouble; but Tristan wouldn't let me.”

Note to self: thank Tristan to keep Francis on leaving the team. Sophia has been aware of her husband’s anger but never the full reason to it, she always thought he was angry at Josef but now she realizes that the true reason for his anger was from how useless he felt. She wishes she can say she and the others should’ve let him do more but… “There was nothing we could’ve done... no, matter how much we– you wanted, you couldn't help the same way you did before.” Francis nods that she is indeed right.
A long and uncomfortable silence rings through the room, only broken from her burning question. “Do you still love me?”

“I never stopped.” Francis replies without hesitating and thinks that his love to her and the comradely of the others have been the only things that kept him from losing himself completely. He hesitates but only for a second before his boldness nature steps in and he leans over to kiss the woman he loves. Sophia wraps her arms around his neck, letting her body closer to his. Oh, how he has missed her embrace, feeling her close again is like a warm wind blowing through the frozen winter.
The moment is however broken by the sound of the door open, Francis breaks the contact with his wife, reaching for his pistol but when it proves to be Lawrence, he eases up and like Sophia, has trouble not laughing at the embarrassed look the man has over the face from having interrupted their tender moment.
Without a word the Aussie leaves and a moments later, both he and Sophia burst out laughing. “He seriously needs a girlfriend.” Francis remarks still laughing.
She nods in agreement through her more than amused giggles before she returns smooching her husband.

Author's Note

some more team interaction and thanks to Ignis we know that what comes ahead will not go well.

The White Hare

Note: this happens one day after the last chapter.

**Unknown location in America**

Sitting inside a room clouded in smoke that conceals some of the many screens that once showed battles between the men Redmond and Bluetaugh hired, now they reveal different locations such as offices, old battlements and some of them even shows what is going on inside cities.
Helen watches them all, and although these cameras show her important information, she knows she cannot watch everything. That's why she has eyes and ears everywhere, some of those are former mercs of RED and BLU.
She might have lost two of the best teams but she still has several lefts, obedience but unfortunately, no match against team Fortress and Vanguard. Speaking of those two teams; Not only did they dare to abandon their contracts but also have the nerve to think she will let them keep respawn for themselves.
One of her personal spies enters the room and hands her both pictures and information of where the two teams are at the moment. It did come as a surprise that Vanguard and Fortress have joined forces, and that fact is, as much she hates to admit it, is starting to worry her.
Helen did not pay much mind when certain mercs began to show that phenomenal of surviving the one-year time limit of being connected to respawn. When she noticed those survivors keep increasing, one of them being Team Fortress- at first it was a team of idiots, people meant to keep Conagher in check and later keep a steady of test subjects to Ludwig, but over the years team Fortress became the most aggressive of all teams and worse still, more and more people kept on surviving. To counter this growing threat, Helen put the best of the best of all Redmond and Bluetach mercs into one team; one she would codename Vanguard. Team Vanguard was made to counter Fortress but before she could pin the two teams in order to subdue Fortress, Vanguard went AWOL and that forced her to blackmail the mercs any way possible, but as feared, that was only a limited solution as Fortress's mercs are ruthless people and hold little regards to others safety.
She wants to cut them off respawn, saves her the trouble with these two great threats but Mr. Russell did a smart choice in conquering the Alpha Respawn, it made her input worthless and even if when she sent her engineers to fix it, that strange crystal tree that grew out from it keeps knocking them out. It frustrates Helen immensely, she hates not to be in control of the situation. But maybe the issue with Fortress and Vanguard can be fixed. According to the latest report, they have been mobilizing in Warsaw, one of the few spots around the world where the respawn zones does not cover. If they get killed there, then it is over.
Bit of a pity she cannot reclaim them, as much she hates their obnoxious tendency of comradely and her great fear of them ruining her plans if let loose, these people are very good at what they do and is a huge asset for her plans. Maybe she can make some more obedience clones from their corpses, worth a try and if it does not work, at least she got rid of them.
Helen turns her gaze away from the screens and to another one, this screen she writes to the SSSR about the seemly minuscule threat. She explains the general she has in her pocket that these men are up to no good and has an uncanny talent in succeeding the odds with some ridicules stunts. She commands him to kill them and not underestimate Team Fortress or Vanguard for that will be the last thing he will ever do.
The man obliges and reveals to her that Ace of Spies has been spotted snooping around one of their command centers. Before they could catch him though, the man had disappeared.
Helen gets the subtle hint the general rather want to spend his resources on catching Ace, that man always sticks his nose where it does not belong. Ace hid it well but his reluctance to mess with her since the discovery about his son makes it rather clear he does not want to lose his legacy.
Maybe she can use this to her advantages.

**Meanwhile in Warsaw* *

With only minor problems, the trio arrived inside the capital city of Poland and found themselves a place that will work as their base of operation. While Cowboy sat up the teleporter, Sniper scouts the area to be sure they won’t get ambushed by the red army or whatever hides on this side of the Iron curtain.
Sniper stops when he spots something hiding between the remains of a demolished building: an attic hare, white thanks to the winter coat. This white hare stares at him but shows no fear as most hares would when spotting a person. Sniper stares, but not because of the boldness this animal has nor why an animal usually not seen in bigger cities is here, he stares because Ignis told him he should keep an eye out for a white rabbit– sure this is not a rabbit but he doubts that Ignis can see the difference between a rabbit and a hare. He walks carefully over to it, the hare does not move, makes him wonder: is it hurt?
The hare gets on its feet when he gets too close but does not flee as he expected, Sniper stops before the animal and carefully reaches his gloved hand to it. The hare sniffs to the offered hand to then somewhat ignore him, seemly far more interested in watching the crowded streets of this city. “Have to be a pet.” Sniper muses from how it is behaving, he pets the tame hare- it jerks but other than that it does not react on him. He honestly not sure what he should do with it. Ignis said it was important but he can’t see what makes this hare— hold up, Sniper blinks when his fingers touch something metallic around its fluffy neck, checking he finds a collar having a microphone attached. “The hell?” Is this hare a living bug? By who?
He decides to take the hare and returns it back to the base, the others have just arrived and most of them look quite confused at him for bringing back an attic hare. Sniper does not blame them but he needs to figure out what's so special about this hare.

“What’s an attic hare doing inside a city?” Garry asks.

Sniper shrugs and puts down the hare on the nearby table. “Some bloke is using this as a bug.” and shows the others the collar around the surprisingly chill animal.

Engineer steps over and checks the collar, she tries to get it off the hare but that ends up with her getting scratched. “Well, apparently your new friend likes its collar.” She remarks and lets Tristan heal her bleeding hands from the assault the animal did. With her hands healed and this time not attempting on removing the collar, she is quite surprised at what the collar is. “Yeah, that’s a microphone— a bug. Whoever is on the other line, can hear everything we are currently saying.” She explains the others as she pets the hare without really thinking.

“What should we do with hare?” Heavy asks, not really sure he likes the idea of the unknown owner of this hare can hear what they are saying. Before they can decide, the hare jerk Chio’s hand away and leaps off the table, do stop for a moment at the door, looks at them before it disappears back into the city.

Sniper blinks. Was it just him or did that hare… smile? Before he could’ve been certain, the hare had disappeared, probably to join its owner.
“That was… weird.” The blue dressed Pyro remarks and Sniper wholeheartedly agrees and yet he is not really as dumbfounded as the redhead. Been thrown into another world makes one quite indifferent about weird occurrence such as a weird acting hare that happens to be bugged.
His thoughts about it have to be put aside when Vanguard’s Medic begins to talk. “Before we leave.” He puts down a small trunk, opening it reveals elongated crystals and when he picks one of them up, it gets a subtle orange glow. That color reveal makes Sniper glance to his team’s Demo and as expected the scot is surprised to see the color of his element reacting to the blond medic. “These are the bark of the respawn tree. Crush it against your skin and you will gain your power. But only for an hour, so be mindful when you will use it.” Tristan explains and by a hand gesture, allows them to take a piece each. The bark lets out a faint red shine when Sniper’s finger touched it and checking on Black Spy, his suspicious that this man has the element of loyalty proves correct as his piece has the same red shine. Checking the others of team Vanguard, his fellow sniper has kindness – makes sense with that friendly attitude the man has. Same with Scout having the element of courage, again makes sense and so does their Demoman having the Element of Laugher. What does surprises him is their pyro got the element of generosity, he figures he didn’t expect that because he hasn’t tried to get to know the man, nor their heavy who has the element of guidance. Does wonder why the big guy got that element when he barely speaks. Kreel has love, both makes sense and yet not but he can fully see the Sheila engineer have the element of hope, Amadi has told him their story and can see she deserved that element more than anyone. But what truly catches him off guard is who got the strongest element of them all: magic.
That person is Cowboy and if what Dell told that Cowboy had more than enough power to knock their Medic out, then he can see why that man got it. Does makes him wonder if that’s why Josef turned him invalid? Because he sensed the element in him? Speaking of the doc, Sniper eyes him and can see Medic is rather startled by this revelation, with a hint of his well-known curiosity. Doc better be careful though, Sniper has noticed how Kreel is staring at Medic and she looks ready to use her knife on him.

With that set, Scout explains the others there have been a few changes to their plan. “It has come to Black Spy’s attention that a master spy going by the name Ace of Spies had this mission before us, but for some reason abandoned it.”

Miss Pauling frowns at this, last time they met Ace of Spies he was teamed up with White Death and Force of Nature, leaving by a strange pathway with a crate full of Australium. “Any idea what he is doing?” She asks. Whatever Ace is doing, it’s worth someone’s attention. She notices a grumpy look on Ace son’s face and it didn’t change when he replies her question. “That’s part of the change of plans, I will take a small team to his last location and get the information that was so important for him.” His blue eyes land on her, before he even spoke again she knew she would be part of this team. “You are one of them.” Miss Pauling nods, figure Tristan needs her skills with intel gathering.
Vanguard’s medic exchanges a look with Scout and from a nod from the team leader, the medic reveals who will be on this intel gathering team. “Fortress sniper and Demoman, along with Engie will be on this side mission.” The three nod and Scout turns to the remaining, saying. “The rest of us will resume on the main mission given. Kreel and Black Spy will be moving ahead and work as our eyes. Ignis-” eyeing the man able to control fire with his mind. "I want you to stay here and make sure this area stay safe for when we return with the family."
Ignis nods but Miss Pauling did not miss the strange look he has in his eyes like he knows something is up.
By Scout's command, the two spies head out and after have taken their gear, Tristan’s small team heads out as well. Miss Pauling notices that Sniper has replaced his rifle with that silver bow he got in Equestria. “No rifle?” She asks.
Sniper shakes his head. “Bow’s better indoor.” He replies and she takes that as a good enough explanation but can't shake the feeling there is another reason why he took the bow instead of the rifle.

With the information Vanguard’s medic got the group heads to a facility that looks like an ordinary bank from the outside but if taking a closer inspection, one can see that compared to how small and inconspicuous this building looks, it has an excessive lot of guards for a place that shouldn't be worth's one attention. Near the building, Engineer activates her power which is the ability to control computers and with that, she can make the cameras delete any videos they might have caught on them. Without having to worry about the cameras, Sniper and Demo takes out the nearby guards and hides the two bodies in a nearby trash pile. They return to the others just when Engie got through the door’s security lock.
Inside they start looking for anything holding important information, they do find a computer in one of the rooms, after Engie hacked through the lock, Miss Pauling takes over and searches the files. She stops at a file named “Zhenniao” opening it she is not sure if the one who wrote this was batshit crazy or this facility really has bred and trained monsters for their own use.

Unaware that on the other side of the ocean, in a hidden location, her former boss noticed the intrusion when someone opened those files without her permission.
And knowing Ace was in that building as well, Helen did not hesitate to release the monsters this facility held.

Miss Pauling jumps when she suddenly got the warning that the cages to those Zhenniao is opening. “Guys, we have a problem.” She warns the others. Medic moves over to check, lets out a curse. “Move out!” and that’s what they do, but the way out is slower than the way inside, the sirens of the cages getting open has alerted the whole building, personnel is in a panic frenzy, desperately trying to get out and has any reason for doing so. Suddenly, down a second hallway, a sharp green goose-sized bird with a crane shape flies right into the woman and tackles her to the ground. The woman manages to get the bird off but it’s clear that the bird did something from how disorientated she has become. She struggles to stand on her feet. Blue spots like bruising begin to appear on her face and arms, and the stench of rot begins to emit from her. The blue spots cracks and blood seeps out from them, she whimpers a weak sentence, before she drops to the floor, still breathing as her body gets shredded by what looks to be a very aggressive acid right before the horrified mercs.

“Bloody hell…” Demo gasps in horror, both on what a single touch on that bird did and from how slowly it kills. Before he can make a move to end the woman's misery, Medic has taken Sniper's kukri and slit her throat, she is dead shortly after. Demo slowly turns his eye to the green bird that caused this, the bird is cleaning itself in a rather odd manner. He's no bird expert but their own medic's doves are not that twitchy when preening themselves. The green bird snaps its attention to them, stares with its reddish eyes and pupils that almost looks blind. The bird does a few croaked sounds, and it’s lime green drool drops to the floor… which leaves acid marks. It dries the drool onto its wings and when done, the bird takes flight right towards them. Knowing touching it will do to them, none wants to get that poisonous bird anywhere near.
Sniper fires one of his arrows at it and fortunately, he hits and knocks the bird out, and a good thing too, for as it’s lying there, the floor around it starts to fog in reaction to its poisonous saliva on its feathers. To their luck, more birds arrive and this time they have their trainers, so by a whistle by those guys, the poisonous bird takes flight towards them.

Without anyone having to tell them, all of the mercs- minus Miss Pauling activate their power giving by the tree of the alpha respawn. Demo swings Eyelander and slice at the bird trying to land on him. It lets out a single croaked squawk before it explodes, did prove to have been a stupid decision as even this thing’s guts were highly acid. Demo is very relieved he put on his class’s armor as that protected his body from most harm, the only thing that got hit is one of his arms as he used them to protect his head. He can feel the poison pretty much right away and it’s a very disturbing sense. It’s like a reverse feeling of going through respawn, instead of being put together, it’s been taken apart.

After have shot down one of those birds, Medic shift over to the Quick-fix and turns it on Fortress’s Demoman’s rotting arm. “Let’s hope this can counter their acid.” He muses, otherwise, he has to cut it off to save the man.

Sniper needs a moment to discover what his power is: shapen sight, which was what saved him from getting sprayed by that bird’s guts from Demo’s explosive attack. Checking on the scot who took quite the hit but it seems the medigun can counter the rotting effect the bird's poison have, then his shapen eyes make him quickly realize that the medigun only heals the rot away, it cannot stop the poison. That makes it clear that if they get hit by the birds like that woman, then it’s game over.
He does quickly snap away from the doc and Demo and starts shooting at the bird that just keeps on coming from the command of their trainers. He gets a few, but about there, the floor around them starts to give under from the many holes of the killed, knocked out and the acid guts dotting the floor. Realizing this, Sniper warns the others. “Floor's breaking!”

Medic looks down, then at the trainers keeping them pinned down. He crushes his gem and uses his powers over water to keep the trainers from commanding the birds. Without their trainers, the acid birds stop attacking. “Move it!” He commands and they run over to the subdued trainers. He hears the floor collapsing and for a moment he thought they all made it, then he realizes that Fortress sniper is nowhere in sight. He commands Miss Pauling and Engie to kill the trainers while he and Demo run over to the collapsed floor, they find Sniper down there; badly wounded but still conscious.
“Sniper!” The man looks weakly up, hopefully, he is conscious enough to understand what he will tell the man. “You have to bandage your arm! If not; you will bleed out!”
Sniper slowly turns to his bleeding arm, he tries to sit up tend his injury but for some reason, he cannot move. That’s a bad sign. “Something’s wrong, I have to get down to him.” If not then they will lose the man.

Checking the area, Demo sees nothing they can use to pull Sniper up from there, all he can see: “It looks like Sniper fell down to the floor below us. Maybe we can reach him by going downstairs?” and is more than a little surprised when the doctor suddenly jumps down to Sniper- after he has chased one of those poison birds away by shooting it in the wing. “Hey, what the bloody hell are you doing?!” He calls down to the Vanguard medic who almost broke his leg from that stunt.
Limping from the fall, the man moves over to check on Sniper before he calls up to him. “Your sniper is close to bleeding out, I have to tend him now! The rest of you has to meet us down here.” Oh right, Demo nods and runs over to tell the two others about this.

Up close Medic can see the reason to why Sniper couldn’t move, he’s gotten impaled by a metal pole. Fortunately not a big one and hopefully, it hasn’t messed up his gut too much.
Medic points his medigun at sniper but only a few fumes leave the nozzle, shit… he used all of the healing liquid to heal the Demoman. “Has to do this the old fashion way.” He muses, tears part of his coat off, pour some of the disinfection on and wraps it tightly around the Aussie’s bleeding arm. With that issue put on hold, he can focus on getting Sniper up. “This is going to hurt.” Is all the warning he gives the Aussie before he grabs the man’s arm and pulls him up from the metal bar. Sniper let’s out a cry from the pain and is unable to stand on his feet. That is okay for now, he needs Sniper to sit so he can attend the wound anyway. “I need you to stay conscious, so talk to me.” He tears off part of his sleeve and disinfects it. “Tell me about what you like to do.” A question that needs thinking but not to intrude on privacy.

So different from their own Medic, he likes to chat about his past 'accomplishment' of medical procedure to freak his patients out. Sniper chuckles weakly at this observation. “I like to do my job.”

“As a merc?”

“Assassin.” Sniper corrects him and sneers in pain when the doctor stuffs that cloth into his stomach wound. “I’m no bloody crazed gunman, I have—“ he has to bite his teeth in pain when Medic pulls him up from the floor. “–standards.”
“It’s good to have a moral compass in this line of work.” Medic muses as he supports him through the rubble of this floor. “Otherwise we will be crazy gunmen.” Sniper nods slowly, focusing on walking, then his sharpen senses catch movements on the right. He snaps to the spot and can’t but stare at seeing that attic hare again, watching them in a worried manner, now it acts more like a wild hare. His eyes widened when it starts stomping, a warning of danger. “Stop, we have to stop!” He tells vanguard Medic hard, much to the man’s confusion.
“Sniper, we have to keep moving, you are about to bleed out.” Medic points out annoyed, but Sniper knows that Ignis didn’t tell him about the hare if it wasn’t important. “The hare made a warning.” Nodding to said hare that has carefully leaves its spot. “We can’t go that way, we—” He glances to the hare that keeps on approaching them, wary though as it possible can hear the ceiling cracking. “-has to follow it.” and just there, parts of the ceiling drops, almost hitting the hare that jumps startled and leaps back to its former spot. It stares at them, it's clear it is scared but it refuses to leave them behind. 'What a strange animal' Sniper can't help but think.

But Medic is not in the mood to follow white hares into an unstable room. Less so when he can hear the others nearby. “No, we’re going to find the others and get you out from here.” He tells the clearly delicious Aussie and pulls him to where the others are, to his shock, Sniper jerks his arm away from him and drops to the floor. The man struggles onto his feet, covering the wound on his stomach. “I need to follow the hare.” Medic is starting to get annoyed at the Fortress Sniper, more so when he’s not making any sense. “You’re delusional and we do not have time playing Alice in Wonderland with your white hare.” His annoyance grows further when Sniper limps towards the animal. “Sniper!” About to use his power but right there, a man he rather not want to see again appears from the shadows behind the hare. “Listen to him, the path you wishes to go holds a machine able to split your soul.”
Both he and Sniper freezes up, Tristan does quickly snap out from it in his anger and fear of what will happen to the others. “And you’re letting my team walk right into it?!”

“Control your emotions.” Ace lectures Tristan, which earns him a death glare. Always so defiant... He sighs, wondering what he should do to make him understand. “There is nothing we can do for them now.” His own blue eyes turn towards the sounds of Tristan’s team yelling in fear and the machine preparing itself for the split. His eyes return to his son. “Let’s get out from here, it’s only a matter of time before the guards find us.” He walks over to the hare, expecting Tristan and Mundy to follow.

“No, I am not leaving them behind...!” Tristan growls, his father stops, only a hint of disbelief in his eyes. “It’s too late for them, don’t throw your life away for—“ the man tries but Tristan won’t hear it. “If I have to suffer a split soul for my team's sake, then so be it!” Turning to Sniper. “Are you coming Sniper?” The Aussie hesitates, then eyes him with a look that says everything. Tristan is furious this man is willing to leave his friends behind. “I can see comradery is not part of your moral compass.” He growls and leaves to find the others.

Sniper really wants to go with the doc, truly he does but… what illusion Pyro said, what Ignis said… he has to do this… he has to leave his team behind. “I’m sorry, mate…” He limps over to the hare, gasps when then his legs refuse to carry his weight anymore and he collapses onto the floor, the bandage around the arm loosens and blood starts to bleed out. Sniper turns to Ace but the master spy is gone, so much for his help. The hare jumps into his view and looks at him with unnatural intelligent eyes as he has never seen a hare show emotions such as worry. Then to his huge surprise: “I’ll get help, don’t die.” It— she speaks and runs off. Sniper stares at where the talking hare disappeared, then slowly he tries to stop the bleeding but it is so hard, he has trouble focusing…

*****

Meanwhile, as Ace had said, Miss Pauling, Demo and Engie have been caught in a machine that held what two of them recognized as a Shadow Pony. The machine and the creature of shadows threw them to the floor, forcing them to draw out the worst part of themselves and the shadow pony— or human as its form is currently latched onto this darkness in them and by its power, the machine tore their souls into two. Tristan arrived just as their bodies formed a clone that would hold the second part of their soul. He runs to the machine but got caught in the force field that caused their souls to split. Like the others, he tries to fight it, but he has no chance of standing up against the machine's raw power.
He collapses onto the floor and can do nothing but let the machine do its job.

One of them can fight this darkness though, as he got help from another. In Equestria, Applejack stops her work on the farm from the feeling something is terribly wrong and know it comes from her partner. She closes her eyes, focusing and the second she senses the magic of their shared element in her. “Don’t give up partner.” She whispers determent.

A transparent forcefield surrounds the almost fully split Demo, his soul join and the forcefield gathers around his neck, forming the silver necklace and it shines brightly by the power Applejack lends him. Not wanting to waste his partners surprisingly aid, Demo grabs Eyelander and throws the sword right at the machine, it impales the machine and after two seconds, it blows up. Out from the smoke, the Shadow Pony flies out to who knows where.
Demo wobbles onto his feet, his body aches in the really bad way from almost getting his soul and body split up again. Fortunately he is still whole.
The others weren’t that lucky… a tired sigh snaps him away from the others; now dealing with a split soul. A man dressed in black stands in the smoke and for a second Demo mistook him for Black Spy, then he realizes this spy is waaay older.
“I warned him.” Is all the man says, which did not help much on Demo's confusion on who this is.

**Late evening**

“Is there a way to fix this?” One of the Miss Pauling asks worried, glancing to the other her who keeps a nice distance so the kill-one-another effect won’t kick in. The female engineer walks up beside and assures her. “Fortunately there is, but we have to be at a respawn for it first.” Miss Pauling smiles weakly to the other woman, does drop when Ace’s son suddenly starts yelling.

“—We wouldn’t have been in this mess if you haven’t been so selfish!!” Tristan retorts back to Ace’s stupid remark that he has been reckless, and leaves. It’s hard enough not to punch the man in the face as it is already. His other crosses his arms. “Seriously, how hard is it for the master spy to shut down a machine’s power?” The only good thing that came out from all of this is that Sniper might have done the right choice in not going with him. He wouldn't have survived the soul split in his weakend state.
“I was hoping you would’ve used your brain and not went into that trap.” Ace retorts back, though in a way more controlled tone. Both Tristan snorts at this.

Demo stare confused while Miss Pauling has figured out who this spy is, unlike Fortress Spy and his son, these two are not faking the hostility, well Tristan is not hiding the fact he loathes his own father. But looking past the family issue going on between the two. “Um, Ace?” The master spy turns to her, and it catches her quite off guard from how different his whole demeanor is compared to when she saw him in Australia. No longer he has this playful mystique, but instead a cold calculated aura. Now she can see where Spy got it from. “Can you tell us what those birds were for?” But all she got from the man was a light snort and he continues walking. Not what she expected, she thought he would make some smartass comment without answering the question, this sharp turn of personality is quite off-putting but she is talking to the Ace of Spies after all.

Noticing the sharp turn of personality from the man Miss Pauling addressed as Ace of Spies. “You’re quite different from last time we saw you.” Demo remarks to the man and must say: “I liked you better back in Australia.”
Ace lights a cigarette, almost in the same manner as Spy did back when he pretended he was an unfeeling asshole. “I don’t honestly care what a drunken fool like you think of me Mr. Degroot.” Demo jumps in surprise the man knows his name– then remembers this is the master spy he’s talking to. “My only concern is I lost weeks of hard work from you people fumbling around.” Ace blue eyes meet his dark brown in a gaze that reminds Demo of a man talking to an idiot. “Go home to your own country. Leave this to the professionals.”
Medic rolls his eyes and Ace turns to him, lecturing the Vanguard Medic. “Stop acting like a child, you wouldn’t have needed me if you kept yourself in better standards.” Medic clearly did not like that.

“Vete a la mierda! No soy tú!”

“Tu eres mi sangre.” Ace retorts back, sounding angrier by Medic’s hostile behavior towards him.

“I wish I wasn’t.” Tristan sneers back. “You do not and have never cared, I am sick and tired of you keep reminding what I am to you! All I am— all he was is your legacy, but know what Ace.” He speaks the name like an insult. “You failed, he took back the child you made him abandon.”
Ace’s eyes wides ever so slightly, the only sign of his shock. “What did you do?” Which confused the heck out of Demo. He eyes Tristan and the man looks quite smug about whatever he did. “I reunited them. Didn’t know I succeed before your new legacy decided to challenge me.” His other laughs and tells the master spy just as smugly. “Oh, how it pleased me from how defensive he got when I hinted at his child. Oh and he knows about her as well.”
Ace hid it well but even Demo can see that the old spy is livid in whatever Medic did to this other legacy of the master spy. “All of my hard work, ruined for your petty spite.”
Tristan’s smile widens, but it has gotten angrier as well. “It’s very easy to despise you, but my main reason is to prove what you consider a weakness is a powerful strength. You simply cannot see because of your own ego.”

“And yet you still try to reach what you can never gain.” Ace replies coldly, he turns and leaves. “Why I even bother with you is beyond me.” He did not see the angry and deeply hurt look in his son’s eyes. As well Tristan couldn’t see the frustrated expression he wore that his own son ruined all of his years of work to create the best spies in the world for something that is too dangerous to keep.

Engineer puts a hand on Tristan’s arm in a sign of support, without a word he puts his own over hers. After a moment of assuring him that he got what he always wanted throughout his childhood, the two heads back to their current base.
Demo and Miss Pauling follows not long after, none of them saw the Shadow Pony watching them inside the darkness of an alleyway.

Author's Note

the birds are made from a Chinese mythological bird called Zhenniao or the poison feather bird, I long wanted to put a poisonous animal into one of my chapters and at first considered a Nordic creature called the Tatzlwurm, but then I realized that the MLP universe already have one of those, even if it looks nothing like the monster of mythology which came as a big disappointment. so instead you get the Zhenniao.

thanks to Living Darkness, I got more into the MLP community and has seen the bad but mostly good in people. it truly makes me happy to read the comments that my big passion in storytelling is something other people can enjoy and not only inspire others but this silly idea would turn into something that would allow me to connect with people I otherwise would have struggled doing in real life.
so for that: thank you.

Rescued Through the Portal

Note: This happens right after the last chapter.

He feels someone touches his head, shaking him lightly but the pain draws him back to the darkness. When he finally fights his way out from this darkness, Sniper sees a humanoid figure but cannot make out the face. He barely catches on this person tighten the bandage around his arm.
A female voice but he cannot make out what she is saying. The darkness threatening to draw him back again fades for a split second when a sharp pain at abdomen hits him like a truck but he is so weak that the only sound he can make is a hoarse moan. The person gets up, paces back and forward then stop and after some hesitating pulls out— even in his clouded state Sniper recognizes this object as a knife. He jolts up, or he tries for all that burst of adrenaline did was making him fumble around on the ground like Demo when he's wasted on that scrumpy of his. The person ignores him, cut through the air and… well Sniper thinks it's a door but that can't be right. The person sheathes the knife, returns back to him and drags him through this weird door.
Sniper passes out again, his mind can't handle the surge of whatever this door did to him.
When he comes to again, he manages to focus his mind. At least enough to understand he's not lying bleeding on a dusty floor inside a building, instead he is lying outside on a cliff if the hard cold surface holds any clue. He notices he has a sheet over him and not far away is an empty bowl. It seems someone has been taking care of him.

"Oh, you're awake." A light voice speaks.

Sniper turns and has to take a moment to comprehend what he is seeing. At first, he mistakes it for a cat, then he realizes this is a griffin- a young one and female from the looks of it. Her body shape looks to be a puma and harpy eagle, except the colors is a bit wrong. Like a harpy eagle, the griffin is grey but has a tint of blue in the feathers around the face and fur covering most of her body. He eyes himself and instead of a wounded man he sees a very ruffled up griffin. Takes him another moment to notices his colors have changed, his before brown with a tint of red now has turned into a warmer bronze feather and fur color with strong black spots dotting most of his body.
…. How the hell did he end up in Equestria? The young grey griffin child walks over to him, holding a bowl of soup in her claws. "I brought you something to eat." The child sits down beside him and offers him a spoon full of this soup. Sniper figures this child has been the one who took care of him, that's really sweet of her. He slowly sits up, his abdomen and right front leg still hurt but fortunately that is all he seems to be dealing with. Thank god for this form's fast healing.

The griffin child is very relieved to see him up. "Your pony friend wouldn't say when you will wake. But he did let me help by getting you food. My sister is going to charge you for the food though…" She explains.

Sniper raises a brow of two things: One; why does this sweet girl's sister have this none charity behavior? Could it be because the family is poor? Guess he does owe this kid's family a bit of money. And two: A pony brought him here? Well, he figures the kid can explain him about that small mystery. Emptying the bowl for soup, he returns it with a small: "Thanks." And is not sure how to react to the kid's reaction. She gasps and her green colored eyes wide in joy. "No one has ever thanked me before!" She cries and giggling ecstatically leaps around him.
Sniper is honestly speechless to this kid's overjoyed behavior for a simple thanks. What kind of people is this kid hanging around if she gets this excited for common politeness? Better yet what kind of family does not praise their child for such a charitable behavior? His mother… well, his adoptive mother always made sure to praise him when he did a chore without her asking him to do it, which encouraged him to continue on that behavior.

"What's your name mister?" The girl asks this older male griffin who hasn't tried to shove her away like the other adults often do. He's is a bit quiet though, but she prefers that any day over getting yelled at.

He is about to say his class name but consider otherwise, it's not like anyone in Equestria knows about him. "Lawrence." Sniper introduces himself. The griffin child titles her head in confusion for a moment, before she is back to this beaming joy she has going. "Wow! I didn't know griffins could have names that didn't start with G!" Sniper raises a brow at this. "I'm Gabriella, but most just call me Gabby." He simply nods and is not sure what to do when Gabby decides to take a seat beside him and starts talking about everything coming to her young mind. Parts of him wants her to leave as he can't think with her talking but he can't as this girl did help him out and something tells him she's lonely. So he lets her stay and continue on this waterfall of chatter. It's not much different from like when Scout decides to hang around him, only difference this girl does talk about stuff other than herself.

"Gabby!" An older griffin calls an hour later. Sniper looks up and spots another female griffin, she looks to be a mix of a bald eagle and a plain lion. "Time to leave the homeless griffin!" Sniper feels quite offended being called that, and he would've called her out but then remembers that he is sorta homeless as he left his camper back in the human world.
Gabby is more disappointed she has to leave. "Aww… can't I stay just a bit longer? Please?" She asks with big puppy eyes and Sniper is starting to see why parents at times gave into their child's begging if this was the look they had to resist. It's adorable, but this older griffin does not want to hear it, she grabs Gabby around the neck like a feline would and leaves without looking at Sniper. It's only when he is alone Sniper realizes he is in a town filled with griffins and all of them has this rude behavior going on, when the passing griffins do pay him any mind it's all with a degrading look that he is wasting space.
One of them snorts at him but whatever word he was going to say never leaves his beak from the death glare Sniper sends him. The owl griffin does the wise choice in leaving him alone. Sniper grumbles at this brief confrontation between the other griffin. "Now I see why Dashie thought those things of me..." He muses, pulls the sheet closer around his neck and lies down to get some sleep.
Sniper wakes when someone nudges his talons gently, for a moment he thinks it's one of those griffins but before he allowed his darker side to attack the other one, he notices the one who poked him isn't a griffin but a pony, a crystal pony in fact from how sparkly the reached out hoof is. Rest of the pony's body is hidden underneath a white cloak and the head covered by the hood. The hooded pony stares quietly down to him, then pulls down the hood and Sniper gasps at seeing this pony's messed up face, the same scarring as a certain legendary sniper has. "W-White Death?" He stutters in disbelief. The crystal pony smiles, twisting up the deeply scarred face even further and nods that he is indeed White Death. Sniper stares, not only is White Death here in Equestria, a pale amethyst with several shades of blue hair and tail crystal pony but he is the one who saved his life! "How? Did that talking hare call for you?" He asks White Death dumbfounded. "How did you bring us to Equestria?"

White Death raises a brow and titles his head in confusions, then he reaches into his cloak and pulls out a notebook, not the one he uses for every time he makes a kill. He puts down the book, then grabs a pen and starts to write with his mouth, the sign he has been here before. When done he pushes the book over to the still very baffled Sniper.

'I am surprised you know of this world. Saves me explaining that part though. Yes, the talking hare brought me to you. She's from another world and has been my companion for years now. You were badly wounded when I found you and when it became apparent I couldn't reach a hospital in time, I brought you here. When your wounds have healed, I will take you back to your comrades.'

"Can you travel between worlds?" Sniper asks after have read White's reply. The crystal pony nods but won't reveal how when Sniper asks. So instead he asks about that white hare. "Where is she?" White Death replies this time by writing.

'She cannot walk in this world. Don't ask me why; I do not know.'

Seems like some worlds have certain rules, does makes Sniper wonder how many worlds White Death has been seeing these past years? Not that it matters, other than: "Thanks for saving me. If it wasn't for you… I would've been dead." White Death smiles, does drop and replaced with a small frown from his request. "Could you tell my team I am alright?" The crystal pony title his head and Sniper explains, even if he does not fully understand himself. "Something tells me you bringing me here wasn't a coincidence. I think my skills are needed here once again." And he has to find something that has been lost for a very long time, what that is? No idea but Sniper trusts whatever power brought him so far will give him a sign.
White Death blinks, then bobs his head and chest— Sniper realizes the turned man is laughing, still having an amused smile on his scarred face White Death nods and writes down in that book of his.

'Alright, I will tell your comrades. I am curious about what great things you will do in the future. Best of luck fellow brother of the scope.'

Sniper must say that he truly feels honored that White Death addressed him as an equal, he smiles up to the scarred pony who returns it before the legendary sniper leaves this world once again.

**Next day**

As early as allowed, with an armful of griffin scones, Gabby runs over to where Lawrence is sleeping. She nudges him and when sure he is awake, she offers him the scones. "Hey, I brought you something to eat."

… He's not sure these 'scones' are edible, they look like rocks with branches smacked on just for good measures. But then again, Pyro eat gems and he has seen the ponies eat rocks, so maybe this world's rocks can be eaten? Sniper takes one of the rocks and carefully tries to bite it, it breaks like a very hard piece of bread and taste like one there has been out in the sun for too long. He's hungry enough to eat them though. "Thanks, kid." and again she gets all happy by a simple thanks, must admit she is really adorable with those beaming eyes.

"Hey."

Sniper and Gabby turn around and Gabby smiles up to this young adult female griffin. "Hi sis! Lawrence really likes your scones!" She exclaims cheerfully.

The older griffin eyes Sniper in a grumpy manner. "Well you are still going to pay for it— and everything else Gabby brought you." He narrows his eyes slightly but does find it somewhat fair he needs to pay her. "How much do I owe you?"

"Fifty-four bits."

Sniper nods curtly. "Fine." and decides to get bit info of the place White Death brought him to, it's clear this area is the home for the griffins. "What is this place?" He asks and Gabby replies happily. "This is Griffonstone! The biggest town of the griffins!" Sniper scans the area and must say that he has been in slums looking better than this and that's saying a lot.

"What rock have you been living under if you don't even know about Griffinstone?" The older griffin asks suspiciously.

Getting about enough of this female griffin's attitude, Sniper gets on his feet, proving to be a head taller than her. "None of your bloody business." He sneers, and for a split second his sinister side whispers that he should teach her a lesson for being rude to him. Sniper realizes this in last second and does not attack when the female griffin backs intimidated away from him. "Whatever, just be sure to pay me back." She does a good job hiding it though.
The sister of this griffin, however, she didn't notice the hostility between them and starts leaping around him. "I know how to get jobs to earn bits! Come let me show you!" But the older sister stops her with a harsh remark. "You shouldn't show anyone anything unless they have paid you bits first."

"But I want to show him…" Gabby argues softly.

"And you can." Sniper assures Gabby and walks past this white-headed and rude female griffin. Passing her, he makes his own remark. "I can now see why she wants to hang around me if you're her daily company." The female griffin scowls. "Oh yeah, says the loser living out on the street." Sniper ignores her and follows Gabby to certain places where he might get a small job to pay back her sister.

When a safe distance Gabby apologizes for her sister's rude behavior. "She's still sad she lost a good friend." She explains.

He can sort of relate to that, not that he is going to voice it out loud. "What job do griffins do around here?" Sniper asks the kid instead. Gabby shows him and Sniper quickly learns why the older sister was rude: because that's how everyone in town is and the way earning money does not really help the town's prosperity. There is only one trader, barely any shops and those there are have only dry food and what he caught when he and Gabby passed; demanding more money that the food is worth. Rest are either gamblers or roaming around being hostile to one another.
Sniper stops when he notices a pony, a sand-colored pony with multicolored grey hair and tail. He can just barely see her cutie mark behind all that gear she is carrying around, it's a book with a compass rose on. This pegasus is currently discussing something with another male griffin. Not sure why but he thinks that pony is the sign and decides to walk closer and hear why this pony is here.

"Come on, that's what I gave you the last time!" The pony exclaims annoyed by whatever the brown griffin had said.
The griffin merely shrugs and leaves. The pony sighs loudly and clearly annoyed by her current situation. "Well that's just great…" Pushing up her glasses, she notices someone approaching and when spotting a bronze griffin with black spots. He is limping and looks to have been in a nasty fight but besides that, he looks capable of what she has in mind. "Are you interested in earning some bits?" She asks this spotted griffin, well aware that's all griffins are interested about. This male griffin nods and asks. "How much are you paying?"
She pulls out a bag filled with bits. "Two hundred." The griffin ponders for a moment, then he nods. "Done."
So far so good. "Great, now the journey will be long so I suggest you pack some gear." The child beside him speaks before he can. "Lawrence does not have anything, but he can keep my old blanket."

That's very sweet of her, but from how these griffins live, Sniper rather not take what little Gabriella here have. "Give me half of my payment and I'll go with you in a half hour." Sniper tells his new client. Not exactly how he is planning on earning money but he thinks he much rather wants to do an extended job for a pony than a few days around these griffins who is really pushing the deadly side of his psyche and he rather not test his strength on how well he can keep that side under control in his current state. The pony is a bit surprised but does give him half of the money and he heads out to get the proper gear for a walk into the wilderness. As promised he return a half hour later. "Let's go." She nods and heads out.
Sniper follows but stops when he notices that Gabby is following him. He stops her. "You can't come along kid."

But Gabby really wants to, in the short time she has known him, Lawrence has been really kind to her. "Please? I promise I won't get in the way." She begs him with the biggest puppy eyes she can make. Lawrence shift on his feet, musing. "Doubt your parents will allow it…" So she runs over to ask. "I'll ask mother!" Running over to where she last saw her mother, Gabby explains to her mother who is more interested in doing bets on dice. "Can I go with him? Can I mother?" Gabby asks hopefully, not aware her mother has been barely been listening to her. "Sure, whatever. As long you don't interrupt me again." and Gabby runs over to Lawrence and the other pony. "Mother said yes." She beams.

…What kind of parents says yes just like that? Sniper has no idea. He eyes his client for a bit of help for he has no idea how to tell the kid this will be dangerous and he really cannot resists those puppy eyes.
His client tries. "Look, where I will be going to is not a place for a child. It is very far and might be dangerous." But Gabby is not so easy to persuade this is a bad idea. "I can help to carry on the gear, I am really good at learning new stuff! Please? I promise I will be good." The child griffin begs in a sense of desperation to come with them.
Sniper can't help but see parts of himself in this kid and sighs in defeat. "Fine, you can come along." Much to his client's disbelief. But he knows that look in Gabby's eyes. "She will go with us whatever we want it or not. So I prefer she is close instead sneaking after us where she might get hurt."

"…If you say so..." The pony muses and a bit reluctant heads out with the unexpected kid in tow.

**A day later**

His client, Aid Keen Yearling has brought them further East and currently taking a river through this forest they find themselves in. He hasn't been asking what she needs him for, it's pretty clear Aid Keen simply needs a bodyguard.
Gabby, on the other hand, is very curious about where they are going. So Aid Keen explains.
"You can sort of call me a treasure hunter." Sniper raises a brow of this, Miss Yearling is not what he would call a treasure hunter, she is a pegasus but for some reason, she can barely fly and her eyesight is horrible without those glasses. "Yeah, I know." She smiles weakly at his unspoken words. "Not exactly the pony best suited for the job." And that makes him wonder enough to open his mouth. "Why are you doing this?"

"I have my reasons." She replies simply, clearly not feeling up to telling him the true reason going out on a dangerous adventure. "Anyway, all you need to worry about is keep me safe."
Sniper nods, that's all he pretty much needed to know but that's not good enough for a certain kid. "You still haven't replied to Gabby's question."

"Right, well, I am heading to some old ruins rumored to have been the temple of the alicorns." Aid Keen explains.
Gabby titles her head in confusion. "What's an alicorn?" and Aid Keen explains. "It's a pony with the magic of a unicorn, flight of a pegasus and strength of the earth pony. Equestria's rulers are all alicorns but according to ancient books, there once existed a whole tribe of them but nopony knows what caused their disappearance."

"And you are planning on solving that riddle?" Sniper asks.

"Yes and no." Aid Keen replies, she is not a pathologist and never will be one. "I will record down whatever we find, but what I am truly after is any artifacts these ruins might protect. Will be dangerous but I am sure we can get past the traps."

Sniper raises a brow on what this wannabe treasure hunter think how searching through old ruins will be. "Don't get your hopes up, most ruins holds nothing but dust and forgotten history."

This catches Aid Keen's attention. "Been in many ruins before mister Sniper?"

"A few." Sniper replies and tells her in case she got the wrong idea. "No I am not a treasure hunter. Simply went into ruins for shelter or if the prey went there."

"I see, may I ask where you are from or do I have to pay you bits for this information?" Aid Keen smirks to the griffin.

Sniper chuckles ever so slightly of her sass, he's starting to like this pony. He lowers his head so his hat hides most of his face. "Nah, the money I'm getting is fine." After a moment of silence. "I'm from a country far away. Spent most of my life out in the bush."

"Wasn't you much around your own kind?" Aid Keen asks, watching the fish pass by under the river's surface.

Sniper shrugs. "Not really, I prefer being alone." Turning to Gabby when she remarks softly. "Sounds lonely." He turns his gaze to the water, for when really thinking about it: "Sometimes it was..." He admits slowly. Sure he likes to be alone from time to time, but sometimes he does want to be around people. He didn't have much of socializing as a child, thanks to being a runt who didn't like doing fistfights as the "real Australians" liked to do.

"This is out stop."

Nodding Sniper grabs his gear and the silver bow. Gabby jumps onto his back and holds onto the sleeping bag; thinking she will keep anything from falling. In reality, Sniper let her believe that so she would stay close to him and not run off to do anything stupid. After the boat has docked itself, Aid Keen leads them into the forest and more than once has her nose into some old map. "I found this during my last expedition." She explains his silence question.
"Was it that other griffin who escorted you?" He asks and does wonder why that other griffin demanded more bits. "How did that trip go?"

Aid Keen puts the map back into her bag. "We got into a small scuffle with a herd of deer, there was a misunderstanding on why I was in their area. Other than that, I say the trip went pretty well." Other than her last griffin escort refused to help other than be her bodyguard unless she paid him more bits. One of the reasons why she didn't agree on paying more on the escorting. This new bodyguard griffin is way more tolerable than the last one. "Anyway, this map will lead us to the ruins." Lawrence simply nods and follows her through the forest, slowly the path gets steeper as they approach the mountain the map says holds the ruins.

Out from the corner of his eyes, Sniper notices something strange, turning he spots a spider with a large gold spot on its back. He does know a lot about spiders from his time in the bush but he wasn't able to recognize this spider so he has no idea if it's venomous or not. It's gone now, so unless they encounter more he won't pay it much mind.
Nearing nightfall, they arrive at the ruins but since it's too dark to go searching for whatever treasure Aid Keen is after, they make camp for the night.
Sniper is sort of glad this pony knows how to make camp, does reveal he's not dealing with someone completely inexperience walking out in the wild.
With the tent made, he leaves Gabby inside, small thing fell asleep during the walk. He puts her under the sheet and leaves quietly so not to wake her.

"You're quite the unusual griffin." Aid Keen remarks softly from having watched Sniper doing something she has never seen another griffin do. "In a very good way." She adds from the stare he gives her. Aid Keen puts a bit more wood into the fire. "I have been around griffins a lot— they are the best bodyguards with their heightened senses and quick adaptability for new situations. But their biggest problem is they do not care about anything other than this:" She shows Lawrence a gold coin and unlike other griffins who ogle at the coin as if nothing else matters. He watches it with only mild interest, he knows what it's worth and he needs them but his world does not spiral around bits and that is something she has only sees in griffin cubs before their parents teach them their point of view on bits. "But you're not like that, you care about others." He does not answer, instead, he leaves to find more firewood. Aid Keen at first thought this silence treatment was because he does not want to talk but watching him, she realizes the reasons for his silence is because he does not know what to say. He's quite docile compared to other griffins, makes her wonder if he has the bite like other griffins when angered, not that she will push him as she won't stand a chance if it came to a fight.
Sniper returns with more wood and sits down before the fire, refusing to meet her eyes as he speaks. "You're not the first pony who has said this." This perks her interest. "A friend of yours?" He nods. "Yeah." But does not get into deeper details.
Aid Keen figures he will talk if he feels like it. Lawrence here seems more like a listener anyway. "Ponies are very good at making friends, I figure it's in our nature, but fighters we are not." He smiles amused by this and to her mild surprise, he speaks again. "That's not entirely true. I have seen ponies put up a fight against danger. But most of the time, yeah, you prefer doing parties and singing songs." Aid Keen chuckles but has to agree that ponies do that a lot.
"Must've been a surprise for you. Griffins don't do parties other than the Blue Moon celebration."

Sniper is not sure what this Blue Moon celebration is about, not it matters much. "I do enjoy a party now and then." His adoptive parents were very traditional when it came to the seasonal celebrations and he is thankful they did it as it gave him a reason to return home. Even if there was tension between him and his dad— the man who raised him… the man who loved and worried about him. Yeah, even with the disagreement about his job, his parents always made sure he felt welcome during the celebrations. "My parents always said that parties bring people together." And he agrees with them, he did come close to the team when they did victory celebration during the War Games. He wouldn't have called them friends, but the team had gained his respect enough so he wouldn't assassinate them even if the Administrator paid him for it. He did come to consider some of them as friends over time.

"Sounds like good griffins."

Sniper nods slowly. "They were..." but snaps his attention away when he notices movements. Scanning the area of these ruins of an ancient temple, he gets the feeling they are being watched. Sniper gets on his feet and stalks closer to one of the walls. He notices something weird and carefully reaches out for it.
Aid Keen joins him. "What is it?" He lowers his talon, showing her the web hanging from it. "Spiderweb." But not like something he has ever seen before, the spider web wasn't built like other spiders, instead weaved into the circular shape, this web looks like food and although it is old and greatly weaken, he had trouble getting just this handful down, good thing it wasn't sticky. He tells this to his client and throws the web off his claws. "The spider that made this hasn't been around for quite some time but what kind of spider lives up here?"

"I have no idea." Aid Keen muses. She scans the walls but the darkness makes it hard to see what little engraving is left on them. "It's not like I am afraid of spiders, but I would prefer they don't crawl on me when I sleep. We should make sure they stay away from the camp."
Lawrence simply nods and both start making small fires around the camp in order to keep any critter away.

Author's Note

In case some of you will get angry at how I wrote A.K. Yearling, I did it because I found it way more interesting that she is not Daring Do, but an Autor who gets her inspiration on going out on adventures but since she cannot do what Daring Do can (bad sight and lack magic to fly), she needs to hire a bodyguard to protect her from any danger.

the other thing I want to mention is White Death, he is partly an OC but he is made from a real life person going by the same title. The changes I made to my White Death is he is mute from the shot he took to the face and he can travel between worlds.

The Arachne Lair

This happens the day after the last chapter.

*************************************************

While the two adults packed the camp, Gabby finds a critter under a rock.

"Look what I found!" She shows it to Sniper and the best way he can explain this thing is a puffball with cute eyes and insect wings. Aid Keen walks over to see and must admit: "That is one cute insect." She says and leaves to pack the rest of her gear. "And I am not really for cute things." Sniper smirks at that remark, eyes the seemly harmless creature and remembers all the times he found lizards, rodents and even a spider and took them home, he had asked his parents to keep them and most of the times they let him – except the spider, his mother was terrified of that bugger. This weird bug seems harmless enough so he thinks it's okay for Gabby to hold onto it.

With everything packed, the group head into the temple, both adults holding a torch since the sun won't be able to shine the deeper they go. It was a good idea they waited though, what little of the sun could come through shone onto parts of the walls there held any interest. Aid Keen spent a lot of time recording these paintings into her notebook while Sniper scanned the area for any danger.

Gabby is more interested in her new pet and shares it one of her root snacks. It does startle her how this small insect can eat the root in one gulp.

Ignoring the kid and the critter, Sniper walks over to one of the walls and is curious what this painting show. "Come and look at this." He calls and lifts his torch so both pegasus and kid can see the well-preserved painting of alicorns. He at least thinks so they are alicorns as these of the painting looks very much like Celestia with their shape and seemly flowing hair.

Aid Keen walks over to look and is impressed how preserved this one is, she notices that these alicorns are surrounded by stars and a new moon. "Could this temple have been to research the stars?" She wonders out loud and tells Sniper. "We have to find more." Grab the torch and heads further into this temple.

They find another but this one is covered in spiderweb, she and Lawrence tries to remove it but they can't break this web and Gabby's pet is not really helping, from how it keeps getting in the way. "Kid, restrain your pet." Sniper tells her and hits the green insect away from part of the web-shaped that looks like a fancy cake. The thing is persistence though.

"I'm already holding it." Gabby replies.

Sniper turns around and indeed the kid is holding a purple one in her claws. He eyes the green one eating the cake shaped web. He slaps it away and pulls the web aside so Aid Keen can record down what this painting is showing. "Most curious, this painting shows the alicorns above the clouds, as if they are the stars. Those near the ground … I think they are fighting these creatures." Miss Yearling strokes her hoof over the painting that shows something that looks like goats walking on their hind legs and has only one eye. "They look kind of familiar to the one the griffins talk about, the story of Arimaspi who stole the idol—" She lets out a startled scream when a spider suddenly lands on her head, she throws it off and the spider lands on the floor, lifting its front legs and hissing to show it is now rather pissed.

Noticing this is the same kind of gold spot on back spider he saw on their way up here. Sniper makes a quick decision as it's clear this kind of spider is the species that make the web, he grabs the pot used to heat water and smack it over the angry spider. "Give me some of your paper." He demands the pony, she reluctantly tear off some of the pages and gives them to him. He puts them on fire, making sure the smoke gets inside the pot and trapped spider. When sure the spider is knocked out, he lifts the pot and carefully picks up the spider, checking its fangs. They are quite small compared to its size, which is as big as a Tarantulas but even with small fangs, this spider can still have a potent poison. Wouldn't surprise him from how aggressive it was. "We might stumble into more spiders, I can't say if its venom is dangerous or not." He kills the spider so they at least do not have to worry about this one. "Better we don't get bit."

Sniper takes the lead and they head deeper inside, they reach a large hallway that just screams trap. The alicorn statues on each side of this hall have signs they can fire something out from their horns. Some kind of stored magic perhaps. Sniper is about to tell the two to stay back, but Gabby, in her excitement to check out this once beautiful room charges inside. Sniper is quick and yanks her back by the tail right as the alicorn statues charged up to attack. "Don't move." He tells her hard, she gives him a sheepish smile but does stay put.

"Seems like this place holds more than dust and spiders." Aid Keen remarks, Lawrence sends her a deadpan stare, she ignores it and walks over to the door so she can get a view on this area and hopefully figure out a way reaching the other side without getting blasted by those statues. She looks up and wonders out loud. "Do you think the alicorns flew through this room?"

Sniper grabs a rock and throws it but they get their answer that is not the right way when it gets blasted by the magic the statues hold. "Doubt it." He replies to his client and turns his gaze down to the floor, it's hard to see thanks to the darkness, but if lifting the torch he notices that parts of the floor are missing and from the looks of it: it's not only because of the passing of time. "Maybe they used magic." He suggests, thinking the missing tiles on the floor might hold a clue.

"The one thing we don't have." Aid Keen snorts but they have gotten too far to turn back. Searching the room, she spots a mirror that is pointing at the floor, curious she scans the room and spot more, one of them is close to a statue looking like a moon.

Lawrence spots it too and asks. "Isn't it only an alicorn who can raise the sun and moon?" and she explains. "According to the history, the unicorns did once that job, that until Princess Celestia and Luna took over. But why would this place demand a task meant for a unicorn?"

"Not only unicorn." Sniper realizes. "As you said; alicorns are all three races in one. This room requires the power of each." and proves his point by jumping hard onto the spot has a missing tile, he feels something give under his feet and a magical barrier appears, he steps over to the next right beside him but with his normal step and the statues start to charge, so he quickly stomp onto it and the danger fades once again. "Strength of the earth pony." Sniper points over to the statue of the moon, then at the switch above it. "The levitation magic of a unicorn."

Aid Keen scans the room for the last. "So where is the part holding the flight of the pegasus? Hold up, not the flight." She points at the springs before the broken alicorn statue. "The control of the weather!"

Lawrence nods, he leaps onto more of these pressure points tiles meant for an earth pony or rather an alicorn having the same strength. He reaches the moon but since he cannot levitate and even if he was a unicorn, he wouldn't have the magical strength to lift this huge moon statue. So he has to be a little creative. "I need some of that spider web!" He calls.

Aid Keen fetches some, she has to slap more of those cute insects away. Makes her wonder why she didn't notice them a moment ago. Ignoring the insects she grabs some of the loose webs and by jumping onto each tile as he did, she joins him at the spot. He takes the web, makes it into a robe and carefully flies around the moon statue so he won't get blasted by the alicorn statue guards. When the web is tightened around the moon, he grabs the other side of the robs and throws it at a piece of the fallen ceiling. "Better get out of the way, Sheila." He warns her and Aid Keen seeks cover.

Lawrence flies up and the unicorn statues activate, shooting their magic at him but he gets out of the way in last second so instead hitting him, the blast hits the fallen ceiling, throwing it far enough away for it to lift the moon which in turn hits the switch that activates the water, forming small rainclouds.

Sniper flies over to the clouds, quite relieved the guardian statues let him and puts the raincloud over the spring there allows the sun to get inside, throwing its light all the way to the special artifact in the middle of the room. The door on the other side opens and the alicorn statues horn stop glowing ominously.

He lands and is relieved this test is over. "Alright, it should be safe to pass now."

Carefully Aid Keen steps away from her cover behind the water spring and relaxes when nothing happens, she lets out a sigh of relief. "That was some test." Adding when she passes Sniper. "You're quite good at this." He simply hums and follows with the once again excited and chatty Gabby besides him.

They walk down a hallway filled with paintings, all of them in decent condition. Sniper eyes the drawings of alicorns doing something in the night, some of them seem to be fighting and defeating weird dragons that looks like to have been put together by a drunk Medic.

He does not pay it much mind at first but does stop when he sees a painting of three creatures he recognizes: Shadow Ponies. They are in shape of a pegasus, a unicorn and an earth pony, those three are surrounding yet cowering from the rainbow light of ten colors. easy to guess what this rainbow shine is supposed to be with the one in the middle is the biggest and is magenta. He stares at the old drawing for a moment before he leaves it.

Aid Keen is scribbling down every single thing they see, so reaching the end did take a while, more so when more of these insects appear and are starting to cause trouble when they try to get their food. Sniper had to lure them away with the spiderweb shaped to look like food. When Aid Keen got all the paintings recorded in her journal, they move on.

She eyes Sniper when the griffin muses. "I got a bad feeling about this." And checking the hallways, she too must admit that seeing all the spider web hanging around looks to be quite new is making her worried too. No spiders though, so that's good right?

She thought that too early, for the moment they step into what looks to be the main room of this temple, they see spiders and a bunch of them. They are in many sizes and all of them crawling around some quite uniquely webs. It looks very much like something an artist would make instead of a single-minded spider.

And seeing this makes Aid Keen realize what these spiders are. "I know what they are, Arachne, they are the nature's greatest weaver." She explains the two griffins and quickly begins to write this down in her journal, even makes a quick drawing how they look like.

"I believe that." Sniper muses but he's more interested if he should be wary about these spiders. "How dangerous are they to us?"

"They should be harmless." Aid Keen replies still with muzzle down in her journal but she does not sound fully convinced this whole nest of Arachne spiders will do anything other than makes their skin crawl. Apparently, the spiders decided to prove her wrong as several spiders jump down from the ceiling and surround the starting to get really scared Gabby. One of them charges but stops when Lawrence points his torch at it, the surrounding spiders screech and back away.

Looking up, Sniper sees the spiders are moving in on them to what they apparently consider too good of a meal to pass up. "Alright, tour's over. Let's get the hell out from this place." For he is not planning on becoming a spider's dinner.

"Wait! There is something over there!" Aid Keen points at an artifact standing before a statue of an alicorn. The artifacts look like some sort of potions but it is surrounded by spiders.

"Are you bloody kidding me?!" Sniper snaps and slams his torch into a spider that got too close. "We are about to become spider lunch!" and before she can argue back. One of the bigger spiders get the jump on him, it bites him and it feels like he got stung by a bee. "Argh!" He throws it off and prays this poison now in him is not deadly. More spiders approach him, but most of them have their attention on Gabby. As he's not sure these spiders bite is dangerous or not, he is not planning on she get bitten too and puts himself between Gabby and the hissing spiders. "We are leaving!"

"We can't leave without it!" Aid Keen argues back and slaps one of the spiders away with her own torch.

Gabby, wanting to help in any way she can even though she is terrified of this hoard surrounding them, gather her courage, leaps past the hissing spiders and reaches the mostly unguarded potion. Does hesitate for a moment on how ominous that obsidian statue's eyes are but in her need to help out, she ignores the scary statue and grabs the potion. "I got it!" She cheers but did not see the giant spider legs calmly appear on both her sides.

Sniper and Aid Keen sure did. "Gabby watch out!" The pegasus cries, Gabby looks up and lets out a cry of pure terror of hers meeting the giant's eyes, she jumps away from the oldest and biggest spider of this entire colony. The giant spider chases after the terrified cub and does catch her by shooting some of its webs at her.

Sniper acts quickly, he flies up and away from the spiders surrounding him, he then grabs some loose web and flies up to the giant one. He throws the web around its head, right under the fangs and pulls as hard as he can. The giant spider screeches in pain and steer, screeches loudly when he jag his claws into its back in order to stay on. "Back away from the kid, you eight-legged mongrel!" He sneers and another pull he makes the giant spider stumble away from the trapped Gabby, giving Aid Keen the chance to run over and free her. The giant spider kicks its legs upward in an attempt to get him off, one of them hits and throws him off but Sniper quickly recovers. He puts the web in his mouth and runs between the spider's legs as it tries to stab him with them. When sure he has all legs, he pulls and the web tightens around them. With its legs forced close to one another, it cannot support it's large body properly and crashes hard to the ground, wheezing in pain from the fall.

With that big one dealt with. He grabs Aid Keen's touch, ready to set the smaller ones on fire but stops for a moment when about seven of these cute insects flies past him and over to the web made to look like food. The Arachne spiders stare after them and when the insects' lands to feast on the fake food, the spiders nearby jumps at them, use their venom to paralyze one of the cute bugs and eats it. Three more spiders grab one insect each and for some reason, the surrounding spiders leave the other insects alone to eat.

Sniper stares at these seemly cute insects multiply by regurgitating another up and some of those became the meal for the spiders. His eyes wide in realization. "That explains it." He spins around to the females still having trouble keeping the spiders away. "Release that insect!" He commands Gabby. The spiders are not hunting them, they are simply going after their natural food source.

Gabby clutches her bag tightly. "No…they can't get him!" She cries, unaware that the insect is what is causing all of this trouble. Lawrence leaps over to them, yank the bag out from her claws, much to her own grief. "No…!"

He turns the bag upside down. "You're going to thank me later kid." and indeed she will when a whole swarm of the insects falls out from her bag. This swarm flies over to the spider webs and the Arachne spiders follow. Gabby stare at the insect that was supposed to be her new pet but she decides to let the spiders keep it when it gobbles down what remains of her food and regurgitate two more of its kind up.

Returning the completely devoided of food bag to Gabby. "Let's get the hell out from here." Sniper grabs the potion, the spiders nearby hiss at him but more as a warning than wanting him as their lunch. He leaves the room and is relived Gabby does not try and reclaim her so-called pet from the Arachne. Instead, she follows him.

The giant spider gets free from its web but didn't pursue the leaving intruders as it is way more interested in joining the feast.

The three get out from the temple, out in safety again. Lawrence hands Aid Keen the artifact with: "You better give me a bonus for this." If he knew he was going to fight spiders and almost get killed by old alicorn technology, then he would've demanded more money.

She laughs but can see his reason. He did more than be her bodyguard. "Deal." and after a moment of staring at the treasure they got from this adventure. "If you like, you can get this potion. I won't have much use of it other than throwing it at some museum."

Well, he won't drink something that is probably hundreds of years old but he is curious what the ancient alicorns used this potion for. "I take it as my bonus. Happens to know a zebra who has a talent for potions." So Aid Keen hands him the pink potion and with it safely down his bag, they leave the mountain. Sniper stroke his talon over the bite he took, and sure hope they will encounter a doctor so he can figure out this bite is dangerous or not.

**two days later. Griffinstone**

Turns out the bite was completely harmless, it was like getting stung by a bee so only dangerous if the whole colony of spiders decided to attack. That is good news, so that saves him from the trouble and only has to worry about settling his debt with Gabby's sister. "Here's the bits I owed you." Sniper gives the white-headed griffin the money and with his dept finally dealt with. He thinks it's about time he gets back to Ponyville and let Zecora take a look at this potion.

He walks over to Aid Keen and asks if she possibly is heading back to Equestria.

The mare nods. "That's right. I need to head back and do my real job." He decides to ask about it as he is curious about what she does when not hiring griffins to go on an adventure with her. "What is your job?"

"I'm a writer." Aid Keen replies and feels like she can trust this one, at least enough to admit: "This was my very first real adventure I am going to write about. My past novels were from my father stories… he… he died a year ago…" She muses, still greatly sad about that untimely loss but at least he lives on in her stories.

He's not entirely sure if he should give her his condolences, it feels a bit wrong since he never knew this father of his former client. So instead he says. "I know the pain, lost my parents not long ago." She nods and smiles weakly. He just feels awkward and in hope to change the subject, he asks. "So, you are planning on making this adventure into a book?" Must admit, he's not sure he likes the idea being part of a book. "You better not write me in it, I don't like to be in the spotlight."

She laughs at his remarks. "Pity, I think Equestria could need some griffin protagonists. But you won't be mention in the book and…" Aid Keen hesitates for a moment. "Would you... Would you mind if I hire you for future treasure hunting?"

This job offer does catch him a bit off guard, but this hunt for history and treasure does sound like something he could get used to. Good excuse to see more of this world and get paid for it at the same time. "Alright, I'll help you out." Sniper replies on the offer and writes down the info she needs to be able to send him letters when she wants his service again. "The towns ponies know me as Sniper, write that and the mail office knows the rest."

Aid Keen nods, quite happy he is willing to follow her on future adventures. "Great, I look forward to the next time." And must ask when she notices Gabby chatter her family's ears off with the adventure she was on with them. "What will you do with Gabby?"

"I am going to pay the parents for the inconvenience I indirectly kidnapped their child." Sniper muses, he does feel quite guilty about it and figures he has worried Gabby's parent sick.

Aid Keen wishes him luck and they part ways. Sniper heads over to the family and after have explained that what Gabby told them is true and apologized for have taken their daughter to such a dangerous trip. "I hope this will be enough to forget about the inconvenience." He hands the mother the remaining of his bits. The mother griffin whole demeanor changes from annoyed to full attention on the money. Checking them, she asks. "Where did you get all those bits?" and he replies. "From the job." He eyes a tearful Gabby. "Bye kid." and allows her to hug his leg.

"I'm going to miss you…"

"Me too." He muses back, must say that he did enjoy her company, she is a sweet kid. Ironic since he thought he didn't like children. Gabby lets go and he starts to leave. The mother does stop him and comes with an offer he does not like one bit. "If you pay me half of what you get from your job, you can take Gabriella with you."

Sniper feathers on his back raise in his disbelief of what he just heard. "Are you fucking serious?" He asks, pointing angrily at this so greedy mother that she is willing to sell her own child. "You give your child away for bits? What bloody hell of a mother are you?!" She returns his glare with a sneer. "A practical mother, that's what I am. Gabriella will get more out from living with you and I will get the bits to make life just a bit easier. But if you don't like it:" She steps forward so their beaks are only inches away from one another. "Then leave, no one wants to hear an outside whine on how we should do things."

Sniper really wants to beat this mother to a pulp, to decline this offer but deep down, he can't make himself leave Gabby with such a heartless parent. It's a tad too close to home on how his biological parents treated him. "Fine, you got a deal." He growls but will promise the mother this: "I am going to raise her as if she is my own and I won't let you near her."

The mother walks past him with a tone that she didn't really care. "Do as you want, as long I get the bits I was promised. We won't have a problem— Gabriella, pack your things, you will be his new assistant!" She calls over to where her youngest child is running her mouth to her very annoyed sister. Gabby snaps over to them, her eyes beaming in joy in what her mother told her and runs inside to grab her stuff.

Sniper is glad she hadn't realized that her mother practically sold her and hope she only will when older and perhaps a bit wiser. Her older sister did catch on, she shoots her mother a small glare – which the mother promptly ignores – before turning to him. "Hey homeless."

Sniper eyes her and does his best in not letting that name affect him. "You better take good care of Gabby, you hear." The older sister says with a sneer that easily could be mistaken that she didn't really care either. But Sniper now sees that behind that rude façade is a somewhat caring griffin. "I will." He promises her and even if she pisses him off, he knows he can't turn a blind eye to the older sister's living conditions. "You can come too if you wish."

The older sister jerks in surprise, at his suggestion, then snorts. "Me? Go with you? I don't think so, this is my home and that's where I am staying." The homeless griffin merely shrugs. After a moment of internal debating. "Where are you planning on going?" She asks, not that she's worried for her sister or anything.

"Equestria." The white-headed griffin snorts and Sniper has to resist rolling his eyes as she remarks: "Oh that explains your lame exterior, been hanging around the ponies for too long." She could say that but those lame ponies as she sees them have taught him a thing or two. Gabby appears from the dilapidated house with what he presumes is everything she owns– which isn't much. She has that old sheet, a bag and a few of the roots she likes so much. "Say goodbye to your family, you won't see them for a while." He tells the kid. Gabby's excited smile fades as it finally dawns on her that she will be leaving home and everything she knows, still she does not change her mind on leaving and hugs her sister farewell. The older sister pretends she does not care but Sniper can see she in some way does and tells her in the softest tone he has ever heard her use. "Don't let anyone push you around, alright?" Gabby nods and walks over to hug her mother goodbye. Her mother lets her but the sweet moment is rudely broken when the mother pushes her away. "Alright, enough of this. Time for you to go." and she leaves, probably to spend the bits he gave her.

Sniper really has to bite down the insults he wants to throw at her. He does not want to hurt her children.

Close to tears, Gabby watches her mother leaves but has already learned that showing such emotions is not alright for griffin culture as she bites down her tears and joins Sniper. They leave the city but Sniper can't help but see himself in Gabby from how she is refusing to show her sorrow. He did the very same back when he was a kid every time he got bullied. He would like she didn't turn into how he is; one who only has walled in his emotions for so long that he has become socially awkward and that's the biggest reason why he doesn't like be around people. But how is he suppose to help this kid when he has no idea how to help himself?

He does not know but he thinks he knows how to cheer her up and after some tracking, he catches a mouse and shows it to her. As hoped her childish curiosity kicks in and after he has let the mouse go. "how did you catch it? Can I catch one too?" She asks him and he gets the honor showing her how to catch the mice living around these mountains.

Author's Note

And now you know my headcanon of why Equestria is not overrun by Parasprite. The Arachne is made after a Greek legend of a brilliant weaver by the same name. Check it out if you haven't heard about it, you can find the story all over Youtube.

I wanted to give the potion a bigger story too, instead of it just appearing out from nowhere as it did in the show. you will know why when we reach that part where we will see the pink potion again.

Sacrifice

to treegrowth: glad you like the story. I admit that Grammerly does has its flaws, but I use it mainly so my main language does not screw up the grammar.

to HB_DS2013: that I agree on. Sniper knows how much it means having a loving parental figure around.

Note: I think I am going to reply to comments that appear. I like to interact with my readers.

This happens at the same time as Sniper journey to the alicorn temple.

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Unaware of what has been going on with the other group, the rescue team spies have found the family they were hired to bring back to America. Getting to them proves to be a bit tricky though, the family is kept imprisoned and under constant watch. While Kreel reports this to the others, Black Spy stalks the man he found out is the boss of this guarding group and the moment Scout permitted him and the chance arrived, Black Spy takes the man out. Before the other guards realized what has happened, Black Spy has taken most of them out every time they left the safety of their patrols. With the last guard neck sliced over, Black Spy approaches the oblivious family. At first, the mother is scared about this stranger, thinking he's here to kill them but slowly calms down and listens to his explanation of her husband has hired them to get her and the children out from the country.
"/Thank god, he's alive./" The woman whispers with tears of relief. Now with her on their side, Black Spy explains her of what is going to happen. "/We will escort you to a vessel there will bring you to two of our other members. None of them can speak Polish, so you need to follow their lead. They will bring you to your husband./" The woman nods slowly, she hesitates for a moment then starts to pack her stuff. Black Spy has to stop her when she tries to pack a suitcase. "/No, you can only take the most necessary./" So all she can bring is a few pictures, money and the clothing on her body. The children bring the toy they feel the most attached to.

With the family ready, Scout commands the team to move out. They leave the building and as normally but quickly as possible heads back to their current base where the teleporter back to America is located.
They did have to make a detour thanks to a sudden street riot and that is where Heavy spots it. His eyes wide in shock at seeing a Shadow Pony here in the human world, and having one here and this close is always a bad sign. Before he can warn anyone though, someone starts shooting at them. It causes all hell to break loose at the already hostile riot people and they started to destroy everything on their path, so in order to keep the terrified family safe from both whoever is shooting at them and the frenzy civilians, Kreel and Vanguard Pyro ushers them away from the street, unaware they have approached the watching shadow pony. Heavy wants to tell them that's a bad idea but the yelling of the people shooting at them puts makes him forget about the shadow creature and his full attention is on the fast approaching USSR, it has to be, these soldiers have the uniform and shouting in Russian. What he hears the men shout about is not good.
"They want no prisoners." He translate for the others and takes his shotgun as his only weapon aside from his fists and the crystal shard in his pocket.

"Pyro, Kreel, meet us back at the checkpoint!" Scout shouts at the two, before he, along with the others run to cover at the soldiers assaulting them. Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about the riot people too much, they are busier tearing a building apart further down the street.
Pyro and Kreel disappear down a small and empty alleyway, and Scout crushes his crystal and with his power of agility, leap onto fire stairs and after have gotten the ladder down, he jumps off and shoots a soldier that thought he could flank them. "Move it!" He commands the others.

Black Spy, Medic and Fortress Pyro gets onto the roof and somewhat safety, Scout follows soon after, telling the two remaining to get moving. Cowboy eyes the Fortress Heavy who is quite uncertain if he can climb the ladder without getting shot. Cowboy doubts he can and grabs his crystal. "I'll cover you." He tells the man as he crushes the crystal, Heavy frowns at his statement and asks after he has shot a bit on the enemy. "Cowboy angry?"
He laughs and must say. "Can't say I am, but—" he grabs the weapon the other side of his power has, the big guy frowns deeper when he sees what they are. "Fire is not my only power." Cowboy smirks and throws the seeds at the soldiers. First, the USSR soldiers stare utterly confused at the seeds thrown at them but that all changes when Cowboy activates his power and the seeds grow rapidly into thorny bushes, trapping the men by his command.

He knows he should move but Heavy can't help but stare at this other power Cowboy is doing, the man throws more seeds around and more thorny bushes sprouts from them in an uncanny pace, a soldier runs over to seek cover behind a tree but that too Cowboy can control for after a snap of his grass green glowing hands, the tree almost comes to life and traps the terrified soldier. Heavy mentally kicks himself and hurries over to the fire ladder, well aware that even with this plant control Cowboy has going, the man cannot keep the soldiers at bay forever.
He reaches the roof unharmed and the moment Cowboy realizes this, he makes the thorny bushes grow like a protective wall, making him able to get up the ladder without trouble. The two nod to one another and they run after the others who have gotten quite ahead.
While running, Heavy remembers the Shadow pony and scans the area for it, he spots the creature and a chill runs down his spine from how it is staring at him. What is it thinking? Does it want to corrupt him?
A sudden whistling sound, like a trainer commanding a dog, snaps his attention away from the creepy shadow pony and to whoever made that sound. He didn't spot the person, only a flock of goose sized and green birds. He has never seen such a bird before but he's not really the bird expert. These birds fly over them, then another whistling sound and the birds fly straight at the others.
Two of them got shot down, one other got killed when it failed at hitting Scout who dodged it with ease. Pyro chased the others away with her power of fire but by another command of their master, the birds tried again, this time they hit the firebug. Heavy does not like how Pyro stagger and even from this distance he can see holes in her suit. Medic is quick to heal her but something is wrong, Josef only gets that face when things are not going well.

"They have one thing in common."

Heavy's eyes wide, slowly he turns around, not far from him, a shadowy figure is kneeling down at the edge of the roof beside the one he and Cowboy are standing on. The Vanguard engineer is staring at the shadowy figure as well but is more confused than anything since this is the first time he has seen a Shadow Pony.

"Both wanted the other dead for the pain and suffering the other caused." the humanoid shadow continues and looks down to the alleyway separating them, the two humans do the same and gasp of the sight that Kreel is pinned down, dying by one of those birds and Vanguard Pyro has just been shot in the chest by the bird's trainer. The shadowy figure white eyes lock onto the two men. "Today, you both will lose the one you love."

"NO!" Cowboy cries and runs down to save his wife from whatever the bird did to her.

Heavy spins around to where Josef is, the birds are attacking him and the others as well, he is about to run over and help them, but a cry of pain makes him check on Cowboy and the two other of team Vanguard. The bird is clinging to the man's shoulder and it causes him a lot of pain, Heavy hesitates, he eyes the man he loves is fight against the birds, but… he can't turn a blind eye on this… Heavy heads back down the fire ladder, runs into the alleyway and pulls the bird away from Cowboy who collapses onto the ground, still alive though. The mere touch on the bird caused his hands to start rotting in the effect of the poison. He stares in horror at his going blue hands, then at the bird there walks on the somehow still alive Kreel. She is the woman who wanted— still wants to kill Josef, he owes her nothing but by the looks of it, he is the only one who can save her. Praying his bigger size will at least slow down whatever poison these birds have. Heavy grabs the bird around the head and breaks its neck as he throws it at the trainer but that didn't do much effect since the trainer did wear a protective suit. Heavy tries to grab his shotgun, but he can't feel his hands anymore and they look really bad with blood seeping out and flesh starting to fall off. The trainer whistles a command and the bird that attacked cowboy flies at Heavy. At least he can die knowing he kept some of them safe. He roars and charges at the bird in order to protect the three members of Vanguard and their client's family.

Medic is starting to get really scared of whatever poison these birds have. His medigun is not built to remove poison but it can ease the effect. He made that upgrade when some on the team did not know how stupid it was sticking a hand into places they cannot see and end up getting bit by snakes. But this poison is more like an aggressive acid from how it breaks down the body from where the bird touched someone. He used almost all of the medigun fluid in order to save Pyro. Good thing they got the birds before anyone else got hit, he wouldn't be able to save them if they— a way too familiar roar echoes over the roof, Medic scans the area but cannot see Misha. All he sees is a shadowy figure, a shadow pony. "No…" He whispers, well aware that having one around is bad news. Without telling the others, he runs over to where the shadow pony is, demanding it: "What did you do?!" To flinch away when it is suddenly right at his face, smiling in a twisted manner. "You should more be asking: what will you do?" and it disappears. Medic stands frozen for a moment, both from its words and it didn't bother to twist his mind, then snaps out from it and frantically looks around. He gasps at what he finds down at the alley. He does not waste time using the ladder, he jumps down and softens his landing with a quick shield spell. He runs over to Misha, he's still alive but just barely. About to use his healing magic, he notices the three fallen Vanguards, the pyro is about to bleed out from the gunshot he took to the gut, Kreel from the acid poison and Cowboy, well he looks to have gotten hit over the head or something from how he's passed out. He won't be able to help the pyro and spy if he heals Misha and if he helps those two, then Misha will die. The answer to who he should heal comes rather easy, Misha means more to him that those two, but… he eyes the large rotting spots, not sure if he has enough magic to heal Misha. He didn't get one of the crystal since the Vanguard team still do not trust him.
"D…Doctor…" Misha wheezes, Medic takes what should've been the Russian's hand, now more than a disgusting rotting lump. "I'm here, now let's get you healed up. You will deal with large scars and I need to find you a pair of new hands but you'll liv—" then a bird he thought dead suddenly leap up and attacks him, his magic activates on its own to counter the acid. He fights to get the bird off, but it is so bewildered that it does not know what is up and down, making it impossible to get the thing off. Then someone grabs the bird, a striking heat and the bird falls to the ground, burned to a crisp. Medic snaps his eyes to Cowboy who is surrounded by flames and his eyes completely white, in fact, he looks like a raging demon this very moment. Medic takes a step back, he can't risk a fight with the man, he has barely enough magic to save Misha!
Cowboy's expression of rage softens, still on fire, he walks over to Kreel and collapses beside her.
She only has enough strength to take his burning hands. Medic stares at the two saying their goodbyes, now he realizes why Kreel was so mad at him. He didn't only mangle a team member, for her, he hurt the man she loves. And he can fully understand why she did it, he would've done the exact same thing if he has been in her shoes. Slowly, he turns to Misha, trying not to think about the man who soon will lose his beloved but if he saves her, then his own beloved will die.
Does cast a glance to the two again, now confused as he clearly saw Cowboy take the bird but the man's hands look fine, on fire but fine. Staring a few seconds Medic's eyes widened when he notices that these flames of rage somehow have an antidote effect on Kreel, she will still die though from the damage the acid poison has already made. His doctor side kicks in and he loathes of what it is telling him. Medic fists his hands. "Is this my punishment?" He asks himself, or maybe god, he does not know, only that he will regret this as long as he lives but his logical side reminds him that Kreel and Vanguard pyro has the best chances of survival. He wants to save Misha… truly he does but… he has so much acid in him. "I'm sorry…" He whispers to the man he loves.

Those two words are all Josef needed to say, he knows what the doctor has to do. Does come a bit as a surprise though, Josef usually does not care about other people, less so when they have made it clear they do not want him around. Heavy is too weak to speak, all he can do is nod he understands and smiles that he is glad to see that the man is willing to put others before his own needs. Josef's hands are shaking from the emotions he's feeling, clear he does not like it but he must've realized they are more likely to survive. Slowly Josef leaves him and Heavy tries to stay conscious but is unable and the darkness takes him where death awaits him.

Medic first heals the pyro, at least enough so he won't die. He then turns to the other pair, but does have to step back when Cowboy flames grow intense in reaction to the man's defensiveness of his dying girlfriend getting touched by the man who hurt him. "Do you want me to save her or not?" Medic asks the flaming man annoyed, Cowboy blinks, hesitates but do move aside and lets him tend to Kreel. As thought, the flames have removed the acid completely which is strange but not something Medic can question right now, it's easier to heal thanks to those flames of rage than when the acid just kept on going until it ran out of juice or he ran out of healing magic. He heals Kreel, not fully as he still hopes to save Misha.
"Why are you helping her?" Cowboy asks suspiciously but Medic is really not in the mood for this interrogating, in fact: "Halt die Klappe, before I change my mind and heal Heavy instead." Cowboy is smart enough to stay quiet.
With Kreel at least out from danger, Medic leaps over to help Misha, the acid poison is still eating him up from the inside but the Russian has always been one tough bastard so he's still alive. "Your fire nullify the bird's acid." He tells Cowboy in a hard matter of fact, the man jerks away from Kreel in surprise, Medic meets the man's glowing white eyes with his determent steel-blue, trying not to think about what Cowboy's eyes at this very moment reminds him of a shadow pony. "I need you to remove the acid inside Heavy."

Not sure that has been his plan to use Sophia as a bargaining ticket or this manic doctor actually has some humanity in him. Whatever it is, Cowboy can help the Russian man with his fires. No idea how but unlike the others who got this rotting effect from the those bird's acid, when they touched him, something primal woke inside of him and the flames came. Cowboy eyes the somehow still alive man. The Fortress medic didn't see it, but his eyes landed on the German, watching the determent but also scared look in the man's eyes. Cowboy recognizes that look, he has had that look every time Sophia got into trouble and needed him, he realizes there is more than simple comradery between the two, quite a surprise but like his country, he is starting to be rather indifferent about the subject of gay relationships. He leaves his two team members and steps over to the Fortress Heavy, puts his flaming hands onto the big guy and by his command, the magenta flames engulf the heavy, burning away the acid effect that poison had. He is pretty sure the flames still hurt, Sophia showed signs of it but had been too weak to move away from it. However this big guy needed way more fire than his wife and when sure Heavy body has been cleansed from the acid, Cowboy takes a deep breath and slowly the flames surrounding him fades, not fully though as this awoken primal side of him is still in effect from the bird's attack. "Do you have enough of your healing ability to save him?" He asks the German for even with the poison gone, this big guy is still at death's doorstep.
Fortress medic meets his eyes and without a word before he goes over to save the Russian. Cowboy stands frozen for a moment, shocked. He saw an unyielding determination to save this man. That's not really what shocked Cowboy though from his strong suspect on what the doctor and heavy are to one another. No, it was the other thing he saw in the medic's eyes.
Something Cowboy never thought he would never see in the German's eyes, but he saw it and although Cowboy does not like this man at all, his past hatred fades from this sudden respect of similarities between them.
He reaches into his pocket. "Here." and hands Medic a second crystal shard, one he carries around if he needs to use his powers one more time.
The German eyes him surprised and Cowboy simply explains. "You will need all the power you can get."

Hesitating, Medic takes the offered shard, has to remove one of his gloves and the second his skin touches it, the shard begins to glow the Element of Magic's color. He squeezes and the shard shatters in his hand, does not hurt as he expected though, instead he feels a very familiar surge like when Twilight used the Elements in them to defeat Sunset Shimmer. It strengthens him but does not replenish his almost fully depleted magic resources, he prays that this boost is at least enough to save Misha.
Medic returns back to heal Misha, does not take long before a sharp headache arrives, a warning for him to stop but he doesn't, even with the small lesson Twilight taught him through their letter writing.

'There is something I do not understand. If ponies have magic that can literarily bend the world to their will—'

'We aren't all powerful Medic.'

'Twilight, my world might have magic but other than call monster eyes from another dimension and summon a small army of skeletons. The wizard got nothing on what ponies do daily. No ordinary human can control the weather. We cannot decide when the sun should raise nor can we lift objects with our minds or let plants grow into harvest size in a matter of days.'

'Really?'

'Yes, that's why I am so confused. Even with all these powers, why do you still have so many threats?'

'Not all ponies can do the same thing. Some just does not have the talent or skills.'

'I see, does these level of power come from the talent or how much magic the individual pony have? You got quite angry when I used that freezing spell.'

'Of course I got angry! No beginner unicorn should attempt such an adept spell, you might have broken someponies bones! You got lucky thanks to your medical knowledge.'

'What does happens if someone does not have the magic to make a certain spell?'

'Well if the unicorn does not have the knowledge or talent to cast the spell, then the spell breaks like when I tried the age spell. But if a unicorn has the skill but not the magic for it…in most cases the unicorn will get an extreme headache, that's where they should stop.'

'And if they don't? What if they want to finish this spell and keeps pushing?'

...

'Humor me Twilight.'

'If a unicorn does not have enough magic for the spell and ignores the headaches, the increasing strain in one's muscles, the blood clouding one's vision…'

Medic coughs and drops of blood lands on Heavy's ruined uniform, but even with trembling muscles strained from what he demands his body to accomplish and he has trouble seeing what he is doing from the blood vessels in his eyes are starting to break. He still keeps on healing, remembering Twilight's warning of what he is currently doing.

'And if they keep ignoring the fact they will cough up blood… if a unicorn— any pony keeps pushing their magic in something they were never meant to do, then… they will die.

He keeps pushing his magical potential, even with all of the pain of his body breaking down in response to him forcing it to do more magic than it is able. His determinating to save Misha forces him to ignore his fast-approaching doom.
The healing only stops when his body finally reaches its breaking point and he collapses beside Heavy, through the greatly blurred sight, he sees Cowboy reach out for him, he never feels the hand though, the darkness has already taken him by that point. He exhales out the remaining air and the body goes limp from the heart has made its last beat.

Cowboy slowly removes the hand from the German's neck, brushes his fingers over the lids and bows his head in the first of respect to the man.
The sound of something hitting the roof's floor makes Cowboy look up and he sees Ignis, part of his left arm has signs of the bird's rotting poison but does not look like he's going to die from it. The man with the wings made of fire stares down at the scene in shock but also has a gleam that he knew this was going to happen.
Slowly Cowboy gets on his feet, an idea has sprung into his head, one he would never have considered before the Fortress medic proved he wasn't so bad as their first introduction told. "Ignis, you have to bring him to the nearest respawn area." He eyes the German. "He has just died, if we are lucky, the respawn can pick him up if you hurry."
Ignis jumps down to him, without a word he picks up Fortress medic and flies away. Cowboy watches them disappear up in the sky, then turns to the family they were hired to return back to the client. They are terrified but fortunately, none of them got hit by bird or bullet. Cowboy activate his radio "Scout, there are some changes to our plan." He speaks into the intercom, the others will have to take of the family. He has three casualties who needs medical attention before Medic's work was for nothing. His eyes land on the Fortress heavy.
Well, almost everyone.

Author's Note

at least one good thing came out from all of this mess: Cowboy no longer want Medic dead

Return of Discord

Note: Felt like giving you guys another chapter ealier than usual. so here's one about Discord.
This happens two days after the former chapter and made after the episode "Keep Calm and Flutter On"

A small problem at Sweet Apple Acres had arrived, a beaver and its family happened to decide they wanted to build a dam in the orchard and thus flood a large section of the apple trees. Something Applejack is not happy about and got into a fight with the beavers in an attempt to make them leave and allow her to break down the dam but when that didn't go anywhere. Darn vermins refused to let her near the dam without the threat of them sinking their teeth into her legs, so she decided to ask Fluttershy to help her out. Heading to the cottage, Applejack forgets about her own problem for a moment when she finds Fluttershy having a staredown with Soldier's girlfriend and Engineer standing beside them; looking unsure how to solve this.
Now more hesitant since she knows that only a few things can make Fluttershy do the Stare. One of them is somepony has been stupid enough to harm her animals and from the looks of it: that's exactly what Zhanna did. Fluttershy's pet bear has a hoof print on its back and whimpering cowers behind the yellow pegasus. She approaches this tense scene between pegasus and earth pony, asks Engineer wary. "What in tarnation is going on?" First there she notices Engineer's son standing fearfully behind his father.

"Zhanna attacked Fluttershy's bear as she's used of doing that in her former home." Engineer replies back softly, glancing to the two trying to make the other bow down to the others will. "Understandable Fluttershy got angry and until recently been arguing with Zhanna that hurting eh... Harry, is not okay."

Applejack nods and figures that Zhanna did not understand why it's not okay if she has been used to fight bears before coming here.
She watches the two's staredown, not daring to get in between and much to her relief, Zhanna is the first to break the stare and the bigger earth pony leaves with: "Zhanna will not hunt small pony's bear." Good to know that kind Fluttershy is the one with the most powerful Stare, would've been terrifying if Zhanna could stare everypony down to submission.

Fluttershy stares after her partner's sister for a few seconds, then collapses into a state of disbelief and panic. "That was the most intense argument in my entire life! Never have I met somepony else with the Stare! I wanted so much to run away!" She cries with hooves over her head from that staredown with Zhanna.
Harry growls softly and Fluttershy turns to him, reminded why she kept her ground. "I know, she would've hurt you further Harry." She pets the bear. "But…" Fluttershy trembles in fear. "Zhanna is a scary pony…"

Applejack sympathizes with Fluttershy, Zhanna is quite the intimidating pony but she has a HUGE problem: her tress are drowning! "Fluttershy." Applejack gets the pegasus's attention, she trots past Engineer. "I have a problem with a beaver, darn vermin is flooding half of the apple orchards!" The last Applejack almost yells out in her frustrating, forgetting that Fluttershy has just survived a confrontation with Soldier's girlfriend who happens to be Heavy's younger sister.

"Oh my." Fluttershy gasps quietly, she does not like Applejack calls the beavers vermin but she can sort of see why her friend got angry at them. "Do you want me to speak with them?" She asks and Applejack nods. Fluttershy turns to Engineer's son who has understandable sought cover behind his father when Zhanna attacked Harry and ruined the moment she had with this very sweet colt. "I'm sorry but my friend needs my help. Maybe some other time I can teach you about bears?" She suggests as she wouldn't mind teach Sungust more about animals. Other than Dr. Fauna, no other pony has been able to keep up with her when she first gets started on talking about animals.
The colt, still in shock from the whole confrontation between her and Zhanna nods slowly. Does shake the shocked stupor off when his father puts a talon on his back. He swallows then speaks with a trembling voice. "C-Can I v-visit you a-again?" Fluttershy nods he indeed can and eyes Engineer there nods in agreement that Sungust can come on a visit again, the father then turns and with: "See you later" The two leaves, Sungust gives a small wave. "Bye." Letting her have her full attention to Applejack's problem.

**The apple orchard**

Fluttershy works as a mediator for Applejack and the father beaver named Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth, she politely tries to convince the huffy beaver that he can't have his dam here. It takes a while but the father beaver finally agrees, with only a single and a rather easy condition.

Not that Applejack understands a word what the beaver is saying, all she hears is that annoying chitter. "What's he going on about now?" She demands. Fluttershy turns and smiling explains what the beaver have said "Good news. Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth has agreed to take his dam apart and move it."
That is about time and Applejack exclaims, eyeing her poor apple trees being underwater and that will sooner or later kill them as apple trees are not made to get this much water all the time! "My apple trees are so waterlogged, I can practically hear them gargle!" The beaver starts complaining, at least that what Applejack think this vermin is doing. Fluttershy translates for her. "But he says first you'll have to apologize for calling him "a nuisance"." Something Applejack finds stupid and exclaims annoyed at this beaver. "He's lucky I didn't call him a vermin!" and the beaver response equally angry, and she might have kicked it and probably got bitten if not Fluttershy flew in between, keeping both from going at each others throat. Fluttershy did gasp at what the angry chittering beaver was saying. "Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth! Such language!" and shoots Applejack a glare as if it was her fault the beaver used such language. Applejack realizes that unless she gives in, this area will stay flooded. "Fine, fine." She sighs and says as genuine she can. "I apologize." The beaver's rude behavior didn't change though as it blows a raspberry at her and Applejack is this close to kick the darn thing! Fluttershy stops her from making that thought reality though, which might be for the best as the beaver does break down its dam and allow the water to leave the orchard. Letting out a sigh of relief that this is over, Applejack thanks the pony that helped her resolve this. "Don't know what I would've done without you, Fluttershy."

"Glad I could help." Fluttershy replies and about this moment, Rainbow Dash appears beside them, shouting. "Hey, slackers! Double time it on over to Ponyville, would ya?! We're all waiting on you!" and she speeds off again. Fluttershy exchanges a brief look of confusion with Applejack before both rushes to Ponyville to see what all the trouble is about. This trouble proves to be Princess Celestia who has brought the statue of Discord and reveals much to Fluttershy's great surprise that she is the pony the princess thinks can reform the Spirit of Disharmony.
"I realize that this is a tall order." Celestia says to her in the princess's way of admitting this is a lot to ask one timid pony. "But I wouldn't have asked if I weren't confident you could get him to use magic obediently of his own free will." Fluttershy eyes the statue of Discord, the creature that turned Ponyville into the capital of chaos and also turned her and the rest into their worst self. How can somepony like her reform a chaotic being like him? "You really think I'll know best how to do that?" She asks the princess doubtful she is the best for this job. Princess Celestia gently lifts her chin so their eyes meet. "I do." The princess says so genuinely that Fluttershy feels confident she can do this task.

Celestia really wishes she could stay and aid Twilight and her friends, but she has to welcome Queen Novo in order to show she and Luna are serious in their wish to form an alliance with the surrounding countries. "I must return to Canterlot for a royal summit." Celestia flies over to her caret and is confident Fluttershy will do her best in reforming Discord and that the Spirit of Disharmony won't cause much trouble now she has cast a spell that keeps him from snatching the Elements of Harmony again. It is a good thing he has lost most of his powers, otherwise, her spell might not have worked. "You may release Discord when ready." She tells the bearers of the Elements and the pegasi guards takes her back to Canterlot.

Twilight Sparkle doubts releasing Discord is a good idea and although she has lost a bit of faith in her teacher choice about her being a worthy princess, she does still respect Celestia enough to do this task. Letting out a sigh, Twilight eyes the statue but is not ready to release him just yet. At least not until those of the bearers that are immune against his mind-bending spell are around. "We should get the others, we might need them for this one." She suggests and moves to find them, does stop when all of her friends speed off as if she gave them a command and not a suggestion. Twilight lets out a small sigh, doing her best to hide the hurt she feels about this change… the change Celestia did…

From the shadows, a Shadow Pony is watching the turned humans and the bearers gather around the statue of Discord. It does not make any move to approach or meddle, simply watching, waiting for one of their creation to be released once again.

Unaware of this unwanted attention, Twilight levitates each necklace to its bearer. "Okay, guess it's time to get started." She eyes the turned humans. "If he starts causing any trouble, you should be able to fight him without the threat being turned into your dark selves." They nod, Soldier does a salute. She then turns to her friends. "Alright, let's do this." and activates the magic to release Discord from his stone prison. The Elements start to light up and send a beam of their color to her crown, with each Element made contact, she fires the rainbow beam at Discord.

The stone cracks and in a matter of seconds, Discord is free once more. He roars in a rather epic way up to the sky, to then break it into a loud yawn and stretching out as if he just woke from a long nap. The mercs are not impressed, Scout the least. "I thought he would be more, well intimidating. Not something Medic could make when too drunk!" Soldier and Engineer chuckles, Spy expression is stoic but he too is quite amused by that remark, does turn into annoyance when this so-called Spirit of Disharmony starts complaining like a spoiled child. "Well, it's about time somepony got me out of that prison block. What a relief!" He snaps his lion paw and a nearby squirrel gets turned into a huge and very grumpy looking one, reminding Scout of Heavy if someone was stupid enough to steal his lunch.

The ponies minus Zecora gasp at the sight and Twilight demands Discord angrily. "What do you think you are doing?!" and Discord response as if he has no idea what he has just done. "Why, stretching, of course." He replies and continue doing his exaggerated stretching out. "When you're a creature of chaos, stone bodysuits aren't your typical go-to fashion choice." And again his snaps his finger, this time the bird side and a rabbit turns into a Mr. Hyde.

"Make that bunny cute again! Now!" Pinkie Pie demands Discord but he only laughs and pets the brutish looking rabbit. "He's adorable the way he is." The rabbit chomps after him and Discord moves away, blowing a raspberry at his creation. Discord turns back to the bearers of Harmony, remarking. "You know what else is adorable? You ponies truly believe that you can reform me." He moves over to Fluttershy, on purpose making her feel really uncomfortable by staring at her with a magnifying glass as if she's some interesting species. "And that you're putting your faith in this one here to make it happen." He teleports beside her, now dressed as a old grandmother. "Makes me wanna pinch your little horsey cheeks..." Which he does but a green pegasus stallion forces him away from Fluttershy by tackling into him and puts himself between the two. "Get your jigsaw body off the pony! We didn't permit you to make contact!" The stallion tells him in a commanding tone. Discord notices a silver necklace around the stallion's neck and feels a bit annoyed of what color it is. "Oh why do all bearers of Courage have to be so boring?" He complains and might not be able to turn this one away from his element but it does not stop Discord from teasing this second Courage bearer. "Did Celestia chose one of her soldiers?" He drums on the helmet. "The last bearer was a soldier too." and swiftly teleports away from the now ticked off stallion. Making the bearer grab empty air instead.
Discord appears again, this time lying on the hippogriff, asking this other wielder of the silver necklaces. "How did you return back to Equestria? Shouldn't you all be back in your own world? Doing whatever you do over there."

Engineer jumps startled and for a moment do consider bucking this Discord off but after have seen the whole teleportation gimmick, he doubts that will help. So instead he simply replies the creature chilling on his back. "You sounds like you didn't expect to see us again, even though we have never met." The spirit of Disharmony teleports away and startles Engineer once again when he appears right beside and pulls him into the weirdest
one-arm hug ever.

"Where are my manners? Names Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos, and you are?"

"Uhh... call me Engineer." He replies unsure about this whole situation. Is relived when Discord finally lets go of him and instead turns to Spy with the cold remark: "Hello again Spy, thought you were out on some grand mission, leaving behind your poor family." The last Discord says in a heartbroken manner to the not one bit amused Zecora who frowns quietly at him.

"How'd you know about that?!" Twilight Sparkle demands and Discord bends over to her, meeting her eyes with his upside-down head. "Being turned to stone doesn't make me deaf, and being their proudest creation, the Shadow Ponies have kept me updated on the current situation." And to everyone's shock, he points to a cluster of trees. "The news of you trying to reform me has really caught their attention." In the shadows stands a Shadow Pony, watching them with its glowing white eyes. It does disappear when Soldier charges at it but Discord points that it has only changed location, now it is standing on a roof.
"Oh don't worry, they are not planning on attacking." Discord assures Twilight and waves up to the watching Shadow Pony before turning back to her. "Although I admit it makes me roll my eyes they even allow this."
This is the reason why she thinks this is a bad idea!
Discord is created by the Shadow Ponies, his loyalty belongs solely to them and she doubts the Shadow Ponies will allow Discord to join their side. "Well, maybe we should spare ourselves the hassle and just turn you back to stone!" Twilight Sparkle snaps back.

Discord snicker, for he knows that even though Twilight Sparkle has sort of lost faith in Celestia thanks to her latest choice— wasn't really much of a choice as Celestia simply did what Harmony requested as he does with Disharmony by playing along to this silly reform thing the bearers has going.
Won't stop him from teasing Twilight about it, though. "Oh, you wouldn't dare turn me back to stone and risk disappointing your precious princess." And clearly, he hit a nerve from how he can sense the alicorn magic around her. He smirks down to her. "Already embracing the powers she gave you, I see." Her eyes wide in shock and in fear of the power giving to her, Twilight Sparkle looks away and the magical aura fades.
Her friends notice and Rainbow Dash flies up to his height. "Try us, Dip-cord!" As if showing her loyalty will prove nothing has changed. Before he can throw any remark back that things have changed, Fluttershy steps forward; speaking with way more anger than he has ever heard her. "You think you can treat poor defenseless animals like that and get away with it?!" He sort of find this shy pony showing teeth incredibly adorable like he had a finger in it. Oh, they grow up so fast. Fluttershy flies right up to his face, thinking she has the upper hoof in this power play. "You'd best watch your step, buster, or I'll give you... the Stare!"
She put this right on the silver platter, he just has to do it. "The Stare? Oh no, please, not that! Anything but your disapproving eyeballs!" He cries in a sarcastically fear before bursting into laughter, he laughs so hard he can barely breathe.
And when she gives him the Stare, he pretends it is really affecting him in a very exaggerated manner. "Stop! I can't take it anymore! I'll do whatever you say! Because..." Until he can't take it anymore and burst out laughing again. Leaning up against the hippogriff still laughing. "You are hilarious!" His laughter do stop when Engineer steps away from him and he drops flat to the ground, getting up; Twilight Sparkle tells him hard. "If it turns out we need to use our elements against you, I'm sure we can convince Princess Celestia it was for a good reason!" He rolls his eyes, and do highly consider just teleporting away and cause trouble somewhere else. But he guesses he can play along, for now at least. "Alright, fine." He snaps his eagle claws and the rabbit and squirrel return back to normal. "Well, it looks like I know where I'll be crashing while I'm being "reformed."" He remarks to Twilight, greatly doubting that will happen as he clearly knows where he belongs on the two sides and it is not the ponies side that's for sure.
He teleports Fluttershy into his arms and messes up her hair, grinning. "With you Fluttershy, it's going to be so much fun." For him at least.

And it's about there Fluttershy doubts she can live up to the task princess Celestia gave her.

**At Fluttershy's cottage**

"He may be horrible, but that doesn't mean we have to act the same way." Fluttershy explains to her friends while doing her best to clean up her room. "We should at least try to be hospitable." Most of the others do not look convinced. Oh, that reminds her that Discord needs a place to sleep while being here and the only place he can get is Angel's favorite spot. So turning to her headstrong bunny. "You don't mind giving up your favorite spot on the couch, do you, Angel Bunny?" He does and Angel rushes over to the couch and tries to get the chilling Discord to leave but has to give up and grumpily leave.
Fluttershy does feel a bit sorry for Angel but is sure he can handle it. She flies over to Discord, asking nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry about Angel. Are you alright?"

Discord, barely have noticed the rabbit gives the owner of that rodent a sweet fake smile. "Oh, yes. Thank you, Fluttershy, for your concern. If only your friends could be as considerate..." He gestures to the others watching him with great hostility in their eyes. Rainbow Dash, as always the one who blows up first. "Don't listen to him, Fluttershy! He's just trying to drive a wedge between us like he always does." And to his pleasured surprise, the soldier stallion proves to be amusing when he shouts out: "Then we will make Engineer remove the wedge and glue it together!" He begins to stomp around as if to find said glue and several of the others stare after him while wondering if they should tell him it was only a metaphor. Discord chuckles and must say: "I think I am going to like that one."

"Great then you wouldn't mind being his new roommate? He's used to dealing with crazy crap from his former roommate." Scout remarks and is not sure if he would like if the two become friends or Soldier would piss Discord off as well. Would at least give them a reason to turn him back into stone. Soldier trots over to him when hearing this. "I'm still roommate to Merasmus! And I do not share the house with one of Medic's experiments!"

Hearing that name again catches Discord attention, he teleports up beside Soldier. "Uhhh, you know old Merasmus?" He asks excitedly. "How is he doing? Last time I saw him, he, Celestia and Luna turned me into stone. Is he still limping? Quite proud of that Ursa Major trap." And he gets kicked right in the face by this stallion. "I didn't permit you to touch me!" Fluttershy flies down and stops Soldier from hitting him again, not that it matters much to Discord. He blows his finger, the hoof mark on his face disappears, and he teleports back to the couch. The rabbit has to leap away before he landed on it.
Rainbow Dash shoots him a glare. "Whatever you are thinking, we won't let you turn Fluttershy against us!" and he replies as if he has no idea while in reality that is sort of his plan. "Now why in the world would I ever try to do a thing like that?"

"So we won't be able to use the Elements of Harmony against you." Spike remarks from his spot behind Twilight, he's still afraid of Discord and would prefer they just turned him into stone and leave him deep inside Everfree forest or something.

"I never thought of that..." Discord muses.

Rainbow Dash do not believe him for a second. "You big liar!"

And Discord replies on that by turning himself small. "Now, look who's a liar. Anyone can plainly see that I'm not big at all." He turns into normal size again and accidentally hits a nearby lamp, it falls and breaks onto the floor. Fluttershy stares at the broken lamp in horror as if it's the worst thing ever, so rolling his eyes, Discord fixes it— into his own style. Now the lamps look like him with a tutu and the light bulb in hand, much better than the former boring form. "There, all better." He notices that the rodent has tried to take the couch again, so he whips it away by the tail and claims the whole couch once again.

This is getting hard to watch, more so when none of them are able to do anything about it. "It is hard to watch so I will leave you in peace." Zecora heads out with Spy close behind, adding to the yellow pegasus. "But do call if you need aid for other taming techniques."

Rainbow Dash agrees. "We'll be outside." and along with the rest, head outside.

Twilight Sparkle does stop halfway and asks Fluttershy worried. "You sure you're okay with this?" Adding quietly. "I'm asking as a friend."

Fluttershy lowers her head in embarrassment that she, like the other of the friend group do at times has trouble seeing their friend behind the crown Celestia has given her. Letting out a sigh, she replies Twilight. "I know it's not gonna be easy, but Princess Celestia's counting on me. And..." She muses and does gain a bit more confidence in her voice of the idea she has to solve this problem. "I think I actually know what to do."

"You do?" Twilight asks surprised but in a good way. And Fluttershy explains her plan. "I think the key is to befriend him. Being kind to him and letting him be my house guest is probably the best way to do that." She hears her friends words but does somehow doubt it is a good idea for she is currently watching Discord torment Angel Bunny by keeping the couch away from the bunny. But ignoring that scene, she asks her friend. "And you really think that'll work?"

"I think it's worth a try." Fluttershy replies.

Twilight will respect her friend choice and allow her to try this plan of hers out. "Okay, but if you need us, all you need to do is whisper "help", and we'll be back here with our elements." To then turn her attention and voice to Discord. "So watch that goat-legged step of yours, pal!" and Discord has the gall to summon a pair of fancy chairs, pretending to have a tea party with the very bunny he tormented seconds ago. "Look at me! I've practically reformed already." He exclaims, Twilight shoots him a glare and after have to give Fluttershy a look she worries about her, she leaves.

**Golden Oak Library**

Twilight Sparkle has gathered the others so they can discuss what to do if Fluttershy's plan doesn't work out. She has an idea on how to reform Discord and suggest a spell that can do just that.

"Hold up, how do you mean by 'reforming spell'?" Scout asks as he does not like the sound of that. "Do you mean 'poof' and he agrees with our point of views?" For that sounds very much like how the Sirens turned their personalities on their heads.

Now he said it like that, it does sound pretty bad. "Never thought of it like that…" Twilight admits. "But now that I really think about it, this reforming spell is no better than when Discord turns ponies into their worst self."

"But we are doing this to turn him good." Rainbow Dash objects, not fully able to see why doing this is such a bad thing.

Spy sure can. "So in your words, as long the one has good intention, it is alright to turn someone into someone they are not?"

"Sounds a lot like brainwashing." Applejack muses and can see why the turned humans have such an issue with it. According to Twilight, several of them got turned into their darker self by the beings called the Sirens. And thinking about it, it also sounds very much like what Discord did to them and if they did the same thing to him. Wouldn't that make them the bad guy? "We shouldn't do that spell. It will make us just as bad as Discord." She tells Twilight.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. "Fine..." Although she thinks doing this spell would've saved them all the hassle but she guesses she can see their point.

With the 'reforming' spell not an option, they have to figure out something else if Fluttershy's attempt to tame Discord by befriending him does not work. Pinkie Pie is the one who came with another solution. "Why don't we do the same your brother did in the Crystal Empire? He was able to harm the Shadow Ponies with his Element." She walks over to Scout, taps his silver necklace and it lights up.
Twilight has almost forgotten about that ability! "That's it!" She eyes the mercs. "You will be able to keep Discord in check and make sure he does not do anything stupid. If he shows signs he is a lost cause then we will have to turn him to stone again."

Letting go of his itching wing; Scout replies Twilight. "Sounds better than the reforming spell" He did notice the quick scratching pulled out a few feathers but he's busier on how uncomfortable he feels just thinking about how his mind was chained from the songs of the Sirens.
After a bit discussing, the mercs agree on checking up on Fluttershy in shifts, starting with Scout.
Pinkie Pie decides to go with him and the two return back to Fluttershy's cottage, where the pink pony explains the plan they came up with. "And that's how we are going to help you out!" Pinkie Pie finishes.
Scout's nods and offers Angel Bunny a carrot he brought on the way, taking notice the rabbit do look quite stressed. "Discord giving you trouble slugger?" He asks the rabbit there jumps up and down, squeaking angrily. The rabbit then jumps onto his back, glaring at Discord who is chilling on the couch. Scout knows from back when he was roommate to Fluttershy that the couch is Angel's favorite spot. "Oh so the big mean— whatever he is— taken your favorite spot?" Scout asks Angel.

Discord opens his eyes, annoyed by the one going by the name Scout is mocking his appearance. "Fluttershy said it was alright, isn't that right dear?" Before the pegasus could reply though, this Scout is quick to retaliate. "All her guests get the couch but at least I know how to share, isn't that right Angel?" The weird looking pegasus eyes the rabbit with a grin. "You like me better than big old meanie Discord." The rabbit glomps his neck while glaring at Discord. The draconequus snorts, it's not like it bother him that a rodent likes someone better than him. "Oh, why don't you take Angel and saves me the trouble." He points out annoyed and grabs another piece of paper to eat, does spit it out when Scout does just that in such a cheerful manner.

"Mind if I take care of slugger here? He seems like he could need a quieter place and saves you from worrying too much."

Fluttershy only has to think about it for a moment as she has taken notice that Angel and Discord do not get along and she knows Angel likes Scout. "Alright." She fetches the food for Angel and is curious where Scout is living now. "Where do you live now? You're not sleeping outside are you?" Scout laughs shakes his head. "Nah, I got my own place now; near Everfree forest, and even if I didn't have a place, it's not like you could offer me the couch since your new roommate is determent to keep that all for himself." She can't help but giggle from how he said it, more so when it is true. She does notices that Discord does not look happy about it so she quickly stops laughing as she is trying to make him feel welcome. "Now there Scout, don't insult my houseguest."

"Oh surely the biggest prankster in the world can handle some teasing." Scout grins to Pinkie Pie who starts jumping up and down, saying excitedly. "We should invite him to a small game of pranking – oh oh, maybe this time he—"

Fluttershy quickly stops Pinkie before she gives Discord some bad ideas. "What about we wait doing this?" She asks Pinkie Pie with a weak smile and hoping the pink pony got the hint. Fortunately, Scout did as he says. "Don't give the bad guy any ideas, got it."
Pinkie Pie nods and after have removed Fluttershy's hoof, she suggests. "We can help you buy some more food, doubt Twilight will appreciate Discord eating all the papers around town." Fluttershy do admit it is weird seeing Discord snacking on paper but maybe that's just him being himself, still, she does appreciate the offer. "Sure, we could also put Angel at Scout's house in the meantime." and turns to Discord. "I'll be gone for a while, so you just make yourself at home while I am gone." She did not see the mischievous grin on his face, her full attention is on her going out shopping with her two friends.

Scout did sense the emotions coming from the draconequus and that was one of the reasons why he suggested taking care of Angel, no one, not even a spoiled rabbit deserves getting tormented by an all-powerful creature with no sense of moral. And he is pretty sure Angel is relieved to be out from the cottage as well.
After have put Angel off in his small apartment, Scout and Pinkie help Fluttershy with the groceries shopping.
In Sugar Cupe Corner, while Pinkie Pie prepares a cake for Fluttershy, Scout is wolfing down some muffins he brought. It did cut off the edge of his raving hunger, but it's pretty sure he has to buy something else soon. He does wonder why he's so hungry all the time, is he running low on love? Who knows, but that he can worry about later and buy another muffin to eat as the two girls leave.

When done with the shopping they carry back the goods but all stop startled when they find the cottage up in the air and spinning around. "Maybe you shouldn't have said he should make himself at home…" Pinkie Pie remarks to Fluttershy and the pegasus replies hesitantly. "Maybe… but I think giving him space to be himself will help a lot on reforming him."

But Scout knows better, he is, after all, one who has grown up with a bunch of brothers and all of them tested their mother's boundaries. "Uh no." He tells Fluttershy and points up to the spinning cottage. "You can't let him do whatever he pleases! Do you think my mother let me and my brothers do whatever the hell we wanted? No! She gave us boundaries and if we broke them we got a solid smacking for it!"

"But… I'm not his mother..." Fluttershy retorts weakly, winching slightly away when Pinkie Pie tells her hard. "But friends shouldn't treat each other like this either! I never pull pranks on you because I know you don't like them." Well, she can sort of see the point in that. "But…"

"You can't let him push you around, Fluttershy." Scout tells her and takes flight. "Let's go, I will help you tell him this is not okay." Fluttershy eyes Pinkie Pie who nods encouraging to her. After a moment of hesitating, Fluttershy follows Scout up to the spinning cottage. Inside they find Discord, still chilling on the couch while everything else gets thrown around the spinning cottage and when spotting Fluttershy, he asks. "Are you sure this isn't overdoing it?" But in such a tone and gives Scout the emotions that he is not afraid of retribution of his actions. "You said to make myself at home while you were gone, but I wouldn't want to overstep my bounds."
Scout turns to Fluttershy, sensing she is about to allow him but a look from him; she is reminded that he cannot play her around like this.

Scout and Pinkie Pie are right, if Discord has to be her friend, he has to know that some things she does not appreciate. "You are overdoing it." She tells him as hard she can from how fearful and nervous she feels at the moment. Discord opens his eyes surprised. "Oh? So you don't want me to be myself and help me to reform?" He asks in a tone that makes her feel she cannot do this job. Fluttershy is very close to giving in, so she is very thankful Scout is there with her.

Oh, cheap shot! "Hey! The reforming thing is up to you, not her!" Scout snaps back, baring his canine teeth at this jerk manipulator, something that reminds the BLU side of him on how his dad was during the War Games and that still leaves a bad taste in his mouth. "Her job is simply to help you out to decide if you want to be on our side or not. So put down her house this moment or you going to have a problem with me!"
Discord laughs, not at all feeling treated by him. "You are going to pick a fight with me? You're funny, for really:" Discord stretches his head out so his face is only inches from Scout's. "What can a misformed pegasus like you do to the embodiment of chaos?" That does it! Scout pulls out his bat and swings it right at Discord's face. the draconequus head gets thrown back to the couch where he stares shocked at Scout's bat which has the aura of the Element of Laughter.
Scout swings the bat over his shoulders, smirking amused at the dumbfounded expression on Discord's face. "Yeah, I'm kinda of a big deal. So unless you want your head turned into a pancake, do what Fluttershy tells you."

Caressing his jaw from the hit he took. "Fine." Discord grumbles and puts the cottage back onto its rightful place.

Not the way she would've done it but it got Discord's attention and now taking this whole reforming thing a bit more serious. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy tells her new roommate his first boundary. "I don't mind you doing a bit of chaos in my home. But you can't throw it around like this."

Well, this is starting to get annoying but he comply on Fluttershy's request as this Scout looks more than ready to hit him over the face again. It leaves Discord very grumpy as it seems he cannot do whatever he wants as long Fluttershy has those with silver necklaces around.

Author's Note

several changes to this plot, one of them that the reforming Discord will take longer than a few days. And don't expect the rampaging beaver plot, that won't happen but I do think you will like how his reforming will happen.

Brother and Sister

Note: this happens a couple of days after the last chapter. It's not made after an episode, but from a headcanon about Sunset Shimmer and Sunburst.

At the Breeze Wheat Granary, a sister is having trouble with some of the workers, they do not understand what she is trying to tell them and one of the stallions ends up teasing her since he has a crush on her, she is flustered and makes it harder for the workers to take her seriously. They do stop laughing when the older brother of the mare calls for their attention, tone hard from his annoyance. He joins his sister, does tease her and she retorts annoyed back, but that's what siblings do. The two then turn back to the workers and together get the point across of what they have been doing wrong.
Sunset Shimmer watches all of this from a distance, she has never spoken to the family at that granary, only heard about them from others. She does not feel comfortable mingling with the ponies as the regret of what she did is still great. Not like the crystal ponies would know about her past but part of Sunset fears she might use their naivety to her advantages in getting the magic of an alicorn, something she still longs to get.
She is however aware that will never happen, Twilight Sparkle got it instead… she wasn't there to the coronation but she heard all of the guards talk about how excited Shining Armor and Cadence— Twilight's brother and sister in law— were about it.
Sunset Shimmer sighs, the dread of not knowing of her path anymore is weighing heavy down on her. Her hoof brushes over the letter she got from her parents, they knew she's here in the Crystal Empire which means Celestia must've told them she has returned. Not sure if she should thank the princess or not for withholding the info about her going rogue and studied dark magic in another world. Her parents do not know, according to the letter they still think she has been studied under Celestia all this time and has just finished her studies… mother sounds so proud in the letter… which did not help on Sunset's sense of regret.
They want her to return home, tell them about her studies. Sunset is very reluctant to do it, but she feels like she owes them that much, it has been fifteen years since she last saw them. Granted, fifteen years is not terribly long for a pony but still enough for parents to really miss their oldest child. Last time they saw her, she was a filly.

"Still thinking about it, huh?"

Sunset Shimmer shifts her gaze to Rhys and nods with a sigh. "Yup…" He takes a seat beside her, watching in silence. She breaks it with a question to him. "What should I do Rhys?" Said teen drake gives her a surprised stare, Sunset realizes that she hasn't asked him such questions during their time in the human world but back then she had a goal, a purpose in life. "I feel so lost… without the goal of accession… I do not know what I should do…" Eyeing the letter of her parents—mostly mother praising her for finishing her studies. "They think I am still on good foot with the princess, not that I abandoned her and went completely off the rails in another world. They think I now will become a powerful enchantress, but I won't... what should I do?" She asks him again.

"… I don't know." Rhys admits after a long silence between them, he too has realized he does not know what he should do now that he has come to understand that his whole life shouldn't involve around Sunset's. "I'm trying to figure it out too." Sunset Shimmer eyes him and smiles weakly. "At least we're not alone with this then." She remarks and he returns the smile, finding some comfort in this small fact. "Yeah." After some more silence, he speaks his mind again. "I do at times miss the other world. There were a bit more opportunities."

]This confuses her. "What do you mean?" and Rhys explains. "You can try whatever the hell you like in that place. Here, if you have the mark on your butt about something, then that's your path, no question asked." Sunset eyes her cutie mark of a shimmering sun, one that did not really show what her path is other than she has a talent in fire and certain light magic. That's why she decided to become a student of magic. And now that Rhys mention it, she followed her mark a tad too much. "I guess ponies do that." Sunset muses softly, but this mark didn't help her reach her intended goal. "Not like it did me any good..." Rhys simply hums. And speaking of opportunities for jobs: "You don't have a mark, and yet you still speak like your path has been chosen."

Rhys snorts a chuckle, does check the area as he rather not piss off his mother. She can get quite scary when angry. "It's mother, she keeps talking about what drakes did when—" both eyes land on one of the many drake statues "— they were around." He clears his throat of the discomfort knowing all of those statues were once living drakes. "Anyway, she has been testing me in all kind of stuff, magical fire, digging, endurance and some other things. She is now set on I should pursue the path of a gatekeeper— it's a drake warrior." He explains Sunset Shimmer and nods to a statue having armor on. "They were trained to protect the other drakes."

"But you don't want that?" Sunset Shimmer asks a bit confused, Rhys would make a good gatekeeper drake, after all, he is a very adept fighter. Something he often put to good use back when they were in the human world. She wouldn't have gotten out of several problems if not for his combat skills.
Rhys shakes his head. "No…" Adding in a small state of panic. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind fighting but-" He sighs. "Well, after my latest visit with Spike, he showed me his comic book collection. Some of those stories reminded me of when we were back in the human world. So it got me thinking." He shows her several papers, all having sketchy drawings on. "Maybe I could make some of my own?" Sunset levitates them over and after have put them in the correct order, she reads this comic script. She recognizes the plot, it is about their first raid on a Lux Witch, Rhys did, however, make it way more comical than it really was and it did get a chuckle out from her in how Rhys made the two heroes— A pony and a drake (of course), jump out from the window, holding the book they stole for dear life while the witch threw an array of explosive spells at them. Must admit she can see potential in this. "Is this your very first?" Rhys nods and he asks slowly. "Do… Do you like it?"
She nods and tells why she liked this more comical twist on their past misdeeds and adds as she returns the comic back to him. "I would love to read more, but I think you need to ask someone else to make the drawings for you." His drawings are good enough for a script, but no one wants to read about a stick pony and dragon.

"Yeah, I kinda suck at drawing!" Rhys laughs and is so happy and relieved that Sunset likes this, it is enough encouragement for him to pursue this small hobby of his.
His smile does fade when she returns back to the letter from her parents. Putting the comic back into his bag, he suggests: "What about we visit them together?"

"I can't tell them about my big failure."

"Then don't, do you think I told my mother everything we did in the other world?" He retorts softly back. "She would've become livid if she knew, her son; had to eat scraps and obey rotten thugs." And acts like he is the drakes dragonlord. ""That not how a dragon should live! We rather die than stoop so low.""

Sunset laughs softly and can see his point on how other ponies might've been horrified how she and Rhys lived the first years in the human world. It wasn't easy or right for that matter, Sunset has to accept that without her ruthlessness, then neither she or Rhys would've survived in the human world. "Alright, but I doubt the Royals will let us leave the Crystal Empire." Adding quickly when Rhys looks ready to suggest something they often did when caught in the human world. "No, we can't make a prison break." She needs to show she is serious about her wish to redeem herself, so they can't knock down several guards and take the run for it, no matter how tempting it is.

**couple of hours later**

Well, this turned out differently than she expected.
Sunset Shimmer spoke to Cadence and Shining Armor of her wish to see her parents again, fully expecting them to deny her but much to her surprise; they allowed them to go. Did make a condition though: and that she will have a horn blocking spell on. It will keep her from using her horn. The horn blocking spell will be dismissed the moment she returns back to the Crystal Empire.
Sunset Shimmer sees that as a fair enough trade, and after she got the spell on, she along with Rhys, take the train to Sunset's home: Sire's Hollow.
Leaving the train, drake and unicorn walk towards the town that looks pretty much as it used to: a boring little town with the only thing interesting is the local fruit shop as the mare in there has a funny habit of doing an excessively long story to anyone stepping inside of where the fruit came from.
Sunset does stop at the store for a moment but decides she does not feel up to getting lectured about the banana.

Going past the small library, Rhys asks with a teasing grin. "Let me guess, you spent most of your time in there?"

She eyes the small place and notices a lilac colored unicorn filly with purple hair, having a teal line in both mane and tail leaves the library, muzzle deep in the book she's reading. Sunset Shimmer did read a lot in there, but not all her time as that filly seems to be doing. "I prefer to get my hand— I mean hoof dirty by trying." She explains Rhys and walks off, the young filly didn't see where she was going, though and bumps into her. The filly flinches away, head red in embarrassment. Sunset gives this filly a weak smile, about to move on, then a sudden memory makes her realize she knows this soon to be teen. "Hold up, haven't I seen you before?" She asks the filly, who now has gotten nervous from how her eyes are shifting around. "You're friends with Sunburst, right?" The filly titles her head slowly, now suspicious. "Who are you? And how do you know Sunburst?" and Sunset replies. "I'm Sunset Shimmer, Sunburst's older sister." The filly eyes wide and asks in surprise. "You're his sister?" Silence, then the filly remarks much to Sunset's amusement. "Yeah, I can see the resembles. Looks like everypony in your family is associated with the sun."
Sunset Shimmer laughs softly at that remark but the filly got a point. "Seems like it, well, it was nice talking to you." and she walks over to her parents' house, does stop when the filly asks. "Why haven't I seen you before now?"
Sunset Shimmer turns her eyes back to this filly. "I have been off studying in Canterlot for a long time." and much to her surprise, the filly makes a 'oh' and points out with tears in her eyes. "So that's why his mother wanted him to go at that school. Because of you." Sunset frowns at that accusing tone this filly has, as if all of this is her fault. Sensing something is not right, she hurries over to her parents' house. "Mom? Dad?" and the second her parents saw her, they almost strangled her in hugs and tears of joy.
Took longer than expected to make them let go of her, then they noticed the awkwardly standing Rhys, so she has to explain to them who he is. "This is Rhys, he's a species of dragon called a drake—"

"Isn't dragons dangerous?" Her mother Stellar Flare asks, like her daughter, her pelt and hair have the color of fire, her hair is however more in a deeper red than Sunset's. Her eyes warily glued on the uncomfortably standing Rhys.

Sunset shrugs. "Well, they sorta are. But I am Rhys guardian, so wherever I go, he goes." Her parents' eye Rhys and her father, a stallion that has the colors of the midday sun; Sunspot speaks. "Well, in that case, Rhys is part of the family." Although he looks a bit uncomfortable about the thought of letting Rhys join the family. Sunset hopes her parents will warm up to the teen drake over time- speaking of which. "Mom, Dad, where is Sunburst?"

"Oh, he's at the same school as you were dear." Stellar Flare replies proudly. "Right after he got his cutie mark, we sent him to the School for Gifted Unicorns. We haven't heard much from him but I am sure it's because he's too busy with his studies as you were."

Did they send him off just like that? With her, they did at least give her time to figure out if that what she wanted. "Did Sunburst want to tend my school?" The worry for her baby brother raises when her mother, one who has a tendency of expecting too much from others, tells her: "Of course, his older sister attended it, so why shouldn't he? Magic runs in the family, after all, right dear?" She asks Sunspot who nods in agreement, both forgetting that they aren't very skilled in magic other than her mother is good with levitation and father in adept fire magic. Sunset Shimmer gives both her parents a deadpan look. Seems like she has to pay her brother a visit and see if he truly has the same magical talent as she has.

**Canterlot**

Sunset Shimmer and Rhys walk over to the building meant to house students at Celestia's school, she never lived here though. As a chosen student of Celestia and caretaker of Rhys, she was granted a room up in the castle. After a bit of asking around— and explaining the young unicorns what Rhys is which took longer than she wanted. Sunset finally finds her brother's room. She knocks on the door and about two minutes later, a very stressed looking Sunburst walks out. He stops and stares wide-eyed at her for a moment, then smiles which she returns and hugs her young teen brother. "It's been long." Stepping away from him. "How have you been?"

Sunburst laughs weakly. "You know, been studying all kind of magic." The smile fades when he notices Rhys, so Sunset introduces the two to each other. "Sunburst, this is Rhys, he's my ward. Rhys, this is my younger brother, Sunburst." The two shakes claw and hoof and after the greeting, Sunburst lets them inside. The room looks like any teenager's, messy and has a lot of books for study lying around. Sunburst levitates some of the books away, apologizing. "Sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting visitors." He puts the books into a shelf, turns around and after a moment of awkward silence, he asks.
"So… what have you been doing lately? You sorta disappeared without a word. Mom said you were busy studying."

Sunset really considers lying as she did to her parents, but… Sunburst looks up to her, at least he did when she left to study under Celestia. Sure she thought him annoying back then as he kept taking her books without asking and she was so set on reaching her goal that she didn't consider his— anyone's feeling really. "I was studying but not with the princess. it's a long story and one I rather not talk about." She finally speaks slowly, her brother frowns in his confusions so she quickly tries to change the topic. "How's school going?" Glancing to the books, it's easy to know what subject they are currently on. "Transfiguration, huh? Interesting topic." Sunset smiles at the memories of when she was doing that subject at school. "I remember I transfigured the teacher's chair into a wooded dog that would dance ballet. The teacher was quite impressed as none of my classmates could do anything close to—" Rhys elbows her hard and first there Sunset Shimmer realizes the defeated look in her brother's eyes. "Oh, having trouble with this kind of spells?" She asks softly.

Sunburst does not answer at first, then he smiles, it looks a bit strained though. "A bit but nothing you should worry about Sunset. I just need to study a bit harder, that's all!"

Sunset frowns lightly as she does not fully believe him but who is she to call out someone not wanting to spill the bean? "You know what, let's forget about studies for now." She decides for both of them. She did not come here to relive her time as Celestia's student and her brother look like he could need a breather for all this studying he has been doing.

"Huh?" Sunburst blinks of his sister suggesting to do something else than studying. "But I haven't finished this week's homework!" He argues, but if there is one thing he remembers about Sunset, is that his sister is very stubborn when she first has put a goal on her mind. So he can do little than go along with her and Rhys to wherever his sister is going. She brings him to a café where they get something to drink, here she asks him. "Anything you would like to do?" Sunburst blinks. "Don't you have anything in mind?"

Sure, but that's what she would like to do. "I do, but this is not about me." Sunset replies and asks her brother again. "What would you like to do?" Sunburst is quiet in thoughts for a moment. "Can... Can we go to the antic store?" He asks slowly. Sunset blinks as he didn't have this hobby last time she saw him, but it's good to know he has one. "Sure." She nods to then eye Rhys surprised when the teen dragon hit his head onto the table. Seems like he does not like the idea of going to a shop having old stuff. Rolling her eyes at the drake "subtle" way of saying he does not want to go, she tells her brother. "Before we do that, let's go to the comic store— We have to make a detour though, can't walk down Starry Street." For unlike the last time she does not have her magic to handle the fire that will come if they walk down that street.

"Why's that?"

"The trees there makes dragon's sneezes and you don't want to stand near a sneezing dragon."

Sunburst eyes Rhys who looks quite embarrassed about this fact. "Oh." But it's not like he can control if a plant makes him sneeze fire. After the drink, they went down a street not having these dragon sneezing trees, leaves Rhys at the comic store and when stepping into the antic store, whole Sunburst's demeanor changes from tired to excited. He trots over to a shelf holding old coins, then over to an old oak table and soon after checking out a lamp made of crystal.

Sunset quietly follows her brother around, do stop before a mirror and stares at her reflection. For a moment she saw a demonic pony in her stead, the reminder of what lurks inside of her. Sunset looks away, eyes her brother when he notices the mirror as well, unlike her, however: he is quite excited about it. "Is this the mirror of the sages?" Sunset blinks at his words and checks the mirror again, this time it's framing. "No, it's only a copy." She points out and nods to the wooden frame. "The runes are wrong, a good copy though." Quite impressive her brother knew about one of the artifacts of old.

Sunburst nods in agreement, he carefully puts a hoof onto the mirror. "Legend says the real mirror could teleport ponies to places beyond one's imagination." He hears his sister muses something but he didn't hear it. "What did you say?"

She's not entirely sure if she likes the idea that exists another mirror that can bring one to another world. "It's nothing." Sunset brushes her brother off, and yet she cannot deny the fact that she is intrigued if an ordinary mirror can be used for world jumping. She will have to check up on that later.

Sunburst leaves the store with a few old coins. Putting them into a small bag, he asks Sunset about something he has noticed back when he joined the school. "During the entrance exam, I was giving a dragon egg." Sunset snaps her eyes to him, the gleam in them makes it clear she passed that test. "I didn't succeed but I still got in." He explains her and asks confused "Why would they let me in if I couldn't pass?"

"Only one with powerful magic can hatch a drake." Sunset explains her brother softly, she has completely forgotten about Rhys last sibling. According to Nila, the last egg is a female. "Whoever will hatch that egg will become princess Celestia's personal student. The last unicorn who did that was one named Twilight Sparkle… she's now a princess."

"Oh… " Sunburst is not entirely sure what he can say. He has no idea what makes his sister this gloomy but it's clear Sunset does not want to talk about it. So instead he thinks about the egg that yet hasn't been hatched. He hesitates for a moment but he feels like he needs to know about this, more so when his older sister is the caretaker of Rhys. "Is your dragon companion in family with that egg?"

She nods. "Yes, that egg holds Rhys' sister." And explains as she knows Sunburst will ask about it. "The egg's parents cast a powerful spell on it, the baby dragon will be in an eternal slumber until the day someone manages to open the egg."

Sunburst nods slowly that he understands. They get Rhys who had bought a comic book and it's about where it is time for Sunset Shimmer to head back to wherever she currently lives. "It was nice to see you again, sister." He must admit. Sunset nods in agreement. "It was, we should try and see each other again soon."
He would like that but… what if she realizes he is the worst student in the class? Would she even want to hang out with him then? She always spoke on how talent is the only thing important and he… he has none of it… so he lies. "Sure, but it's might be tricky, I am terribly busy with my studies you see." He meekly makes the excuse. He just does not have the magical potential like his older sister, it's not like he does not know how to do the spell but what good is the knowledge if he does not have the magic for it? If his sister knew, then she will push him away again…

Sunset sighs. "Write to me if you feel up for a visit." And after a hug, she and Rhys steps into the train. Sunburst waves goodbye, only leaves the station when he no longer can see it. He returns back to his room, about to return back to his studies but his mind keeps wandering to where it shouldn't be. Realizing he won't get any study done, he drops the book, leaves and trots up to the castle. Here he carefully sneaks into the room he saw where the dragon egg is located. There weren't any guards protecting the egg and in his fearful excitement did not notice this fact.
He sneaks up to the orange with iris purple spots egg, scans the room before he does something he never thought he would do: he takes it and quickly leaves.
Right as the young unicorn leaves the unguarded room, light shimmers near the small pedestal and Celestia appears. She watches the colt trots away with the egg but does not try and stop him, Sunburst might not have the raw magic to hatch a drake egg but he is more than smart enough to work around that problem and the millennia of years she has been ruling. Celestia has learned how to spot potential in certain ponies and her gut feeling tells her that Sunburst would make a good guardian for the last egg of Nila. Of course she will be keeping a close eye on him, but for now, she will let him get away with this theft.

**evening, Crystal Empire**

After having gotten the horn blocking spell lifted, Sunset Shimmer wanders into the kingdom's library, she makes a short conversation with the librarian but only out of politeness. She scans the many shelves filled with books from an ancient time, all she would've found interesting in the past but now… well, she just does not have her head into the game. That all changes when she notices a book that sticks out like a sour thumb, unlike the others this book does not have a crystal cover but out of wood. She levitates the book out and reads the title. "'The Powers within the Primal Fire. Written by Stygian." Sunset Shimmer bobs her head to the side at the title but does open the book and reads, the more she did the more she realized that this ancient author is incredibly smart, maybe even smarter than Starswirl the Bearded! This unicorn (she thinks he was) has written about spells she has seen in action but thought it was only something an alicorn could do. One of these spells catches her eyes more than anyone else: the spell that uses fire to take the caster through the fabric of space. Pretty much a teleportation spell but except for using light, this spell requires fire. Makes her wonder; is she powerful enough to teleport herself to another world? Maybe she should wait with this one, according to the author, this spell can be incredibly dangerous as it requires the spellcaster to infuse their magic into a real fire (according to Stygian, drake fire is best for the spell) and also know about the place they teleport themselves to. Better try some of the others. Sunset's eyes land on another spell, one that creates wings of fire. Well, it's not alicorn wings but if she succeeds then she will be content in staying as a skilled unicorn with incredible fire magic.

**Meanwhile, the human world. at the Alpha Respawn**

"Finally the Alpha respawn is mine!" Grey declares smugly, after so much hassle with those two teams of Helen, he finally managed to chase them out and now his prize is finally at hand. He commands Team Mirage to secure the area, in case Vanguard left booby-traps. He also commands his robots to secure the area. It takes a while, as there were several traps scattering around, one of them is a sentry gun and it took out several robots but a sentry buster got rid of it. When sure it's safe to go inside and claim his prize Grey walks over to the building, he does, however, stop when he notices that the Sirens are not following him and he prefer having them close so they can keep team Mirage in line. "I would appreciate it if one of you would keep an eye on the team."

Adagio is aware of this and she would love to do it, but things aren't that simple. "As much as we would like it."

"We cannot go further..." Aria explains annoyed by this. "Harmony's influence is strong here, and as beings created by Disharmony, we are not allowed to enter." Grey raises a brow at this, but it's not like they made the rules. "Don't look at us like that mortal. Don't you think we would've destroyed this place if we could?"

That explains why the Sirens had never been able to retake control over team Vanguard. He will have to leave team Mirage behind as he does not trust any of them since the last "conversation" he had with the team heavy. Grey walks inside with his robots in tow and must say his curiosity is perked in knowing this place holds the being the Sirenes keeps calling Harmony, something that is strong enough to keep them away. He passes by a strange crystal decoration, parts of him is curious what it is while another is wary and thus he keeps his distance to it. More and more of these strange crystal decorations appears the closer he gets to the room where the alpha respawn is located, he must admit that he is more than a little startled to see that those decorations have been roots of this weird tree that seems to be the alpha respawn.
In the middle of the room stands Helen's assistance, something does feels a bit off though.

"Welcome." Miss Pauling speaks but her almost white eyes do not meet his.

Grey is immediately suspicious. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here… to talk." She replies and points at the weird machine that looks like a tree. "A promise you got, the alpha respawn; yours."

"And who are you?" Grey asks as he gets the feeling this is not the real Miss Pauling.
"Miss Pauling" turns back to him and smiles weakly but she does answer his question, instead, she steps aside, allowing him to approach the alpha respawn. Grey hesitates but do walk over to the machine, does however make sure several of his robots are aiming their weapons at her. At the machine's computer he reaches out but the second his fingers touch the keyboard, a sharp pain and he finds himself on the floor. From how a few of the robots have gone idle, he seems like he was knocked out for quite some time. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" He demands this weird manifest of Miss Pauling, enraged he couldn't touch the respawn machine. "How am I suppose to claim the respawn if I cannot even touch it?!"

"Your wish was the alpha respawn, now it is yours. The wish never meant you to use it." "Miss Pauling" replies him.

Getting on his feet, Grey asks her annoyed. "And how will I be able to use it?" He didn't get the answer he wanted.

"The side of Chaos is yours. Alpha respawn will not accept unless you walk the path of neutral or Harmony."

"And how do I do that?" Grey asks.

"Give up your goal is the way."

That he won't do, he has gotten too far to throw it all away just so he be connected to the respawn. But what use will this machine then be? If he cannot use it, he might as well destroy it.
"Robots." All of the robots quirk up and those going idle power up again. "Destroy the alpha respawn." They all turn their weapons at the machine and fire but instead of hitting the machine they instead hit a barrier. Grey commands his robots to stop as it's clear he's not getting through that barrier with the guns he has now. "Back to the drawing board." He grumbles, glances to the fake Miss Pauling that watches him calmly but with a face that whoever she is the mouthpiece for will put up a real fight the day he returns with a weapon that can get through the barrier. It does not matter, he will destroy that machine and when that happens, team Fortress and Vanguard no longer has the upper hand.

Author's Note

So, what do you people think of this headcanon that Sunset Shimmer and Sunburst are related? I do highly doubt it will ever happen in the show, but it is a fun topic to think about.

Chains of Friendship

to HB_DS2013: that it is, but I have seen a few drawings about this headcanon on DA a few times.

Note: This happens a week later after the last chapter and the second made from the episode "Keep calm and Flutter on"

"How is going with your houseguest?" Engineer asks when it is his turn to keen an eye on Fluttershy's house guest, she seems to do well enough so that's a plus. Fluttershy turns away from Discord who is making all the furniture fly around in the cottage and smiles to him. "Oh, we're making great progress! Already considering being reformed." and Discord teleports over, now in a fancy light blue suit that looks a tad too familiar. It quickly dawns on Engineer of where he has seen it before and why Spy was so grumpy when he took over the Frenchman's shift.

"Fluttershy is so understanding and kind, of course, I am considering joining the side of goodness." Discord replies.
Engineer has trouble believing it is that simple. "I somewhat doubt that. People don't change in a matter of weeks." He should know.
Discord suddenly appears on his back and snatches his hard-hat, saying. "Oh, don't be so doubtful in dear Fluttershy's abilities, her kindness and understanding can really do wonder." Engineer knows that but this is not an animal she is putting on the right track or someone willing to listen for that matter. Discord is one who is set to stay exactly as he is now: a mischievous being.
"It's not her abilities I doubt." He remarks up to the draconequus.

Fluttershy does understand her friends' reluctances but must admit it is getting tiresome she keep hearing from them that Discord is not willing to reform and just playing her for a fool. At least Engineer is way calmer about Discord than the others were, so maybe. "What about a dinner party this evening?" Both Engineer and Discord turns to her surprised. "Then you can see how much he has improved on his manners." and Discord appears beside Engineer; all gentleman-like. "It will be a night you won't forget."

"I reckon to believe that." Engineer replies and is willing to give Discord the benefit of a doubt. He is sort of used to deal with off the wall and infuriating people. So Discord really has to be cruel to get on his bad side and if that happens, then there is no chance for reforming. "Alright, dinner it is." He nods to Fluttershy, she beams and he leaves to prepare himself for probably the weirdest dinner he is ever going to attend.
He tells this to his partner about this soon to be event and she is more than happy to find some suitable clothing for him but do voice her concerns. "I do not think Discord can be reformed, all he is doing is manipulating Fluttershy to abandoning her true friends." She levitates a suit over, something a tad too fancy for a simple dinner. Engineer declines this choice of clothing, she removes it and walks over to find something else. While she does so, Engineer voices his thoughts on this subject. "You are probably right, but we have to give him a chance. I mean, you girls decided to trust us even after we told you our job."

Rarity eyes her partner from the clothing shelf. "I do appreciate your mentality of 'not judging a book by its cover', but we have already seen what content is inside Discord." She finds something simple and shows it to Engineer. "What about this one, darling?"

"Better." He takes it but must remind her. "I haven't met him at his worst, so what he is going to show me tonight will form the image of who he is to me."

"Let's hope this image won't be a false one…" Rarity muses softly, her partner nods that he hopes the same.

**Evening**

With his son close behind, Engineer heads up to Fluttershy's cottage. He has giving Logan the heads-up that Discord can some wacky magic but he hasn't told his son that Discord is supposed to be evil, he did that in order to make Logan as unbiased as possible so if Discord can't get Logan on his good side then do they really want him around? He sure wouldn't if it means his son to be in constant danger.
Approaching the cottage, the door opens and Discord appears. It's a good thing Spy is not around as the draconequus looks like a Frenchman waiter and that would've surely offended the proud spy.

"Oh, our guests have arrived!" Discord stick out his tongue there turns into a red carpet where he appears at the end, bowing. "We're so delighted that you've come. Please, do come in."

"Thank you kindly." Engineer replies mostly just to be polite and heads inside. Logan is way more hesitant walking on the carpet in fear it will be filled with spit, Discord notices that so he grabs the kid and carries him inside where he puts the quite startled Logan right beside his father. Both stare at the cottage new appearance, it looks like it was taken out from a very abstract painting. That what Engineer thought, his son on the other hand. "Looks like the funhouse we were in last year." Logan remarks and with a more positive attitude about the whole situation starts checking the place out. As hoped, his boy is not wary around Discord as he is.

Fluttershy finds that as a victory that Sungust finds Discord decorations interesting. "Discord made a few suggestions how to make the room more appealing and he set the entire table himself."

Discord appears beside the two guests, pretty much ignoring the colt and reaches out for Engineer. "May I take your..." He clears his throat and tries taking the glowing silver necklace. "jacket, my good sir?" Engineer dodges his paw and steps away, giving him a warning stare while holding his talon over the necklace. "I keep the jacket."

Seems like this is more show than genuine, Engineer thinks from how Discord tried to snatch away the necklace holding his twin Element. So way more on his guard, Engineer takes a seat at the table and not removing his gaze from Discord when the draconequus ready his chair for him. Fortunately, Discord does not try again to take the Element, so that's a plus. What he did notice is that Discord pretty much ignored Logan, and fortunately, his son did not notice. Too busy to have a look around on how weird the cottage inside now looks, which is good as Logan did heritage his smarts and would've picked up on Discord's indifferent towards him if he first notices it.
Discord brings the dinner which is an apple muffin along with baked potatoes.

"Can I get the gravy?" Logan requests, Fluttershy, being nearest to the gravy boat reaches out for it but gets stopped by Discord. "Allow me." Logan eyes wide in wonder when the gravy boat comes to life and it pants like a dog. It runs over to him and excited to see real magic in work Logan grabs the gravy boat to get a better look, even petting it as if it was a real- very weird dog. It whines happy and pours him some gravy before trotting over to his father who smiles at him and way more relaxed than before turns to the gravy boat. "That's one heck of a gravy boat." His father chuckles which do turn into a yelp when it does not pour the gravy on his plate but instead over his chest, burning him. Logan is surprised to see such a sudden change of behavior of the gravy boat and sends a glance at Discord, he sees no regret in the being's eyes and Logan is no longer comfortable around this Discord.

Discord swiftly seek cover behind Fluttershy, chuckling as if he didn't mean this to happen. "Whoops! I'm so sorry!" He apologizes but far from meaning it. He did not see the suspicious look on Fluttershy's face, still fully believing that as long he is on her good side, he is safe from major harm. "Mistakes happen. Here:" He teleports over to this second bearer of Generosity and summons a cloth. "Let me help you removing this." But before he can even attempt on removing both the gravy and the element, the hippogriff steps away and grabs the napkin beside his plate, getting the gravy off on his own. When done Engineer shoots him a glare. "You're really pushing it there, pal." and Discord deflects it as if he has no idea what this one talks about. "Oh, don't get all huffy, my good sir. Simply trying to help you out— oh look!" He gets everyone's attention back to the table. "Dancing candles!" and candles dance around the table. Discord has taken notice that this other bearer will calm down if the kid is happy. So to divert the anger away, he does a bit more out of the dancing candle show and they form all kind of patterns in their dance, ending the show by letting the fish soup tureen splash the soup up in the air like a water fountain.

Logan must admit that was impressive, but he did notice Discord is not as friendly as he first gave out. He's getting a bad vibe around the creature and that makes him unable to fully enjoy the show. "That was… um nice." He muses carefully, watching Discord wary as he is not sure what to expect from this indifferent creature. Does doubt his gut feeling as Fluttershy does look to enjoy Discord's company and she praises him. "He is very good at that, and this is nothing compared to what he usually does around the cottage." That catches Logan's curiosity and he asks her. "It isn't?" Fluttershy shakes her head.

"Dear Fluttershy requested I toned down with you around." Discord replies in a bored tone, eyeing Engineer for the perfect opening.

"Oh Discord, can you do the water light show again?" Fluttershy asks, thinking Sungust might like that one.

There isn't one yet, so he has to endure entertaining this colt. Discord snaps his lion paw and the water outside levitates inside. It starts changing colors while floating around. The nervous kid stares at it in wonder, does break for a second when he notices a fish in one of the bobbles and bit to Discord's surprise the kid's fear is suddenly all gone and starts talking to Fluttershy about the fish in such an excited manner it's hard to believe it's the same kid.

"Hey, is it an platy?"

Fluttershy nods, smiling to the colt. "It is, I have several of them in my pond. They were one of the first fish I got." And so happy he has gotten more comfortable around Discord, even Engineer has stopped being so tense.

"Cool! Are they tricky to care for?" Logan asks and reaches his talon up to the fish in the flying water bobble.

"Oh not at all." Fluttershy shakes her head, explaining both to Sungust but also to his father in case they decide to get fish as pets. "They are very good to beginners and they thrive with pretty much any other feshwater fish."

Discord spotted an opening but has forgotten all about the silver necklace from this new sense he is feeling by watching Fluttershy chat with the kid. He has never seen Fluttershy like this before, she has a certain twinkle in her eyes and that's just from talking about a stupid fish with a stupid colt. For some reason, that enrages him and his magic reacts on it. One of the water bobbles hurls into the colt, throwing him to the floor, he does not get up, looks like he went into shock. Fluttershy is all horrified. "Sungust!" She cries and along with Engineer hurries over to the child.
"Whoopsie, my bad." Discord chuckles and pretends he didn't mean this to happen. "I do at times lose…" He never gets to finish the sentence, for when he checks the room he finds himself alone in the cottage. Blinking, Discord checks outside and find Fluttershy sitting beside the second bearer of Generosity, comforting the crying child there hugs the adult hippogriff as if his life depended on it. "Oh come on, it was just a bit of water." Discord grumbles on how protective they have become, but from both of not wanting to approach this second bearer as he still remembers the hit he took from the partner of the element of Laughter but being curious what they are talking about, Discord makes one of his ears fly over so he can eardrop on this conversation.

"I'm sorry about this." Fluttershy apologizes, both to the father but mostly the son. "Maybe he just needs more time." Engineer lets out a sigh, a sigh she did not like one bit. "Fluttershy… I brought my son here so he could be safe. Maybe you can reform Discord, but with how he was more interested in stealing this:" He gestures at the silver necklace. "Than trying to show his good side… I can't trust someone like that and if you are determent to let Discord stay. Then I am sorry but my son comes first." He picks up his still sobbing and fearful son. "I won't allow him near you with Discord around."
Fluttershy is shocked beyond belief to hear this, in the short time she has known Sungust it has been nothing but enjoyable times. She wants to argue, convince Engineer that Discord is not that bad but… seeing the terrified look in Sungust's eyes, Fluttershy realizes that Engineer has every right to do this. It's not out of spite, it's for his son's sake. "I understand…" She muses and drops her head in sadness.

"...I'm sorry." Engineer apologizes and truly means it, he hates to push Fluttershy away like this. She is a friend, and one Logan enjoys spending time with but… Logan safety comes first.

Engineer leaves with the still in tears Sungust, watching them and the consequence of Discord's behavior— This hasn't been the first time he bullied her friends but now he did it against an innocent foal. Fluttershy realizes if this keeps going, then Discord will push her friends away and that is the last thing she wants. She walks back to the cottage and from how he welcomes her back as if this wasn't a big deal.
It enrages her.

"Well, this went quite well, considering your guests didn't even stick around for dessert." Discord summons the cake. "and you have worked so hard—" "They left all because of you!" Fluttershy snaps, catching him by surprise but he quickly recovers and snorts apprehensive. "Oh, it's hardly my fault the kid couldn't handle a bit of water, he will be up and causing trouble in no time." He offers her the cake. "So what about the two of us enjoy the rest of the evening? Can't waste the—" and to his bigger surprise, she kicks the cake she worked so hard on away.

"No! No more Discord!" Fluttershy shouts at him, this is the last straw for her to stick up to him. "I tried to give you the benefit of a doubt, I tried to be your friend but if it means abandoning my other friends for your sake; that is crossing the line!"

Hold up, what did she just say? "You consider me as your friend?" Discord asks and is more than a little dumbfounded about Fluttershy's words.

"Yes, you are quite fun with that chaos magic of yours." Fluttershy admits softly, does change into a harder tone. "But friendship is a two-way relationship…" and again Discord misses the point what it means to be friends, he teleports them outside and into the boat where he fishes after her pet fish. "Then in a sign of our friendship, let us start with the promise not to turn the other into stone." Fluttershy flies out from the boat. "Discord! You are not listening to me!"She cries frustrated at his continuing ignorant behavior.

"Of course I am listening to you, and you are doing an awful lot of yelling lately." Discord replies and cannot see what got her so worked up, he thought she liked his antics.

"You are not! All you hear is what you want to hear!" Fluttershy shouts, she points to the route leading to Ponyville. "I said I wanted to be your friend but from how you are bullying my other friends, then I want nothing to do with you and no funny antics will change that!" This caught Discord's full attention. Good, for she is not done with him. "I thought you were trying, but what happened to young Sungust." She can't stop her tears from how bad she feels that sweet colt got hurt because she believed Discord was willing to be reformed. "You really hurt him, Discord... And because of you, I won't be able to see him again…"

Discord snorts and moves to snap his fingers. "If that's what you worry about, allow me to bring him back."

"And allow you to harm him further?" Fluttershy hits his eagle hand, stopping him from doing his magic. "I won't allow it." And since Discord has forced her hoof to choose, she points to the outside world. "You won Discord, I didn't succeed in reforming you. In a sign of what little friendship we had, I will ask my friends not to hunt you down." Discord stares at her dumbfounded but she is done with him and he shouldn't consider this mercy as a free pass to spread his chaos again. "But if you start spreading your chaos again, I won't hesitate to use my Element against you. Goodbye Discord." She flies off as she seriously needs to be with her true friends right now.

…. He has no words for this, Fluttershy considered him a friend but not anymore… yeah sure he was after her friends but it wasn't what broke it. It was when he hurt that colt. He snorts annoyed. "Why should I care?" He flies up from the boat, shouting out to the world. "I'm Discord, the master of chaos! I can do whatever I want!" Oh wait, he can't. Fluttershy did warn him that if he did then they will hunt him down, no matter he can always go to a place where they can't find him.

"No one to witness the work from the last spirit of chaos."

Of all times his master decides to speak, the Shadow of Chaos has to be cryptic. "Who asked you anyway?" He demands the Shadow walking calmly around the pond. "I told you this was a waste of time."

"Far from it our child." The Shadow in form of a draconequus replies and asks its creation of the choice he now stands with. "Will you spread chaos, knowing you never will fill the hole Kindness filled? Or stay in these chains of friendship?"
Discord does not answer but the Shadow draconequus does already know the answer and disappears in a cluster of black gems.

Discord fists his hands, but unable to keep his tears back. He wants to leave and do whatever he wants but that will only make this hole he has been dealing with ever since the Great Purge gets worse. It's not his own kind but he will be alone once again and not even revenge on pony kind can make him feel better. If he wants the pain to stop, he has to let himself get chained by his own free will. He hates it, more so when it seems that is what his creators want. "What did I do to deserve such punishment from you?" He growls but like many other times, Disharmony does not reply to him.
Discord teleports to Ponyville, appearing right before Fluttershy who is currently surrounded by her friends. Seeing him they all prepare themselves for a fight but he stops them by admitting "I would love to do things my way, but..." He eyes Fluttershy and watching her cry like this gives him a pain he has only felt once but that was a very, very long time ago. He sighs. "Fluttershy, you're wrong, I didn't win. You did for… I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all the time?" He smiles weakly to her.

Fluttershy eyes wide in surprise but from both seeing and hearing how genuine he is, it is clear he much rather want her friendship than spread his chaos. She steps away from her friends and smiles up to him. "Yes, a good friendship is about compromise. I will accept you doing a bit of chaos if you give my friends some slack."

Discord nods slowly and shrugs with a weak smile. "I… guess I can do that." He glances to a shadowy corner and notices a Shadow Pony, to his surprise and confusion, it nods before disappearing back into the black crystals… since when did Disharmony support the ideals of friendship?

**far away, hight up on a frozen mountain**

Inside a ruin that has been kept mostly intact thanks to the frozen weather caused by the Windigoes. One of the spirits of winter stops and turns its icy white eyes towards the ruin, sensing a change from the being kept prison inside.
Inside the deepest dungeon, kept in place by chains glowing with ancient and powerful magic for millennia. However, an old pact has now been broken and the magic fades from the chains. The being, stocky in built around the torso, the spikes around the neck clangs together as this amalgamation of many animals moves from the sense the chains are losing their strength. This creature opens its three snake looking eyes, for a moment it sits completely still, then aggressively moves its hoofed right hand and the chain breaks as if it was out of glass. The chains holding the two large wings do the same and the wings hit the floor, supporting the now free creature along with the lion and horse legs, the reptile and hoofed arms hover over the ground, lifed closer to the spiked neck as the creature moves. A female chuckle leaves the creature's throat and she looks out of the window where the Windigoes are flying around.
Attracted to her very namesake. "About time you let me free." She speaks to the shadow dot she can skim in the blizzard.

Author's Note

and this is my take on how Discord reform, as you can see I deleted the beaver-going-mental issue as I found it a tad too much "betting everything on one action" and an introduction to a new OC, you will see more to her in an upcoming flashback.

Taking the hard path

Note: This happens three days after the last chapter.

**human world**

Tristan has been busy these past weeks, after the mission in Poland, he has been running around like a sheepdog keeping a flock of dimwitted sheep under control, by trying to keep the others alive. Only good thing that came out from all of this is they reunited the husband with his wife and children, but Tristan would've preferred doing that without having to deal with several badly wounded— oh and the whole soul split bullshit again.
Well, he's not really suffering with it. He knows the trick on how to merge the souls, and he doesn't really have an issue with himself anymore.
Still dealing with family issues but through their latest conversation, that part of his life will never be fixed. He and father are both too stubborn in how they live their lives, so maybe it's best they stay out of each way.
The soul split is annoying, but for now, Tristan can appreciate having another set of hands.
He walks into the area where Sophia is and as always: Francis is by her side. Understandable but the man is so set on staying by her side that he forgets to tend his own bodily needs. He nudges Francis awake and tells the Dane bluntly. "Get some food and sleep." He steps over to their female spy and checks her healing back, the bird's strange corrosive poison will leave a nasty scar but with enough care and time his student will survive and that's what matters. "I don't want to tend you for something that can easily be fixed." Francis grumbles something on Danish, one of the few languages Tristan hasn't learned and thus no idea what the man said, didn't really matter though. He much rather wants the man to tend himself instead of him having to play the hen-mother. "Get out, and don't come back until you have at least one solid meal and six hours of sleep."

"Som om man kan sove i det her skide vejr…" Francis grumbles but does leave to get both things before Tristan decides to throw him out.

With the engineer out, Tristan returns to tend Sophia and when done, he leaves and does pass the Fortress heavy who sits outside the containment room he made for their medic, fallen asleep.
Tristan sighs softly, he does feel sorry for the Fortress team now that he has seen this team is as close Vanguard members are with one another, in their own way of course. None of them knows if Josef either wakes from his deep coma or he will die again, for good this time.
Ignis succeed in getting the man to a respawn area and he came back to life but, well a respawn failure happened. Tristan is not sure if Josef is even alive, the man didn't react when he made tests on how deep of a coma he was in. He's pretty sure the man is brain dead but team Fortress refused to give up on him, so Tristan has kept him alive and will continue doing so as long there is hope for the German. It is tricky to keep Josef alive though, not only is he in a vegetable state but his immune defense is none existence, so in order to ensure the German does not die from bacteria they could be carrying, only his other can be near Josef; at least until he gets the immune system up and running again.
"/How long have you been here?/" He asks Mikhail in Russian, there is only for so long he can handle the broken grammar the man has when speaking English.

Heavy must admit he did get startled hearing Vanguard medic's voice, he didn't even hear the man coming. And here he thought Josef has light feet but he got nothing on Tristan. Heavy was mostly only planning on checking up on Josef for a moment but from how sour his back is, it's clear he has been here longer than expected. "/What time is it?/" He asks the other doctor, glancing to the room where Tristan's other tends to Josef.
Heavy can't help feeling like he caused this on Josef.
He should've been the one who died and got trapped in that containment room… instead, his doctor sacrificed himself for him… he knows Josef do not fear death, he has never been afraid to die. No… Josef was afraid to live…
Heavy thinks back to their past conversations back in the War Games, how they first teamed up and became team Fortress power duo, how they, over time fell for one another. Heavy knew rather quickly that he fancied the doctor but never made his move as he thought for a long time that Medic did not share his feelings. He had been content they were strictly friends though, but that all changed in Coldfront. After a small incident, they both knew that they felt more than friendship to one another, but Josef has been so afraid, so afraid to be attached to anyone.
Heavy helped him get through this fear of his, helped him to get closer to the team and yes Josef began to enjoy the others company more, but their relationship didn't really go anywhere. Josef was too afraid, and Heavy admit… so was he, the fear was different though. He dreaded what would happen if anyone found out, people like them are seen as mentally sick and needed to be fixed… by any means possible.
Fear has been part of their lives, that did change when they arrived in a safer environment of Equestria. They saw that homosexual is not frowned upon in that world and Heavy must admit, it made him feel hopeful. Josef felt it too and got more relaxed as well. For some reason, he stopped having nightmares and that really improved on his mood.
Of course the nightmares and fear returned when they came back after they returned to their own world, Heavy has a feeling it got worse after they met team Vanguard. He has never seen Josef so… skittish before and that tore him up, well aware there was nothing he could do as team Vanguard had any reason to distrust the doctor, but it didn't change the fact that Heavy hated the feeling of helplessness.

"/About an hour./" Tristan replies, casts a glance to his other who once again checked the German for any life signs, his other meet his eyes and slowly shakes his head. Still no life sign. Makes him wonder if they are merely keeping a dead man breathing? He returns back to the large man. "/If anything changes, you will be the first to know./" Figures Mikhail deserves the news first, Jack does consider this man as team Fortress leader. And as the boss of the team, Tristan knows the man should have the news if he should think about if they should find themselves a new medic.

Heavy is very close to saying he wants to stay but… what's the point really? Tristan is the best for this job and he is probably just standing in the way.
It feels wrong it's not Josef tending to the wounded, though. "/Anything, no matter how small./" He tells the other doctor hard, gets up from the chair but does linger. Tristan's other still has Josef's eyes open and it pains him so much at not seeing any life in them, they are empty… makes him wonder if the man he loves still is in there? Is he trapped inside his own body or did the respawn fail to save the mind and all they are keeping alive is a lifeless body? For now Heavy vote for the first option, he is not ready to give up on the doctor, he's not ready to say goodbye. Not sure if he ever be… but like back in the War Games, Heavy knows he at some point has to and move on without his beloved doctor.
He just never thought it would happen right when they began to feel safer around people with their relationship.
He leaves the room, allowing the Vanguard medic to tend to the wounded.

With nothing else to do, Heavy decides he might as well head to this base gym and do a bit of boxing.
He does stop for a short moment, eyes caught the sight of the other heavy talking to Vanguard's pyro in a way that makes Heavy quite certain the man has been worrying for his friend. Rune gives his fellow team member a weak smile along with a few words, and whatever he said is enough to make Wei relax and they both leave to wherever they are going.
Watching the two, Heavy can't help but think about back when he and Josef were merely friends, they were pretty much the same way, except their relationship has changed after they both realized they saw each other more than friends. It is quite the pity their love life never can get to the level they both wishes, and as things stand now… maybe they'll never get the chance.
Heavy do however doubt the Vanguard heavy and pyro are more than just friends, the way the pyro lightly hits the heavy from whatever the man said looks more to be how a brother react on a teasing remark. Heavy leaves the two, and although he is sad about the current situation, he is glad Josef choose to save the Vanguard members, the heavy would've lost a close friend and the engineer his own lover.
It is however not in Josef nature to help people who are aggressive towards him, so Heavy do think his doctor did it both to ease the tension between the two teams and in a way force Francis to help him out. According to the cowboy dressed man, that rage-fueled fire of his was able to remove the bird's acid. Josef must've seen that and even though Heavy is sure Josef hated to do it, he must've known helping the other team would get him the best outcome. At least that's what Heavy likes to think what went through the doctor's mind.
Leaving the hallway, Heavy walks towards the gym, he does stop at the sound of who he presumes is Jack training… aggressively.
He hesitates but do push open the door and steps inside.
He indeed finds Jack training without his uniform on, only a pair of training pants and wrappings around his hands as their own scout did when out fighting. Vanguard's scout is practicing his close combat even though it looks more like he's trying to kill that training dummy, Heavy is not sure what got the man so worked up or this is just how he is.
"Want be alone?" He asks the scout, no wish in intruding if this is Jack's private time.

Jack stops midway in a kick on the dummy, he did hear the door open but honestly had been expecting Garry from has returned from his scouting mission. He puts down his leg and turns to the man, as expected the heavy's eyes wide of how his chest and side looks like. "No, in fact, this will be a good chance for us to talk." He replies simply and returns back to his training, ignoring the stares from the heavy, he's not ashamed of this old scar, plus it's a good reminder that war is hell.

…. Okay, Heavy did not expect that Jack had any battle scars other than the small cut over his right eye, and especially not one that should belong to Demo from the times he got too drunk around his bombs. The blue scout's chest and part of the right side look to have been partly blown up and then someone made a poor attempt fixing it by putting lines of skin over the ruined flesh. Where did Jack get that kind of scar? Can't have been from the War Games, such wounds often spell clear death and it would've been removed after a respawn. Jack must've gotten it before he became a scout for Mann Co, but what could've caused such a scar? Either a bomb or heavy artillery.
Realizing he has been staring, Heavy shift his gaze away from the large scar, walks over to the punching bag and begins to train a bit. He does not stop but do pay more attention when Jack begins to speak again.

"The USSR is starting to get too close for comfort, I've sent my sniper out to assess the situation but it's not looking good." Jack punches the dummy over the arm before he turns to Mikhail. "They are looking for us and that's the issue. We can still leave unnoticed but doing so your medic will die as Tristan won't have a chance to bring the equipment needed for him. Our female spy is weak so the chance of her dying is great as well if we decide to get away before the USSR surrounds us." The Russian frowns deeply in disapproval of this very thought and Jack fully can relate, he does not like the idea of abandon any one of his team behind either. But as a team leader… he has to think about what will be best for the team as a whole. "If we stay and fight, then we might be able to keep them at bay, at least until they bring the tank. That thing can blow right through the building and destroy the respawn. If that happens: we all will be fucked." So here comes the big question: "What do you want to do?"

Heavy is confused why the scout asks him and not Miss Pauling. "Why ask me?" He asks the man. Now it's Jack's turn to frown.

"You are their team leader—"

"No, Miss Pauling lead team." Heavy argues back, he has never tried to take that role. The look on Jacks face shows he thinks otherwise.

"Mikhail, you were the one everyone listened to when you decided to speak and they obeyed. You might not consider yourself it, but I recognize a team leader when I see one." The Russian still does not look convinced, so Jack tells him as he begins to train his hand-to-hand combat again on the dummy. "Even if Miss Pauling is your team leader, she won't be doing much as long she can't be in the same room with her other. You requested I saw your team as comrades and I will, but you people have to decide who has the command in your group."

"We do not have team leader." Heavy stubbornly argues, they haven't ever needed one during the War Games. They did what they did and sometimes end up working together but none of them took command— well Soldier tried but no one took that idiot seriously. "We do not need one." It's often chaotic but they somehow made it work.

"Yes, you do!" Jack snaps back, now he's annoyed on this team's shortsightedness. that lack of leadership might have worked during the War Games but not out here. "An army without a commander is as useful as a bucket of water is against a forest fire! Your lack of leadership is the reason why your sniper is dead!" Mikhail steps forward in a threading manner but Jack has faced guys big as this one many times over and does not even flinch from the looming man or his deep thundering voice. "I am NOT team leader." and Jack retorts back with a question. "Do you think the remaining two are better for the job?" The look in the Russian eyes says everything. "Whatever you like it or not; I see you as a team leader and as one; you have to think what's best for your team."

Silence.

Jack leaves the large man's shadow and heads over to fetch his shirt. "If you do not figure this out soon then I will make a choice for both teams and without a commander, you cannot overrule my decision." He turns back to Mikhail, eyes hard and so is his voice as this is a serious issue. "And you won't like what my choice is."

Heavy stares back at the scout in disbelief of what Jack is going to do. He wants to ask Miss Pauling to tell the scout they cannot leave but as Jack said: she cannot do much as long she's dealing with the split soul issue. Demo and Pyro are more followers and Medic is completely out of commission and besides… the only people Josef ever commanded around were the people he healed.
Jack leaves the room with: "Whoever is your team leader can take this up with me."
Heavy fists his hands, he really wants to argue but… he's not… the others do not listen to him! In the team's eyes; he is the big dumb Russian who likes his gun.
Leaving the gym, Heavy heads out to find Demo and explains the scot about the conversation he had with the blue scout but he is not sure if Demo fully heard him what his main issue is about all of this.

"Tell the scout we have to stay and fight." Demo says, takes a swig of his scrumpy and swings it towards the deeply frowning man. "We have respawn here, and we have taken down bigger guns than what this army has to offer."

"That is not problem." Heavy grumbles, he knows that if it came to it then they can and will fight the USSR but they won't stay if no one argues with Vanguard's scout. "Jack will not stay and fight army."

"So I heard." Demo replies and although he does question the scout about it, he does not feel it's his place to argue. "I wonder why he rather wanna flee with tails between his legs than stand and fight?" The Vanguard scout does not seem like the coward type.

"Vanguard not made for attack like us" Heavy answers from the observation he has made from the other team. They are specialized in infiltration and defense compared to team Fortress who is more frontal assault and reckless creativity. Vanguard is only deadly if the enemy does not know what they are dealing with and for some reason the soldiers he heard in Warsaw; the army knows exactly what they are dealing with when it comes to these two teams.
That has put team Vanguard on the disadvantage and thus Jack rather does a tactical retreat to fight another day.

Demo hesitates for a second in his move from what Heavy has said. "Huh, I wasn't aware of that." and he takes another swig. "So, what is it really you are asking?" He asks the big guy as it's rather clear Heavy didn't come here to relax. "Surely you're not here for a drink."

Heavy shakes his head. "No, here to ask."

"And that is?"

"Who team leader?"

Demo stop midway in drinking his scrumpy, that question did take him a bit off guard. He eyes the big guy slowly and Heavy explains. "Blue scout only hear team leader, but we do not have one."
True, yeah sure some of them does take charge if the situation calls for it but taken full command? "What about Miss Pauling?" He asks, thinking she is the closest they have to one bossing them around.
Heavy let out a sight, even if it sounds like distant thunder. "Deal split soul, and, not enough experience on lead."
Yeah, Demo did take notice of that back when they were hired to find Australium for the Administrator. Miss Pauling is good at keeping track on data but she does not have the charismatic in leading a team into battle. "True, she's not that good at leading but she does make a good supervisor."

That Heavy can agree on, thanking Demo for the chat, he leaves but does stop when Demo points out much to his surprise. "Jack does have a good point though, about you being best for the job." Heavy glances back to the scot, a bit surprised of those words but he does not reply on Demo, instead he leaves for those words have given him something to think about.
He does the thinking in the place's armory and workshop, tinkering with the minigun. It's an old model and has rusty spots several places but some new parts and elbow grease and this gun will be out singing in no time. He decided to call this old girl Emiliya and is sure the two of them soon will appreciate one another.
The door opens and Heavy glances up for only a moment to see who it is before he returns back to repairing Emiliya.

Francis eyes the heavy for a moment as well, then like the Russian he walks over to work on his shotgun. For a while nothing but their tools against the weapons can be heard, the silence between them breaks when Francis remarks from his spot. "I see Tristan chased you out too." Mikhail nods slowly but does not reply, no real surprise there, but Francis does feel like he owes the guy at least something. "I'm sorry about your medic, to be honest, I hadn't expected him to pull off such a stunt."
Does look up from his work when Mikhail makes a dark remark. "You hate doctor." and he tells the man. "Not anymore." Much to the man's confusion, so he will elaborate. "I loathe what he did, I won't deny that but I cannot hate a man who not only saved the lives of two of my team members— even if it was simply to gain favor from me in order to save the man he loves." That last word made Mikhail tense up and understandably; a lot of people have a negative view on homosexually. "He had the same look I have when Kreel gets herself in trouble. The determination to do whatever it takes." Francis remarks to how he realized this small fact but he isn't really bothered by it.

How many surprises does he have to get today? Now the man calling himself Cowboy reveals he knows about him and Josef… and he is completely chill about it. "You see no wrong?" He asks Francis utterly dumbfounded at this strange acceptance the man has about something most people would be disgusted about.
Francis shrugs. "I find it weird sure, but if that's what you like then I won't stop you." He tinkers a bit more with his shotgun and as he replaced the barrel. "I rather shoot the assholes who kiss Kreel when she's on the job."
Heavy can't help but chuckle at that remark, yeah he can see why Francis has an issue with that, he would too if someone else kissed his doctor. "I kill men if they did." His smile drops at the strange, dark but distance look Francis suddenly got.
His confusion grows when Francis suddenly asks. "Have you noticed my team do not have a soldier?" Heavy frowns lightly at this question, not sure where the man is going. "Half of team not mercs."

That Francis agrees on. "True, but back in the Gravel War, Team Vanguard was very much like yours: people smacked- and forced to work together in order to get our pay grade." The engineer puts down the shotgun and Heavy must admit he has forgotten about his minigun as well in what Francis is about to tell him.
"That all changed when I met Kreel. She was not officially part of the team, being a woman and all. Yet she was, what I understood, Tristan and Marcos were her mentors in becoming a spy." Francis smirks at the memories going through his head. "A long story short, let's say after some shenanigans, we fell in love."

"I do not understand why cowboy tell this." Heavy says.

"I'm getting to it." Francis brushes the confused man's words off and returns back to his small story. "Not long after we got ourselves a beautiful girl, had to keep it secret though. The Administrator is not the woman who likes that her mercs were forming families when they should be killing one another." Francis chuckles but struggles to keep the tears back of where this story is going. "Tristan and Marcos knew about this of course, and a good thing too as Marcos was such a big help taking care of Lilly when her parents were out murdering their clones."

"Where Lilly now?" Heavy asks slowly, dreading the answer, more so from what he heard Francis say to Jack back when they planned on saving Dell's kid.

Francis lets out a sigh. "Love is both a beautiful and horrible thing." He turns his back to the Russian man but does not stop on his story. "My team's soldier had also fallen in love with Kreel, mistook her teasing for real flirting. He was obsessed with her really and when I saw him try to kiss MY wife, I told him we were married and I would knock his teeth out if I ever saw him do that again. For a time he backed off. But his self-proclaimed love for her made him use- what I thought was a friendship as his ticket to get near her. I hate to say it but I let him get too close to what I truly cared about. If I knew how much obsessed he was at that point, I never would've let him see our daughter, let him play with her. In his delusion mind, he thought Kreel stayed with me because of Lilly so… so he killed her." and here comes the question: "What would you have done if you found your own child; beaten and broken on the floor. Realize the very person who did it was one who said he was your friend." Eyeing the man staring at him in disbelief. "What would you have done?"

Heavy knows exactly what he would've done, for he did it when the guards in the gulag killed his father and went for his mother and sisters. There was no mercy in his heart for those people, not even towards those who were innocent, all that mattered was the revenge and great need to protect what was left of his family. "Kill him worst way I know." He answers truthfully.

It seems this big guy knows the pain such a sight does to one… Francis takes a moment to regain his composure as this story still deeply upsets him. "That was the first time I truly felt hatred towards someone. If I had been able to make my flames, the whole battlefield would've been consumed by what rage and sorrow I'd felt from have found our little girl dead on the floor. It was clear who did it from how our soldier pretended to comfort Kreel in her grief. She reacted worse than me when she found out his support was all to get in bed with her, she was the one who lured him away from the respawn zone, out from the safety of not able to die; I lassoed him and dragged him off by my car. We both threw him to a pack of hungry wolves— watching him get torn apart was such satisfaction and yet…" He hides his face under the hat to hide his tears. "His death wouldn't bring back our little girl…!"

For what feels like forever, Heavy quietly watches the man before him struggles through his worst memories, he truly does feel for the man but something tells him Francis didn't tell him this to get pity but to make a point. And so right he is, for when Francis regain his composure and tells him with a shaken voice. "All of this hatred returned in full force when your medic tried to do his twisted experiments on Kreel. I took her place and you saw what he did to me. My hatred is not of what he did but what he could've done to my wife— what he did to her by torturing me. When I saw him again; I was more than ready to do the same thing to him we did to our soldier. The only thing that kept him from same fate was the fact he agreed on fixing his mistake." Francis scarred eyes meets Mikhail's darker shade of green compared to his own. "Letting go of my anger was easier this time, for in all honesty… all he did was making me worthless for my team and the resentment of my own situation could be fixed. He didn't kill an innocent little girl or the woman I love. If he had done that, nothing would've saved him from my wrath."

"Cowboy is right, love is cruel and beautiful." Heavy admits to the man, now finally understanding why both Francis and Kreel held such a deep grudge on Josef, the fear of losing the one they love, amplified from their loss of their child has been the fuel to their hatred and distrust against the doctor.
He knows how easy it is to hate someone but like Francis, he had to learn to let go as hatred can only destroy, not give those he love anything other than misery. "I know feeling. Lost father in gulag and still deal with it. Not sure how I can move on if doctor die." He admits, feeling Cowboy will understand those feelings— the dread to lose someone he is committed to more than anyone.
Francis nods he does understand, then with a sigh, the man stares back at some of his machines lying around on the table. "I am not much of a believer, but I do hope your medic will recover. Losing the one who holds your heart… it's not something you want to experience."
Heavy nods slowly, yet is somewhat unable to stop smiling at the thought that Josef had held his heart in a literary manner.
"What about you?" Cowboy suddenly asks. "Any side effects of your near-death experience?"
Heavy is not entirely sure how to reply to this. "Heavy still feel strange." He replies slowly. It was quite surreal really how he felt when he woke from have been knocking on death's door.

"Strange how?" Francis asks a bit confused at the answer, unlike Sophia, Mikhail does not have a single sign of he almost died. In fact, he did not even need to replace his hands— which were completely gone, rotted away he might add.

Heavy hesitate with the answer, he is not entirely sure how to explain how it felt when he first woke, how in some sense still feels. "I do not know how say it." He admits, he does not trust his limited English vocabulary to explain this correctly.

"Try the best you can."

Heavy hesitates but does try. "My body feel same and not. It's like a jacket, worn, have holes many places and some holes are very bad but you still like this jacket with all flaws. It is comfortable." Francis titles his head slightly but does not interrupt, instead, he listens quietly, allowing Heavy to continue. "My body like worn old jacket and doctor took old jacket, threw it out and gave me new one. It look like old, but it is not. I cannot see the difference, new jacket looks like old without holes. But something different. I do not recall old jacket have extra pocket or waterproof. It is small things but still enough I know something is different. New jacket is not my old jacket." And like this metaphor of his body is like a new jacket, not only are all of his scars gone, even those he got as a child. He keeps noticing changes, like how colors are slightly different than before. His taste buttons have changed too, not much but still enough for him to notice. He has no idea how Josef did it, only that the doctor has somehow changed his body, not enough for people to notice, but since this is his body, he takes notice of the subtle changes. So yes, when he woke, he did not exactly feel right, still doesn't, to be honest.

"So you feel like your body has been replaced with a new one?" Francis asks, mostly to be sure he got this correctly. Mikhail nods. "Yes, best way I can say." He muses and after a moment of silence, the big guy leaves. Francis must say that he cannot see any changes in Mikhail but he hasn't been around the man that long to know.

Heavy decides to take a shower, partly because he hasn't really gotten a proper one since he woke from the near-death experience but also to do more thinking of what he has learned today.
While cleaning himself up, Heavy keeps glancing at his hands, particularly the right one. He used to have a scar there, one he got back when he was just a kid. Got it during his first fistfight with one of the other kids, now only the memory remains. It's weird not having that old scar or any sign that he had lost his hands' thanks to that bird. He brushes his hands together, again astonished but also annoyed at how soft his skin has become, it's like a baby's skin. Not yet been worn from what life tends to throw at people. All of his body's story of scars has been removed, now only his memories are left about the hardship he has been through. "Мне не нравится эта новая куртка…" He grumbles softly, his body feels so foreign to him but whatever he likes it or not; this is how it is now. He starts drying off the water, annoyed he has lost any signs of what he has enduring in the past and he doubts he will get anything big as long he's connected to respawn. He brushes the towel over his chin and is reminded he needs a shaving. He would rather shave all hair off than have to stare at that large bald spot on his head, now the more annoying as he looks like one in the early thirties. But this lies in the male side of the family, his father had it too but wasn't bothered as Heavy is about the genetic flaw of going bald at an early age.
He wraps the towel around his waist, grabs a razor and removes the rim on the mirror so he can see what he will be doing— Heavy stops and stares at what is meeting him from the reflection.
It's not the lack of scars that caught him off guard, nor that he does not looks like a man past his prime.
No, what made him stare is the fact that what has been annoying him to no end, the only thing he has loathed about his own body… is no longer a problem. He brushes carefully his fingers through the stubbed brown hair, where the bald spot should've been.
Okay, this is a change he can greatly appreciate, however, this strange miracle is short-lived though and Heavy drops his gaze, feeling like his baboon heart is getting squeezed by his own chest.
He so much wants to embrace- kiss Josef for have done this miracle but he can't… he's not stupid of what is going on, even he can see that without any response from Josef, there is nothing inside that body they are currently keeping alive.
Is he doing the right thing?
Is Josef still in there but unable to show?
Parts of him hopes that's the case but another is starting to doubt it. The respawn has failed and when that happens there is only one way for the person: and that's death.
Heavy punches the wall right beside the mirror, the tiles break on impact but so does the skin on his knuckles, the pain helps a bit though. He eyes the bleeding hand, finding a strange solace in knowing this might leave a mark on his annoying smooth skin.
Then, out from the corner of his eye, he sees something from mirror. Heavy checks and his eyes wide of who he is seeing. "Doctor?" He spins around but Josef is not there, he's all alone in the bathroom.

**?**

He is walking in the same realm as where the faulty medigun brought him, the place where Celestia cast that spell on him and Twilight, but something is different, he can't put his finger on what, only that something is wrong.
"Anyone here?" He calls out to the universal void, but his voice gets swallowed by this mysterious void.
It is surreal to be here, yet also comforting. He know he is dead, he felt the respawn try and put him back together but… something went wrong.
Is this how a respawn failure is? Destined to walk in this endless realm until the day the machine shuts down? Not exactly how he thought how his punishment would be— if this is a punishment at all.
Does not feel like it to be honest. He might change his mind when he starts getting bored, but… putting a hand up to his chest, he does not feel anything, he can't feel if this place is cold or warm, he's not scared or in pain. He is simply here.
This is a strange thought, pretty sure he would've been curious or maybe a bit disturbed but… well, he feels nothing, can this emptiness be what he felt was wrong?
He begins to wander around this place again, no real reason to why he does it, maybe to find an exit or maybe to find someone else? He has no idea, only he is pretty sure that if he stops for too long; he will never move again.
Walking with no goal, no real reason, he suddenly realizes he's no longer alone.
Besides him walks Twilight Sparkle, he notices she is slightly bigger, horn longer and she has a pair of wings, but he feels nothing over these changes, thinks he would've been surprised though.

"Why are you here?" Twilight asks him in such a melancholy tone it did not sound like her.

"I died." He replies her and asks in return. "Why are you here?"

"I have always been here." Twilight replies, it's here he notices she has completely white eyes, no pupil or color, only this empty white.

Again he is pretty sure he should feel surprised, but he doesn't. So all he can do is talk to this being who decided to take the form of his pony partner. They keep walking this endless realm in silence for who knows how long, finally he breaks it by asking the being walking beside him. "Why am I here?"

"You died, but the machine keeps you alive." The being replies and eyes him with those white eyes. "Do you want to go back?" She asks.

Why does it sound like he has more options? "Are there other choices?"

Twilight nods. "Yes, but whatever choice you make, I cannot help you anymore." A crack in the realm appears and she points at the spot with a hoof. "Speak with the two holding your fate, one of them will tell you the two choices you have." and in a flash of light, she is gone.

He walks into the crack in the void

The next moment he finds himself standing before, well his own body.
This would've been incredibly fascinating if he could feel anything so all he got from experience this ghostly state he's in was the thought: 'This is new' to then think about how long before they turn off the machine that keeps his body alive. He guesses that all depends on how long he has been like this.
He is dead that much is clear, but this is not at all he expected. Thought he would end up in a place of fire and misery from all the horrible things he has done. Sure would serve him right, but no, instead he will be haunting around, looking for some sort of entity that can help him with his current situation.
A magpie suddenly flies past him and lands on the bed, it is incredibly beautiful he must admit that.
"I am Death." The magpie suddenly speaks, a voice neither young or old only it sounds female in his ears.
This time he felt something and that's amusement that what people made into a big scary scythe-wielding skeleton man is, in reality, a beautiful bird— well he at least considers magpies beautiful.
"You are not what I expected." He admits to the magpie claiming to be Death.

"The shape you see before you is how you want me to be. I am your Death." Death explains and walks closer to him. "I will be the one who takes you when your time has passed. Like my brother Life will stay by you as you walk through his realm."

Of course, there will be a being that represents life as well. He does wonder where his Life is? "And where is your brother?" He asks Death. "Will I need him to wake up?"

Death nods. "Yes, but reaching him will not be easy."

"Why?" He asks now confused about what Death means.
"You fear life." Death says simply, and he wants to argue against the magpie but no words leave his mouth, allowing it to continue on this statement.

"You only think about the darkness you have endured through your life, not knowing that with darkness is light, without pain, comfort cannot exist. You care only about me: your Death. Never cherished Life and so you only survive, never truly live."
Must admit, getting that truth slapped at his face is tough. But he needed to hear it.

Death takes flight and he follows the magpie, the bird stops at a door. "Your Life is in there." He blinks but does step into the room, what meets him makes him freezes up, the whole room is cold, the stench of burned flesh and in the corner of this dark nightmare room, he can hear the voices of these faceless victims he keeps having nightmares about.
Inside all of this, he sees Misha, looking to be dressing himself and not affected by what is around him. The man dries away the blood on a mirror, freezes up as their eyes meet. Misha turns around and there he sees his Life, what should've been a white dove like Archimedes now looks like those he killed, buried and then dug it up again after a few weeks. His Life looks horrible, to say the least. He is about to take a step towards Misha and Life but the increasing volume of the victims makes him turn heel and flee. Outside the place is back to normal, and Death is waiting for him, dropping down beside the magpie. "What was that?" He asks her.

"This is how you view life." Death replies and both turn their gaze to Misha who leaves the room, utterly confused about something and completely unaware of the zombie dove sitting on his shoulder. "In your eyes, Life is an ugly and scary thing."

"But why does he sit on Misha?" He asks Death, deep down he knows the answer but is too embarrassed to say it. His Death, however, is not one to hand him mercy. "Stop asking stupid questions." She huffs as he would when he feels like someone is wasting his time. "You know why Life is with this man."
… That is true, Misha has no idea how much power he has over him, how much he depends on the sense of protection he gives him. "Is that's the only reason I am still alive? Because of him?"
To his surprise Death shakes her head. "Once maybe." The magpie takes a few steps away from him. "But more people are now a big part of your life." And when Death said that, he begins to see memories of his team, how they began to help one another slowly during the War Games. Against the Administrator's commands, they made victory parties and holiday celebration and even had their share of fun with shenanigans they got themselves into by whatever mission Miss Pauling needed them on. He also sees the ponies from Equestria, thanks to them, the team's comradery strengthen.
Thinking about that, he realizes that he's not as alone as he thought he was.

Death walks up before him. "If you wish to live again, you have to confront what you saw in that room."

"And if I can't?" He asks, he does not consider himself a coward, but what Death is asking is something he has been dealing with for years and never had any idea how to get over. Is it something he ever can get over? He has changed sure, been less manic around people but he doubts he can ever get rid of the twisted side of himself.
Yes, the camp made him into a monster but deep inside, he knows that if he truly didn't want to do such experiments, he would rather have been killed. He likes to cut people up, play around with their bodies and see what happens if he does this and that. He might be a doctor, but he won't deny that he has so much fun running all manic on the battlefield. There is a thrill to it he has never experience outside of battle.
"Do Life want me to change?" He asks Death and wonders if these two eternities want him to stop going on these fun killing sprees.

Death rolls her eyes. "We do not bother with what you call moral, we do not punish or reward a saint or a murder." That makes sense, life and death do not care how one lives or dies, all that matters to them is this grand wheel of time. Death's black eyes meet his and she speaks again. "If you do not wish to pursue Life." The magpie walks over to a door, stops and says. "You can walk with me, and leave everything behind. You will find the peace you have been looking for in my embrace."

That is his two options, either he pursues Life; and endure what life itself likes to throw at people – or he gives up and— as Death said, he will leave everything behind, both the horrible but also… he turns to where Misha is talking with Miss Pauling… if he dies then the few wonderful things will disappear as well. He will never again feel the thrill of a battle, the glee when he tears some unlucky fool apart with his bonesaw. He will never feel the warmth of Misha again or be able to talk with any of the people and ponies friends he managed to make over these years. Yes, he will find peace in death and he would've gone with the magpie… if it wasn't for the fact that he wanted more time among the people he has come to care about.

"How much time is more time?" Death asks. He turns his gaze back to the magpie, and Death continues. "You are aware of time and yet you take it so much for granted that you do not cherish what you have before it is gone."

Death has a good point. He took his friends and the man he loves for granted, all thanks to the fear of something he now realizes he barely understands anymore.
"I got more time thanks to respawn." He answers Death and gets on his feet, eyeing the calmly watching bird. "And I am planning on enjoying every second of it." The magpie smirks. "That's more like it." and she flies away, disappearing into a void, not even he can see but one he knows Death will be watching, waiting till the day his life comes to an end. Knowing this magpie will be the one greeting him when that day comes is a comforting thought but today won't be the day he goes with it.
He turns to where the zombie dove is sitting, watching him with those half rotted eyes and taking a step towards it, his personal nightmare returns.
Turning to his left, he sees shadows of how he sees his past victims, moaning as it crawls towards him. He is scared but knows he has to get through this if he any wishes to live again.
Hopefully, the others won't turn off the machine while he's trying to reclaim his Life.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Scout, we stay and fight." Heavy tells Jack hard, he rather not have wanted to do this but after having spoken to the others and done a lot of thinking, he has come to the conclusion that he needs to take the command of the team— at least for now.
Jack turns away from the conversation he had with Garry and back to him, a deep frown on his face but what Heavy can see, there is no hostility in his eyes. Then the leader of team Vanguard quirks a small smile. "About time you people got this set straight."
Heavy merely hums as his response only speaks when he leaves the room. "We leave when wounded can come with us."

With the Fortress heavy gone, Garry steps over to Jack and remarks to the man. "We should be able to keep the army at bay with their help. Unlike us, they are built to frontal assualt."
Jack nods. "Yeah." The team leader turns back to him. "Tell Francis and Amadi they should put up a protective wall" Garry nods and leaves to do just that.

Changeup

Note: Several have asked for this to happen and now it will. Also since so many of you like the Nightmare Night holiday, I decided to let it happen in that time.

This happens three weeks after the last chapter.

It is quite busy in Ponyville with the preparations for Nightmare Night festival and everyone wants it to be extra good after Major Mare announced that their princess of the night is coming on a visit and will be part of the show their very own party planner is preparing. Everyone is excited to see that particular show for the scariest time of year.

Scout is especially excited as he will be one of those standing for that very show and he can’t wait to show what he, Pinkie and several musical ponies have come up with. He still can't believe that Luna agreed on being part of the show when they asked her through a letter Pinkie sent her. How many can say they have done a show with royalty? None he knows of and that will make this is so awesome!
Doing the last checkups on the stage, Scout notices a familiar figure and is quite surprised to see Sniper come walking into town. “Yo Snipes!” He calls and tries to fly over to him but ends head first onto the ground. Every nearby pony looks at him with eyes wide of surprise. “I meant to do that.” He tells the surrounding ponies and gets up to speak with Sniper, the ponies slowly returns back to their own business with him leaving.
Getting over to Sniper, Scout remarks to the sharpshooter. “I wasn’t aware you were in Equestria, did you just arrive?” Sniper shakes his head and much to Scout’s surprise, the Aussie replies. “I have been here for a while, not in Equestria but in the lands of the griffins.” and to his bigger surprise, a child griffin appears beside Sniper with a joyfully: “Hia! Wow, you’re one weird looking pony, but I like weird!”
Scout stares at the griffin girl for a moment, but he does quickly recovers and smiles down to her. “Thanks, new in town?”

“Yup!" She beams. "I will be staying with Lawrence while I am here. He’s going to teach me a lot of new stuff! I’m so excited!” The girl squeals happily and jumps ecstatically around the two.

“Long story.” Sniper replies on the dumbfounded look on Scout’s face and leaves before he has to explain the deal he made with Gabby’s mother. “Come, I will show you what will be your room.” and she follows, does wave to the frozen in disbelief Scout. “See ya!”

Scout did recover fairly quickly over this slap to the face info and gallops after Sniper, he sees the sharpshooter and the kid fly up to the clouds Sniper used as his home the last time he was here. Scout tries to fly up to the clouds but no matter how much he flaps his wings, he always ends back onto the ground and loses more feathers. Not wanting to turn his wings bare, he instead results having to call for Sniper. The griffin looks down to him in confusion but does fly down, before Sniper can ask the question why he didn’t fly, Scout quickly asks his own. “Where did you get that kid?” Sniper shoots him a glare but he does not back off. “Where are her parents?” If she has any.

Not comfortable talking about this with so many ponies around, Sniper grabs Scout’s mane and pulls him away from the crowd, completely ignoring the half-changeling’s whining in pain. “Ouch, stop pulling my hair!” Scout glares annoyed at Sniper when he finally does let go. “What the hell man?!”
Spitting out the chunk of hair he accidentally pulled out and although he is aware Scout is possibly the worst person to tell this. He rather wants to reveal this than deal with Scout bugging him out for the info. “I don’t want Gabby or any other wanker to hear how cruel her mother was. She practically sold her daughter to me.” and the speedster’s anger deflates like a balloon.

“Why would she do such a thing?” Scout asks in disbelief, but all Sniper says to this subject. “That being a griffin I guess.” Not the answer he wants and it does not sound like a good excuse for a mother to give her child away like that. “And you’re okay with it?”

“Of course I’m not okay with it!” Sniper growls and asks with a nod to the cloud where Gabby is making herself at home. “But what bloody else was I suppose to do? Leave her?”

Okay, Scout sees his point, but he’s not sure if Sniper here is the best suited of being a parent. “Do you even know how to take care of a kid?” Sniper walks past him with a quite rude remark to his own father. “I am not going to abandon her as your old man did.” Scout scowls but the griffin completely ignores it by admitting. “I may not be perfect, but I am sure hell better than the bitch to her mother ever were.”
Scout must give him props for wanting to be a good parent, and Gabby do seem to like him. “So you’re pretty much her father now?” Never thought he would see the day Sniper taking the role as a parent with that antisocial behavior he has going. Sniper does not reply him, much to Scout’s annoyance but also amusement, as he gets the feeling Sniper does not want to get that title put on him and Scout just can't help himself. “Haha! Oh, this is rich, it’s only a matter of time before she starts calling you daddy and start talking like you!” He grins which turns into a yelp of both surprise and pain when he gets hit by a very sturdy bottle.

“Make yourself useful and deliver this to Zecora.” Sniper tells Scout hard and the speedster better gets the hint he is not in the mood for his teasing. The journey has been long and this new responsibility to Gabby has tired him out to mentally exhausting. She is a sweet kid but good god did he constantly have to keep his eyes on her thanks to that cat curiosity she has going.
Scout must’ve sensed this as he does not keep going with his teasing as he usually would, instead, the half-changeling grabs the bottle and runs off.
Relived that Scout has gotten way better at reading others, Sniper flies up to the clouds that is his home here in Equestria, inside he jumps onto a patch of clouds that works as his bed. He is so tired that he doesn't even bother unpacking his bags.
He feels Gabby jump up to him and has to tell her when she begins to crawl on his back. “I need some time alone.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Gabby asks worriedly that Lawrence might not want her around anymore. She did ask him a lot of questions on their travel, but he didn’t seem to mind. “Are you going to send me home?”

Sniper eyes the girl and can’t help but feel pity that was her first thought about him. “Of course not, you have been very good. But sometimes others need time alone to recharge.”

Gabby titles her head in confusion. “Recharge?”

“Yeah, like…” Sniper is not sure what he can use as an allegory she will understand. “Do you fish?” He asks and she nods with: “One of the few things I and Gilda did together.” Right, which means he can use this to explain why he needs alone time without making her think she did something wrong. “Right, then like the fish you and Gilda are catching. You know you cannot catch them all; if you do there won’t be more for later.”

“There won’t?” Gabby asks and Lawrence shakes his head, explaining. “I am sort of like the lake with the fish. If someone keeps taking the fish without giving me time to fill it with more, then sooner or later, I won’t be able to give anything.” Gabby has to take a moment to understand what Lawrence is telling her. If he is like the lake with fish, then it is okay she take the fish— take his time in Lawrence case— but like the lake, she has to leave him alone from time to time. Otherwise, she will just dry him up for fish and none of them wants that. She meets his eyes. “I think I understand.” and tells him the thoughts on how she consider him and the lake with fish.
He smiles and nods. “You got it, and right now.” He stretches out and when lying down again, Lawrence pulls his hat over his eyes. “This lake needs time to recover.”
Gabby nods and leaves him alone, she does ask as she is pretty sure she will get bored just sitting around and wait for him to recover. “Is it alright I go outside?”

“As long you stick to the town’s borders and under no circumstances wander into the dense forest without my knowledge.” Sniper replies, he hears Gabby replies. “Alright.” and the sound of her flying down to check out Ponyville. He is not worried she does that on her own, she’s a tough cookie and can handle the residents of Ponyville just find. But she better obeys his wishes of not approaching Everfree forest as she won’t stand a chance against the wildlife residing in there.

**Everfree forest, at Zecora's hut**

Scout hands the strange bottle Sniper threw at him to Zecora who will investigate what this potion property is after the celebration of Nightmare Night.
With his task done, Scout decides to hear from Zecora if she has anything to fix up his wings. “I have no idea why, but I keep losing feathers and now I can’t fly.”

Zecora puts down the strange bottle and gently grabs Scout’s wing, a large chunk of the tattered feathers are gone and the skin can be seen several places. “It brings me no pleasure I have no idea what caused the loss of your feathers.” She admits as she cannot see anything particularly wrong with his wings that would cause the feathers to fall off. Letting go of the wing, she suggests. “A portion of mine cannot fix this, I suggest we ask a doctor and hear what is amiss.”
Scout does not really agree on it and he quickly leaves with: “Nah I’m good, I probably just have been flying around too much. They need to grow out again that’s all.”
He’s gone before she can stop him.
Zecora stares deadpan after the young stallion, she does not fully understand why he’s so reluctant to see a doctor but from what Antoine has told her, Medic, their past healer hasn’t exactly been gentle when he fixed them up.
Zecora would’ve looked past this if she wasn’t together with his father, but since she is now Jeremy’s stepmother, she finds it’s her duty to make sure that her stepson is alright. She leaves the hut and heads over to where Antoine is with the two girls. She finds him being used as a climbing frame by the two girls and Zecora can’t help but laugh at how awkward her beloved looks in this very moment. “Of one adept to kill by stealth, two foals is where you have no strength.” She teases him.

“Being a spy is easy.” Spy admits and after have put Laverina down on the ground before he gets a heart attack if she ends up falling and possible breaks her neck. “Back there, I only had to worry about my own well being.” And it is hard to constantly have others safety on his mind, but watching Sauda who stares in a strange wonder at a flower. He is reminded it is all worth it, yet he could do without worrying all the time. “They haven’t made any sound reminiscing of words. Shouldn’t children have some words at this age?” He asks Zecora, worrying if he has done something wrong. “Scout could a few words at this age, should I have been talking more to them?” He asks as he hasn’t really been talking to the girls, he found that very hard since he knew they did not understand a word and wouldn't reply to him.

Zecora finds it sweet he cares so much about the girls, even if he thinks he is not doing a good job as a father. “They will talk when the time is right, so no need be so uptight.” She replies, nuzzling his face.
Spy sighs. “Alright.” The worried expression is gone, replaced with a controlled cheek and he kisses her. Zecora does indulge herself in the tender moment. She does, however, has to break it from the small concern she has with Scout. “I will leave you for a while, something wrong with Scout’s wings but to see a doctor is not his style, I will try to use my own guile and help him through this needless trial.”
Spy blinks and after have removed Laverina from the small herb garden. “What’s wrong with his wings?” He asks.
Zecora admits she is not sure. “But I do feel some fright he is not able to do any flight, I will get him to a doctor and see if they can tell us if this is an unhead blight.”

Just what he needed, more worrying. Spy is about to suggest he should talk with Scout but he stops himself, thinking that it’s best Zecora does this, more so when she does wishes to get to know her stepson better. “I will keep an eye out on fauteurs de troubles.” Nodding to the two girls running a tad too close on the herb garden. Zecora smiles and with a nuzzle, she leaves to find Scout.

Lavernia stops when she notices their mother leaves and does a few babbling that can be mistaken for the word mother. Spy eyes the girl. “She will be back ma fille, simply make sure your big brother Scout is alright.” The two girls look up to him but if they understood him is the question. Spy doubts they do, but he does think him talking to them eases their young minds.

Tracking down Scout is rather easy, he’s so busy preparing for the show that he’s not even worrying about staying hidden for the issue he has with his wings. Walking over to the scene, Zecora calls up to the young stallion “Scout, your time if you please.”
Scout hesitates but does walk over to her and tries to pretend nothing is wrong by smiling cheekily. “Sup, are you trying to get my autograph early?”
Zecora rolls subtly her eyes. “No, Scout, my reason here so you agree to go to the doctor and know your troubling wings is no disease.” Scout’s smile fades slightly and he casts a glance to his wings, there Zecora notices that he’s not only losing the feathers but his pelt as well, there is a bare spot right under his cheek.
“I know it’s a shocker, so let’s go see the doctor.” She tells him, softer this time.

Maybe this is more serious than he first thought, doubt Zecora would’ve come all this way otherwise.
Scout sighs. “Alright.” He agrees and calls to Pinkie Pie quickly. “Hey Pinkie, I will be gone for a while. Keep the fort down, alright?” Pinkie turns to him a bit confused but seeing Zecora, she nods with a smile and returns back to set up the lights along with a DJ unicorn named Vinal Scratch. Scout jumps off the scene and follows Zecora to the local hospital.

**Ponyville Hospital**

A male unicorn doctor investigates the lack of feathers on Scouts wings, the doctor first did some kind of magic but it seems like he didn’t get the result he wanted as the doctor takes a skin sample and his frowns deepen as he checks by a microscope. “So what’s the problem doc?” Scout asks as he would with Medic when that crazy doctor did a checkup on the team, except that man often got quite excited if he found one of them being sick as it meant he could do experimental testing on them. Scout sure hopes this is not the case now. Last time he ended up sick; Medic tried to replace his organs!
The doctor pony leaves the microscope and asks. “Have you been dealing with extreme itching?” Scout raises a brow but does answers. “Some itching but nothing over the ordinary.” And do remark of something he has taken notice. “But I am hungrier than usual.” It’s a wonder he hasn’t gained weight from how much he has been stuffing in his face lately.

The doctor pony steps over, does his tracer magic again but that only makes his frowns deepen. “Most curious.” He muses and can at least give this weird pegasus some good news. “Well, the good news is you’re not dealing with tapeworm. Bad news…” He shrugs. “I have no idea what’s causing your loss of feathers and fur. I found no sign of parasites and your skin looks healthy.” And looking at the patient, he gets the feeling this is not really a pony even if he has a cutie mark. “Your magic is acting strangely but it’s not pony related. I’m sorry but I can’t help you.”

Scout’s eyes widened slightly from the horror he feels hearing that whatever he’s dealing with has nothing to do with his pony side, does that mean this is changeling related? What if his mixed generic of pony and changeling is fighting against one another? That is a possibility, right?
He eyes Zecora and she has a frown of whatever thoughts is going through her, he can sense she is worried but not as much he thought she would be.
She thanks the doctor and they leave, outside she suggests. “I would like if you came back to the forest, I wish to make sure my theory are just.”
He’s not sure what she means but does follow Zecora back to Everfree forest. They find his father carrying Sauda inside the hut, and puts her besides Laverina in their crip.
Spy ears twitch and he turns towards them, he didn’t even bother to ask as Zecora already knows what he will ask about. “The doctor did not know what he was looking into but he only know ponies and thanks to him I have a clue.” She turns to Scout with a faint smile. “It is a bit strange but it’s clear you are starting to change.”
Scout blinks, not entirely sure what Zecora is talking about. “Uh what? Change? How am I going to change? Will I suddenly grow a horn like Twilight grew wings?” The last one he jokes, he’s fine to simply have the wings.

Spy understands what Zecora is saying but it does not make sense. “Scout, she means you will change as I did.” He explains his son and Scout jumps in surprise. “Wait what?! You mean I am going to look like you?!” Spy is not entirely sure and that’s what troubles his mind. “I don’t know what will happen. My metamorphic happened in a matter of minutes. How long have you been dealing with this?”
Scout hesitates a tad too long. “Jeremy.”

“I prefer Scout, it sounds weird when you speak my name.” Scout points out, besides, he likes his class name, it’s like a cool nickname. His father frowns deepens but does at least accept his wish. “Scout, when did all of this start?” He has to think for a moment on where he began to really feel hungry. “Um… I think a few weeks now, I’m not sure really.” Scout admits and he does not like the vibe he’s getting from his father. “Is that a bad sign?”

Spy exchanges a look with Zecora, she is probably the one with the most knowledge about changelings. Zecora is also a bit worried but fortunately the emotions he gets from her, it seems like she finds this normal. “I do not think there are need of thoughts turn negative, your slow change can be because of your pony and changeling heritage.” She explains Jeremy.
That can be it, being a half changeling might cause a long delay in the metamorphic. “Zecora has a point, you are an only half changeling and it’s not that long ago you united your two souls. That can have caused this slow metamorphic.” Scout does not feel very convinced, Spy does not really blame him, all this metamorphic stuff is new to him too and he went through the whole ordeal.

“So how am I going to change? Will I lose all my feathers and fur or what?” Scout asks, for as it stands now, it seems like it.
His father shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe at some point, it will just happen as it did to me.” Great, so none of them know when this supposed change will happen or if he’s even going through the same thing. For all they know Scout might just lose all his hair and feathers without any reason. “Great… and right up to Nightmare Night… I was going to perform beside Princess Luna!” He complains annoyed, not realizing he woke Lavernia and Sauda. “Do you have any idea how many people is allowed doing a show with a freaking princess? None that I know!”
Spy groans and Scout picks up a faint sense of anguish from him. “Scout, I know you really want to do that show but you can’t stop this whatever you like it or not.”
Scout tail twitches in his annoyance on how this change sounds like. “un-freaking-believable, don’t tell me this is like a second puberty...” He grumbles. First time was bad enough.
Zecora chuckles at this and remarks much to Scout’s annoyance of this news. “This change is much like an adult stage for the changeling, you have the right age, so endure the second puberty and stop your grumbling.”

Spy nods. “As Zecora said.”

Scout snorts and leaves, not really in the mood for them lecturing him this supposed change won’t be that bad. Like they know, they aren’t the one dealing with this annoying hair loss and the possibility of his hormones acting weird again.
He didn’t really want to think about it and so far he feels fine, a little tired perhaps but he’s sure most would if they have been preparing for such an important show.
Scout returns back to the stage, assures Pinkie what he did with Zecora is nothing to worry about and returns back to help her prepare for the upcoming show.
They did get the stage ready and he is quite satisfied when he returns to his apartment.

**the next day**

Getting up from bed has always been hard, even back at the War Games but up he got and after have pretty much emptied his fridge for food, Scout returns back to the stage and practice on the show.
During one of the reversals, he notices Sauda and Lavernia running around at where the crowd should be. Knowing those two won’t be here without a parent, Scout scans the place and his eyes lands on a dark blue pegasus that looks suspiciously like his father in human form. Ending the song for the show and leaves so Vinal Scratch can fine tune the loudspeakers, Scout walks over to Spy. “What are you doing here?” He asks suspiciously.

“Watching my son reversal for the big show tomorrow.” Spy answers smoothly, that is partly a lie, he came here to check up on Scout but from the emotions, he’s getting from his boy, it’s clear he better keep that part to himself. “As you said, it is very important to you.”
Scout narrows his eyes. “Uh oh.” He does not sound fully convinced but Spy won’t be much of a spy if he couldn’t lie even if someone can detect his emotions, so his son won’t be able to know he’s lying through his calm emotions. He is not really worried, now that he is somewhat aware of what is going on with Scout. Still, he does feel like it’s best he stay near in case the soon to be metamorphic won’t be like his, which Spy highly doubts. “Zecora and I agreed it will be best the girls saw the show outside Nightmare Night.” Both turn to looks the two girls, Lavernia is staring at the box filled with the Nightmare Night decorations for the stage and Sauda is already down in it, popping her head up and chewing on a spider plushie.
Spy lets out a small groan as he seriously cannot look away more than a minute before the girls are making trouble. He grabs Sauda and lifts her out from the box and must ask himself. “Why are all my children troublemakers?”

Scout laughs at this, it’s just so fun to know that his two sisters cause just as much trouble as he did. “Yeah, I do wonder that myself, you don’t look like the type who ever got in trouble other than stab people in the back.” And it takes him greatly by surprise that he does not get the smugness he thought he would from his father, he knows Spy is proud of his job, so sensing the pain of an excruciating regret truly catches him off guard. “What was that about?” He asks slowly and unsure about what this meant.

Merde, Jeremy sensed that. Spy curses himself for have thought about his greatest regret instead on what his son had really spoken about, but the way Jeremy said it, it just made him think about his greatest backstab… against his own family. “It’s nothing, a past no longer important.” He replies his son and in a tone, he does NOT want to talk about it. Spy knows he will never rid of the regret but at least he can feel warm again of his new family. That and knowing his younger sister had miraculously survived and found herself a faithful husband. For Francis sake; that man better has gotten his act together unless he wants a knife in his back for have hurt his sister.

“About the war?” Scout still asks, even when his father made it clear he did not want to talk about it. Spy gives an angry frown and Scout looks away, musing. “Most of you old folks are dealing with crap from the World War…”

Yes, and he is one of those people too. He was under Ace’s training at that time and the master spy did make him gather intel from both ally and the enemy. That’s why he knows so much and why he needed Mann’s Co. protection because he was found out by his superior at the France Government. Ace has a lot of enemies too but it never seemed to have bothered the master spy, not lot seems to have bothered that man in fact. Shaking the thoughts away from the war and his master, Spy admits slowly. “What I did in the World War was simply doing my job, the emotions you felt came from a time way before the war.” And that’s all he ever is going to tell his son.

“Scout, we’re ready again!” Pinkie Pie calls from the stage, Scout turns around and calls back. “Be there in a sec!” He eyes his father briefly before he trots back to the stage.

Spy removes the spider plushie from Sauda, she starts to whimper but one of the baseballs quickly made her forget about it and instead starts chewing on her and Lavernia's favorite toy.
He watches the two girls play around before him, does a few times glances up to Scout, then his gaze is averted by a spotted feline and Spy titles slightly his head in wonder. When did Sniper arrive in Equestria? He does get a better question when a child griffin appears beside Sniper and from how the child is sticking to him, it’s pretty clear she feels comfortable around the bushman and he does not look as awkward as he usually does. That is quite a surprise, one that perks Spy’s curiosity enough to investigate.
Well, usually his investigation involves with him being invisible and getting the information by watching someone without them knowing, but he can’t really do that for if he picks up another disguise, Sauda and Lavernia will just start to freak out and he rather not do that. So it seems he has to do this the boring way. Spy calls for the girls and they follow him over to Sniper who snaps his gaze over the second he notices them.

Sniper is admittedly very baffled to see Spook walk over to him like a normal person for once AND he has two toddlers that look suspiciously like Scout. Before he can voice his shock that Spook has gotten himself two kids with who he presumes is Zecora from the stripes they have- Gabby leaps over to the two girls. “Hi! Wanna play with me?” The two girls blink a bit confused but quickly snaps out from it when Gabby begins to jump around and giggling they follow her, trying to leap around as she did but they did not have a griffin’s grace and their attempt to hop makes it looks as if they are walking on hot coal.

Spy eyes follow the now playing kids. “Well isn’t she quick to make friends?” Before turning back to Sniper. “Where did you pick her up?”

“Her mother let her go with me in exchange for money...” Sniper begrudgingly replies he’s still angry that he did pretty much buy Gabby but he just couldn’t leave her there. Spy brow quirks as the only reaction to this and remarks with eyes on the playing Gabby. “She does not look aware she has been sold like an object.” and that’s the only thing Sniper will give the mother credit for. “Yeah, the mother was tactful enough not make the offer with Gabby around. Girl thinks she’s my assistance.”

The emotions he gets from Sniper does point the same way, and yet Spy can sense the bushman cares for this Gabby more than a mere assistance. “And what can she assist a bushman such as you may I ask?” Spy asks the griffin slyly. “Planning on teaching her how to hide in a bush? That will be like teaching Scout not to flirt with Miss Pauling.”
Sniper snorts in his small amusement of that last remark but is quickly back to be serious. “I'll teach her what she likes to learn about, other than that I merely make sure she keeps her nose clean— speaking of which.” Spy groans and automatically turns to check on the girls. “What are they doing now?” But they are not doing any trouble other than chasing the laughing Gabby around. He frowns annoyed at Sniper laughing at him.

“Where is the coldhearted Spook from the War Games? He would never have worried about two ankle-snappers.” Sniper remarks rather amused on Spy being a worried but also a quite caring father.
“You should ask Scout that question, all of this is his fault.” Spook replies sullenly and yet Sniper can hear the hint of pride in his voice. Smirking, Sniper gives the spy a light punch on the shoulder. “Whatever he did, it’s a change I appreciate.”

This does take Spy a bit by surprise, for since when has he and Sniper been having a friendly conversation?? “Who are you and what have you done with the filthy bushman I knew from the War Games?” Sniper barks a laugh of that comment. “People does act differently when they aren’t stuck in a war and paranoid getting a knife in their back.” Spy cannot stop himself for throwing that ball back to the sharpshooter. “I could say the same about that light from your sniper rifle. You have more than once ruined my kill streak.”

“So have you, Spook. But I didn’t start to cry to the heavens about it.”

“I did no such things.” Spy huffs embarrassed he actually had more than once lost his temper when he ended up headshot right before he would do a sweet backstab on some poor bastard. But so would anyone who has suffered under the harsh desert sun in a suit that wasn’t made for running around in the scorching heat and surrounded by manic mercenaries all day long.
Sniper laughs again. Grumbling Spy leaves and is a bit surprised he does not have the urge to kill the bushman as he did once. Maybe Sniper is right, their past hostilities were mostly because they both were in a war and he was more interested in doing his job than making friends.

Suddenly ponies at the large stage starts acting up, both Spy and Sniper snap over to the spot, seeing two ponies stand uncertain and worried around Pinkie who is close to tears and calling. “Scout, Scout wake up! What’s wrong? Please open your eyes!”

That puts Spy into action, he sorta knew something soon will happen but he didn’t think it would happen this suddenly. “Can you look after the girls?” He asks Sniper and before the griffin can reply, Spy jumps into the air and flies over to the stage. He gets past the two musical ponies and over to Pinkie trying to wake her partner. Scout's eyes are slightly open but he does not react to the world, in fact, if they were closed he looks more to be asleep. Well almost, his electricity-based magic is acting weird, making his body spark once and a while. Must be the closet a half-changeling can get to the magical cocoon. “He’s going to be alright.” He assures Pinkie and puts his son onto his back.

“He will?” Pinkie asks tearfully, so worried for Scout. He collapsed so suddenly that she thought for a moment he was pulling a prank, that until she realized he didn’t react on her.
Scout’s father nods. “Yes, but I need to take him.” Pinkie nods she understands and asks. “Can… can I go with you?” he hesitates but does agree, so Pinkie Pie follows the disguised changeling into the Everfree forest, in there she asks him. “What’s happening to him?”

Not even without his emotion detection ability, it’s clear that Pinkie is incredibly worried for Jeremy, she has never been good at hiding her emotions. “Remember how I changed?” She nods. “It’s happening to him now, but because he’s only a half changeling, it’s going slower.”

Ohhh, that explains it, but that does leave an important question. “Will he be ready for the show tomorrow?” Spy eyes her, it’s hard to know what he is thinking even when he has a pony face. “I highly doubt he will.” He replies calmly as always.
They walk into Zecora’s hut, here Spy briefly explains Zecora what is going on as he puts Scout onto the bed.
Pinkie is, of course, relived Scout will be alright but without him there won’t be much of a show and Pinkie just can’t cancel it, not only because it will make Princess Luna super sad, Pinkie is certain the princess of the night looks forward to it but so will all in Ponyville.
She tells this to both Spy and Zecora, and cries out in despair of this horrible situation she finds herself in. “What am I going to do?! I can’t do the show without Scout! And so many ponies are already talking about it, I can’t let them down!!” and she collapses onto the floor, headfirst.

Spy stares down to the pink pony and tries not to think about how she can bend her face to be completely flattened against the floor, instead he thinks about what she said and what he has gathered about her. Pinkie likes to make people happy and she does that by making parties, the longer the preparation the more important it is for her. This show is one of those Pinkie- along with Scout has been preparing for a while now. She won’t be able to get over it and knowing how much she does not want to let ponies down, Spy knows if this show gets cancel, Pinkie will blame herself for all the sad frowns there will be tomorrow for a very long time.
Oh, his master would be so disappointed if he knew how soft he has become, but he is the only one able to do this. “I can take Scout’s place.” He tells Pinkie, she looks up and he takes his son’s shape. “This won’t be the first time I have been pretending to be him.” But won’t tell her that the last time he pretended to be Jeremy, it was during the War Games where he did his utmost not to care for the boy, only pride in all of that was the BLU side of him pretended to be the RED Scout so well he even fooled himself.
Pinkie leaps up from the floor in a comical gasp, landing back onto the floor she asks him with wide eyes of tears. “You can do that? Oh thank you!” She hugs him.
Spy pushes her off, annoyed by her busting his personal bobble. “Yes, yes, I can do it, but no one will hear about this.” Can’t believe he will say this... “Pinkie promise me no one will hear I took Scout's place.” Pinkie does the whole song and dance of she promises not to tell anyone and out from her mane (not question why she had it in there) she pulls out the sheet with the song to the show.
Spy reads briefly through it and can see he’s going to need a lot of practice, but it’s nothing an adept infiltrator like him can’t handle.
He does snap away from the lyrics when Zecora asks worriedly. “Where are our two girls? With Scout down, I do not wish to feel further concerns.” Oh, he almost forgot about them, much to his embarrassment. “I left them with Sniper.” and the bushman better have kept an eye on them or he will return back to their old rivalry from the War Games.

Zecora decides to fetch the girls, Antoine will have enough to worry about with his act tomorrow.
Finding the girls are easy, they are oblivious to what has happened. Too busy to play around with a griffin cub. Sniper watches them nearby, he does look quite unsure about the sudden task he has been giving. She informs him she is here to take back the girls. “You are such a gem to have looked after them.” She thanks him and he pulls down his hat, musing. “It was the least I could do ma’am.”
She calls for the girls and brings them back home, it’s quite amusing to watch Sauda and Lavernia try and wrap their small heads around the fact they are seeing two of their big brother. Then, to both Zecora’s and Spy’s surprise: “Scout!” Lavernia calls out to their disguised father and Sauda points at the real Jeremy. “Scout.”

“Well, that was unexpected.” Spy muses and drops his disguise, beside him Pinkie Pie blinks as she does not understand why he took this as such a big deal. “I would’ve been confused too, not often you see two of your big brother.” and he explains to why this surprised both him and Zecora. “Their first word is their big brother’s name.”

Pinkie gasps, now in joy. “Reeeaaally?!” and she up beside the two girls “That calls for a celebration!”

Spy stops her before she pulls that party cannon out from who knows where. “Non, I need you to focus and help me with the show tomorrow.” Pinkie reluctantly returns back to him and the practice. Much to his relief as that firing that cannon inside the hut would make such a mess.

Author's Note

bit character development between Sniper and Spy, no longer do they want to murder the other and can for once find mutual grounds.
and yes, Scout is finally getting a new shape, so you can stop bugging me about it.

Demolition Destruction

Note: this happens several hours after the last chapter.

**at Tavish's mansion**

“— I saw the rise of human civilization. I watched as the city you adore being built and it's destruction! I— Merasmus knows so much more than you, you who are nothing more than a child—!!“

”Yes, yes I know you’re old and know so much more than little me. That’s why I’m asking you." The voice from the active orb flying over a bubbling caldron speaks.

Merasmus lowers his arms from the tirade he went on after have heard the absurd request this four hundred old Lux witch had asked of him. “I have more important things than brewing you silly love potions, Aramis!” He shouts irritated at the orb that is the direct contact to this other magician. He pinches his nose in annoyance when this kid of a witch begins to whine.

”Oh, why do all of you Umbra has to be so stingy?! You are so unfair~! Here I am losing my powers and also the herbs meant for the potion and when I ask for a tiny favor. The oldest and wisest of us refuses to help a youngster out. This potion is what allows my safety against the meanie humans~!”

“FINE!!” He shouts. “I will make you the potion if you STOP whining! But oh Aramis, you owe me big for wasting my time on something you easily could’ve done before the Equinox!” Not that she is going to listen, brat always tried to avoid potion making as she considers it too messy for her delicate hands. She’s never going to reach the age of thousand if she keeps up this lazy behavior.

“Oh think you so much! You’re the best!” Aramis cheers and the orbs stop glowing, sign she has hung up.

Merasmus groans loudly, now he has this to think about as well and he has to do it soon. The plant needed does not grow in the winter months and for the potion to have least after effects, the plant should still have its flower. “Lux… always think they are better than anyone…” He grumbles annoyed about having to deal with the light vision of the magical-gifted people. He much rather speaks with another Umbra, at least there he knows what he will be dealing with. Most Umbra prefers to stay secluded, in peace and practice their magic. Only give out their aid to those they consider worthy. Merasmus is actually an exception as he has on his own contacted humans and used them to protect himself like a Lux would’ve done. He realized quickly that had been a bad idea, and yet Soldier had kept him safe during his time of weakness— even if that man has caused been more trouble than his safety ever was worth.

“Butler! Get out from your personal crypt, it’s time for my tea!”

Looks like Aramis has to wait, as he said; he has more important things he will be doing. “Be there in a minute ma’am!” Merasmus calls back, he grabs the orb and returns it back to the casket where other orbs lie. He then returns upstairs in order to tend to the bossy but quite good company old woman. He speaks a small spell and the tea starts brewing itself, while it does that, he prepares the tray with cups, medicine, and snacks in case she wanted that. Right, when he finishes, the tea has been made and another spell, the hot liquid flies into the teapot. He carries the tray into the living room and puts it besides Demoman’s mother. “Here’s your tea.” and since he has done this many times since he was giving this task, he put the sugar she wants into the tea and hands the cup to her.
Demo’s mother takes the cup and after have sipped it, she remarks. “Your talking book has been louder than usual. Keeps yapping about some master.”
The word master catches Merasmus attention, usually, the bombinomicon is its usual prankster self around Demo’s mother who fortunately can handle the magic book throwing bombs around, all thanks to her entire family being specialized in explosions and she has gained some kind of sixth sense on where to stand in order not to get hurt from an explosion. That saves him the trouble of constantly having to fight bombinomicon of not doing its magic near the mansion.
“I’ll be right back.” He tells her and heads over to where he last saw the sentient book.
Merasmus finds bombinomicon outside and from how it is jumping around by its own magic, something seems to be up. “What is the meaning of this behavior?!” He asks it in his magical voice.

Bombinomicon flies over to the wizard, not sure if it should be ecstatic or scared to the core of the voice of its master, commanding it to turn against Merasmus and destroy everything. “My master is coming, and boy does he want to mess you up!” It laughs but not as happy it usually does since it does like the many fights against the humans this untalented wizard put it through. “I hear his voice, no not my real, real master, the magic my real master put in me. That is the master I hear and he tells me to throw all my bombs at you.” It explains Merasmus as it jumps around the confused wizard.

“You didn’t hesitate of doing that in the past.” Merasmus remarks suspiciously of why the book does not want to do that prank this time. “What’s stopping you now?”

“Hey, those were good pranks, no real harm done!” Bombinomicon explains and laughs at the fond memories of it messing with Merasmus by turning the mercs heads into bombs and they ran into the wizard, blowing him up. Ah, good times— “But what dark-magic-master here wants is the kill you for real. And don’t let this get to your head, but I like you, Merasmus. Don’t wanna kill you for real, so I won’t obey master. But uh…” It flies behind the wizard in a sheepish manner. “I cannot help you either, you are on your own on this one.” and it disappears into a pocket dimension.

Before Merasmus can drag bombinomicon out from that dimension, he feels the aura of dark magic. Not the dimension and necromancy dark magic he and other Umbra magicians use; it’s nothing compared to the intruder’s magic. Merasmus summon his staff, wary for a fight. Last time he felt this kind of this chaotic magical aura was when he was in Equestria, standing up against a creature of chaos.
It’s not the chaos spirit though, but a man standing on the nearby hill. If not for the strong dark magic aura, Merasmus would’ve mistaken this person for an ordinary wander, but’s clear this is not some harmless human and ready himself for battle by summoning skeletons of the animals bombinomicon has killed during its bombing rampages. “Raise! Raise from your graves!!” He shouts in his magical voice and points at the intruder, the skeletons and zombie animals charges at the man who doesn't move, not even when the dead animals bite and scratches at him. To Meramus's horror, he realizes that the dead animal's attacks don't do anything against the person! “This is not good…” He muses, now afraid.
Maybe more firepower? Worth the try. He opens a pocket dimension and calls out. “Monoculus! I summon thee! Take out this fool!” The monster eye appears in a burst of booming laughter, takes a moment to orientate itself, then blasts eyes on fire at the intruder.

The intruder gets knocked down by one of the missiles, does quickly jumps on his feet and the next eye projectile the intruder punches back and hits the Monoculus so hard that it rams into the mansion and explodes, taking parts of the building with it as it got banished back into its own pocket dimension.
Merasmus lets out a pained scream as he stood right beside the eye and got hit by its explosion. “Son of a— ARGH!” He cries out when some kind of monster from Monoculus dimension managed to escape cuts him over the leg with its incredibly sharp tail. He swings his staff at this snake monster thing and hit it away so it won’t cut him with its tail. Unfortunately, not having eyes does not make this creature blind, it “stares” at him before it charges as it readies its tail for another strike. Merasmus shoots magic at it but this creature is fast and in mere seconds it jumps at him and slices his chest with its tail. If he has been a young wizard or a human than this would’ve killed him. Still hurts like hell though. "Babmo Bibrundo!" He retaliate and a burst of fire leaves his staff and surrounds the monster. At his luck, this monster is immune to fire as it barely phases it, only heat up its metal like horns and tail, not good. He fires a freezing spell on it, not the full spell hit though, but enough to cool down its metal-like body and gives him enough time to teleport away and summon the Horseless Headless Horseman. The specter attacks the snake monster and the specter does have an advantage. Whatever the bipedal snake is using to sense its surrounding, it cannot “see” the Horseless Headless Horseman and the ghost managed to get several hits in. Not it would kill it, this monster snake is not out of flesh but more like a flexible metal. The Horseless Headless Horseman jerks away when the snake monster gets a lucky hit by its sharp tail and slices off one of its arms, and this makes it hard for the specter to swing its giant ax. The snake desperately tries to find its target and when the specter accidentally steps on it, the snake strikes. Somehow able to slice the ghost up and banish it back to the realm of the death.
Merasmus is really starting to get worried, he is throwing everything he got at it and he’s barely making a dent on that thing! Not better than this dark being is still standing looming on the hill, not sure if he should consider himself lucky or be extra worried that thing hasn’t joined the battle.

The snake trashes around a bit more, not aware it won over the Horseless Headless Horseman, when it does notice the wizard again, it dashes towards the wizard. A familiar scream catches its attention and it stops, snaps around and right when it does, four bombs blows up. It staggers in pain as these bombs were powered by an Element. This gives the wizard enough time to get away and with that ancient old magic user out from its area of sight. The snake turns to the new fighter, staring at the blood pumping through the veins of this human. It twitches its tail in an appetite to get these blood veins of hunger only it understands.

Upon the hill, the shadow turns to the three that have come to defend two in exchange for their immortality of respawn. The shadow chuckles amused by this. “You sacrifice the chance of immortality for a worthless wizard and woman? How…” It takes a moment to get the right word for this. “Unorthodox.”

“I have no idea what the bloody hell you called us.” Demo reloards his grenade launcher and aims again at the shadow’s new pet in the form of a blind snake with front legs, spiked head and a long tail that has sharp blades on each side. Really a freak of nature this thing is. Does not matter, it is going to die. “But you can say that to the devil when I send you down to him!” and fires, the bombs hit right on and the snake lands hard on the ground, now wheezing from the attack powered by the very elements able to defeat these fuckers. Pyro runs over and sends a burst of flames at the shadow, at first the fire does nothing against the shadow but as hoped, the moment the shadow retaliate and makes contact to the firebug. The element appears around her neck and fuel the flamethrower of the element of Hope. That sent the shadow on the run.
In the excitement of watching Pyro fighting the shadow, Demo forgot about the shadow’s pet, that until the monster snake tackles him down and cuts him with that tail.
“Demoman!” Heavy shouts, grabs the snake around the head and hurl it so hard against the ground that Demo swears he got launched a bit up in the air from the vibration of that slam down. He notices to why when he sees the faint pink glow of the element around Heavy’s right hand. Demo completely forgot the big guy never used the crystal bark and thus his power. It’s easy to see that Heavy’s power is super strength, no real surprise though. The snake did get a hit in though, it left a large slash wound over Heavy’s chest, one he needs to get looked at soon or he will bleed out.
The creature begins to thrash, trying desperately to get free from its earthly prison, it will soon too thanks to those claws.
“Where’s Eyelander when you need that old ghost sword.” Demo muses and scans the area for the sword, but it’s nowhere in sight.
A dark laughter makes both him and Heavy look up, on a half-destroyed wall stand the shadow, now in form of what he presumes was a Demoman before him.

“If you want your precious sword back, look no further than the beast at your feet.” and with that, the shadow disappears in a cluster of black gems.

…No way… Demo slowly turns to the thrashing monster snake, is that really… no, it can’t be! Can the Shadow Ponies really do such things?
The creature gets free and goes straight for him, or rather, his head. “Eyelander!” He calls and tries to catch it and perhaps stopping it using the tail to chop his head off. The snake came at him so fast that the impact made them both tumble down onto the ground, he refused to let go of its extended claws though, even when its tail cut his legs. “It’s me, your pal Tavish!” He is not even sure if the shadow spoke the truth, for all he knows; this could just be a feral monster snake that wants to eat him for dinner.
Then, against all odds, the snake stops. Its snarling expression fades, the tail go still and it no longer tries to reach for his neck.
It makes some weird noises as if it's trying to speak. “Eyelander, that’s really you?” Demo asks again, utterly dumbfounded when the creature, at first befuddled as if it has just realized its current situation, then slowly it nods. “Bloody hell…” Demo gasps, he can’t believe his own eye of what the Shadow Pony did to his ghost sword!
He does snap out from his daze of the sound a wall breaking down, snapping him back to the fact that part of the mansion got destroyed in the fight. Pushing the snake monster Eyelander off, Demo runs over to the half-destroyed mansion, fearing the worst that his mother is in the wrecked as she liked to sit in that area. “Mom! Mom!” He calls desperately and begins to search through the destroyed wall and room.
He tries to remove a large chunk of a wall but can’t even lift the bloody thing. Suddenly it leaves the ground so quickly that Demo jumps back, looking up he sees Heavy hold the destroyed wall as if it weighed nothing. The two simply exchange a quick nod before Demo is back at searching again, calling for his mother.

Miss Pauling, who has been keeping her distance during the fight, slowly approaches now the battle is over. She notices the wrecked mansion and she hurries over to check on the damage caused by the fight. Does stop a moment to stare at the weird snake creature that stands almost awkwardly at the once battlefield. Ignoring the seemly harmless creature, she walks over to help, passing Pyro who has found Merasmus and pokes the wizard who has disguised himself as a bush.

“Tavish? Since when did you get home?”

Everyone snaps their head up and sees Demo’s mother, hair filled with debris dust and she does have a few scrapes as she had been near the blast, yet somehow didn’t get buried or hit by a brick. She stops right before the destroyed wall and asks. “Did this wall get destroyed? Have you been practicing close to the house again?”

Demo lets out a choked sound from the relief his mother is alright. “Ay I did, sorry for that mom.” He speaks still quite chocked up but is unable to stop smiling when she smiles almost proudly and leaves with: “Be sure to clean up and get a new wall set up too. Do not want any critter inside the house.”
“Yes mom.” Demo calls back and laughs, not really sure at what though. He does stop and slowly turns back to the transformed Eyelander, not sure how to tackle this very unexpected outcome.

**half hour later**

Out from the camper, the hare jumps out. It sits still for a moment, listening for any sound if the battle is still going. When it hears none, it starts moving in closer, stops again near the mansion, watches Miss Pauling recommend where Heavy should put the many pieces of the destroyed wall. The hare walks over to them and quickens its pace when passing the two so they don’t accidentally stumble or drop a wall onto it. It leaps over the debris and into the living room, does stop for a moment and stares as if trying to comprehend the sight of Pyro playing fetch with a skeleton cousin of this hare. The snow hare does quickly snap out from its confused daze and it jumps further into the mansion. It trots over to the dining table and stops right beside Eyelander. The monster snake doesn’t react on it, completely unable to see the hare which is allowing a certain man to listen onto the conversation Demo and Medic have with Merasmus.

“What? A Tree of Harmony has grown in this world?” Merasmus asks in disbelief of what the Scot has told him on how they were able to defeat one of what he now understand was one of Disharmony's shadows. A being not even the most powerful witch or wizard ever can defeat. “How is that possible?”

“The scientists… who created respawn… used… the banished Elements as the liquid… to make us… continue to be put back together…” Medic explains from his seat and must admit that the simple walk from the camper to the mansion was a struggle, but at least he can still walk so that’s a win.

Demo nods and further explains to the startled wizard. “And for some reason, those of us who survived the one-year death trial, we can get a certain power if we touch the tree.” Which makes him wonder if team Vanguard is doing well in saving the alpha respawn from whatever assault it is under? “I do wonder if the others can keep it safe”

“FOOLS!” Merasmus shouts at the two, now understanding the whole deal of why a shadow of Disharmony got so involved into a fight. Everyone in the mansion turns to him in confusion, he’s too angry about these idiots blunder to care, though. “This is what they wanted! The Shadow Ponies used your bonds to force you away from what is most important: the Tree of Harmony! That’s why it turned your ghost sword against you!” He shouts at them aggravated, nodding to the monster snake. Meramus turns back to the once sword’s owner. “You better pray this other team can protect it; or you will lose the only power able to withstand the Dark Forces and you have doomed both worlds into a new era of darkness!!”

Putting down the large chunk of the wall. “What wizard talk about?” Heavy asks confused on what Merasmus means of a new era of darkness.
The wizard sighs loudly and explains them in a surprisingly hard tone. “Long before any of you were born– about 1000 years ago. Past bearers of the remaining elements fought against the very forces you are currently up against. I do not know why, but no matter what those bearers did, the Dark Forces kept gaining strength and soon the heroes were destroyed. I helped Celestia and Luna in this fight, but we stood no chance against the powers of evil. Only when we took the crystals of the Tree of Harmony we were able to stand against the Shadow Ponies creations.” He points at the silver necklace around Demo’s neck. “What you have is only the shards but still enough to fight against the dark forces. HOWEVER, these shards are useless without the tree. And because you didn’t see the bigger picture and instead went to save two lives, you might’ve doomed us all!”

No one speaks, what Merasmus said have shaken up some of them, thinking that they did the wrong choice. However one of them does quickly get over it. Pyro takes off her gas masks and tells the wizard. “If respawn gets destroyed, we will find another way to fight the Shadow Pony.” She smiles and for once looks normal for the remaining mercs. “We always have.” They have already found a way to defeat whatever enemy they have been facing, the Shadow Ponies are simply harder to kill, that’s all.

Merasmus sights, he do at times forget these mercs are idiots… “There is no other way.”

Well, this is interesting new facts, the whole reason they were chosen to bear the elements is that the alpha respawn needs bodyguards. Not the reason he thought but Medic can take it. He does also think they got chosen to keep the true bearers safe as well, they are all adept fighters after all. Speaking on the Alpha respawn. “We should… contact… team vanguard… hear if we… need to worry if we… can no longer be reckless… with our lives…” Good grief, why does even talking take all the energy from him? It’s bad enough he can barely move and what he caught on: a silly cold can kill him. Oh, he will be so mad if a cold is what ends his life.

Miss Pauling dial the team’s radio code and tries to get in contact with them by her long ranged phone. She didn’t get anyone at first, but after an hour of constantly calling, she finally got hold on Vanguard’s female engineer and Chio reports to them about the fate of the alpha respawn. ”It was Grey who assaulted the building, we got rid of the robots and saved the respawn but unfortunately; as we’re not used of doing frontal assault… respawn took quite the beating.” A moment of silence and she explains them further about the issue. “You should be careful out there, the respawn zones are still there but smaller and I don’t think it can put someone together who has been blown up. It just does not have the power for it and no matter what we do, it won't gain more power.”

“It needs the crystals.” Merasmus speaks, pointing at the shards around Demoman’s neck. “They are the source of power to the tree.”

”Well, then we need to get those.” Chio remarks from the radio ”Where do we find them?”

Demo looks down to the necklace and with a frown. “The Elements are in Equestria.”

“Then that’s where you will be going if you wish to restore respawn.” Merasmus tells them.

Seems like they will be going back to the pony world, Miss Pauling does not really look forward to it but if it means to restore the respawn, then so be it. Respawn is what makes them able to stand up against Grey's robot army and if she knows Helen right, they soon will have to fight her too, which will be tricky without the respawn. “Can you tell Ignis he should come to these coordinates?” She asks the female engineer and gives the woman their coordinates. Engineer promises she will and they end the call.
Miss Pauling turns to the remaining mercs of Team Fortress. “We better get that wall repaired.”
Heavy, Demo and Pyro nods and they head over to repair the destroyed wall. Demo does, however, stop to cast a look Miss Pauling can only describe as the worry for his mother, she does not need to ask what troubles him. The brief fight with the Shadow Pony has proven that Merasmus cannot keep his mother safe.

Author's Note

don't ask me why I made Eyelander into a monster snake, as I have no idea, only that I doodled such a creature and though "that's looks neat" and for some reason wanted it to be part of this fanfiction.

Eyes for the Sight

Note: I have been quite stressed lately thanks to school, so sorry if there are many grammar mistakes in this chapter.

this happens a couple of hours after the last chapter.

**evening**

Ignis arrived and after Merasmus have explained to him the situation that the mercs have to go back to Equestria in order to get the Elements in order to repair the tree powering the alpha respawn. Ignis agrees to teleport them but a problem has come up. Not about them coming back to the human world, Merasmus will make the recalling spell again. No, Demo is refusing to leave his mother behind.

“That Shadow Pony is still out for her blood and I can’t rest easy knowing she might be killed when I return.” He tells the others and did highly consider taking her with him to Equestria but that world is filled with Shadow Ponies and some large beasts as well, plus he doesn’t think it will be fair for a blind old woman to get used to walking on four legs plus hooves. No, as much as he hates it, she will be safest in this world but they need the power of the elements to get rid of that devil shadow for good. Turning to the wizard, one Demo must say did a good job keeping his mother safe. “Merasmus, don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for the protection you gave mom, but—“

“I know, even with my magic. I stand no chance against the shadow of Disharmony.” Merasmus interrupts the man friendly, that fight sure was a clear proof of that.

Demo nods and turns back to Eyelander. “Right, what hope does anyone have against something that can turn a sword into a beast?” Speaking of which: “Any chance to revert Eyelander back to its sword form?”
Merasmus shrugs. “I have no idea. Never been good at transfiguration magic, but there is perhaps one issue I can fix.” He points out what’s the biggest problem with Eyelander’s current form. “Your sword’s new form is blind, it cannot see.”

“Other than where our necks are...” Demo remarks under his breath. Eyelander jerks its head at his direction, having a smug grin over its toothy face. The lack of sight, however, was the reason why the former sword didn’t recognize him. “Alright, so we need to give Eyelander eyes so it can see what the bloody hell is going on around it.” Merasmus nods. “That’s correct.”

“Would love to… do the… procedure but…” Medic laughs weakly up to Demo. “technical issues… with my body…” So doing an eye operation has to wait until he has gained more strength.

“There is another way, and well… you might not like it.” Merasmus hates to bring this up but it might come in handy for the both of them. Demo eyes him confused. “What is it, wizard?”
Merasmus summons a small Monoculus in his palm, not surprisingly the scot does not recognize it's connection to him. “It has changed a lot from both Bombinomicon’s magic and been in the pocket dimension I put it in throughout the years but this: is the eye bombinomicon possessed, this is your eye.”

Demo’s eye wide in shock of what he is seeing, that monster eye the wizard has more than once summoned during their Halloween fights has been his eye? That’s quite a mouthful and yet he does get over the surprise rather quickly.
Does still leave a question: “I presume you are not planning on giving it back to me?”
Merasmus lets out an exasperated sigh. “And let bombinomicon get you as its plaything? No, you will have to live without a second eye. Even if you somehow got yourself a new eye, it wouldn’t work.”

“Explains why… the monster eye… keeps appearing every time… I gave him a… new eye.” Medic remarks from his seat, completely ignoring the dumbfounded look the scot gives him. He stopped trying giving Demo an eye on the third try, there is only so many times he wants the infirmary wrecked by a giant eye that shoot projectiles everywhere.

Pushing the doctor’s words aside, Merasmus tells Demo. “I will be able to give your once sword this as it’s eye. It will give it a connection to bombinomicon but I don’t fret it will do more harm.” Adding as he hands him the miniature Monoculus. “I'll let you decide if you wish to give your once eye to the sword or it will have to stay blind.”

Demo takes the eye, weighing it in his hand. It’s quite surreal he’s holding his lost eye, and it is looking right back at him. Well, it’s not like he can reclaim it anymore so… why not put it to good use? Demo turns to face Eyelander, who has its head turned towards him with a rather indifferent look about this whole topic. He kneels down before it. “Do you have any say in this?” He asks the once sword, well aware Eyelander is not one to keep its mouth shut about things and he thinks his blade deserves that much.
Eyelander keeps staring at his direction, it’s tail swings from side to side, leaving marks on the floor from the blades. Then, slowly it nods.
Demo turns back to Merasmus and the wizard tells him. “Put the eye where you wish, the magic will do the rest.” Right then.
Demo grabs Eyelander’s metallic head and pushes the eye right in the middle of its head. Magic surrounds the spot, an eyesocket form and it claims the eye. For a moment Demo watches fascinated the magic connects the eye to Eyelander’s head. When the magic fades, the monoculus attached to its forehead, staring at him. “Feeling better you can see properly now?” He asks the once sword. Eyelander smirks and nods.
Now with that small issue fixed, Demo gets on his feet, claps Eyelander on the head and turns to Ignis, asking the alicorn. “Can you bring mom to team Vanguard?” When the alpha respawn regains its strength, then that team is best suited to keep his mother safe. The alicorn raises a brow but does, fortunately, agree on his request. “As you wish.” and the alicorn adds to Merasmus. “Perhaps you should come with me as well, the tree could need a wizard’s of the night protection.”

“I will go with you, but first I need to finish a brew I promised a spoiled Lux witch.” Merasmus replies and is still quite sullen about that part but he will do it as it will gain him a favor from a Lux, even if this Lux is lazy Aramis. He turns to Demoman. “If you stay for a few days, I can put a spell on a mailbox and by it send you letters on how things are going with your mother.”

“Sounds like… the book… I have with Twilight.” Medic remarks. Heavy joins them and replies to him smiling. “Mailbox between worlds is very good. Keep contact and not worry who read letter.” That Medic can agree on, the book he has with Twilight does not hide what they have written to one another so he really had to be careful who found it as some of the conversations he made with Twilight were quite private.
The two watches Demo nods to Merasmus that he would like this dimension mailbox and so the wizard goes straight to work. Medic turns his gaze back to his own dimension book, opens it and writes to Twilight.
’A heads-up Twilight, I, Heavy, Pyro and Demo will arrive in your world.’ Right underneath the updates Heavy wrote to her about his recovery has been going. She was both angry and scared when Misha told her he almost died for real when he used magic way past his limit. Was worth it though, Medic thinks as he glances up to Misha who has let a bit of a beard grow with that new hair of his. Does quite suit him.
His attention returns back to the book when letters start to arrive.
‘I look forward to seeing you again, do think it’s best you and Heavy stay at my place. At least until you have fully recovered. Oh and prepare yourself: Pinkie Pie is planning on giving you a welcome party.’ He rolls his eyes at that last sentence.

****

The next couple of days is spent by the mercs on repairing the mansion, Demo spending time with his mother, Merasmus doing his share of spells on the two mailboxes, Ignis is standing watch for the Shadow Pony and Eyelander is keeping bombinomicon entertained and no one is really surprised those two sentient artifacts got quite friendly with one another.
No one really paid the pet hare much mind, that until it suddenly started to speak. She introduced herself as Iclyn and the partner for White Death.

“Why talk now?” Heavy asks, like the others, he’s not really dumbfounded about the fact this hare can talk. Fighting wizards, clones of oneself, being in a world dominated by ponies and defying death daily does that he is quite open-minded to such things. The attic hare turns around to him and she replies with her husky yet feminine voice. “I have to be sure you were the right people. Most other folks would’ve done tests on me for talking.” That is a very legit reason and one Heavy fully understands, does however still not explain why Iclyn decided to speak around them. Fortunately, she enlightens them from that mystery. “I’m here to bring you news about your sniper: he is alive.”
This catches them off guard, everyone fully believed Sniper to be death.

“Where is he?” Miss Pauling asks, Sniper is not the type who abandons the team unless he has a very good reason.

Iclyn’s ears aim right at her while the head only slightly turns. “Because of his severe wounds, White Death brought him to Equestria where the magic of that world saved his life. Your sniper requested to stay there but asked my companion to relay this message; hence why I am here.” She explains the group of people.

“Thanks for the information, lassie.” Demo thanks the hare, she nods and with: “Best of luck.” The talking hare runs off, probably to join her companion. With her gone, Demo asks the others curious about Iclyn. “Ya think she’s from another world?”

“Most likely.” Medic replies, he would’ve heard about talking animals if they were a thing in this world. He wouldn’t mind having a talking bird. “Quite fascinating really… I wouldn’t mind… see her homeworld.” He points out and if they see White Death or his snow hare companion again, he will be sure to ask that question.

Heavy chuckles at Josef wanting to see more worlds than the one they soon will return back to. “Is pony world not enough?” Josef laughs weakly. “If giving…. the chance, I wouldn’t say… no to see a… new world.” He remarks with that glint in his eyes Heavy only sees when something has sparked his curiosity.

****
Late afternoon Merasmus returns from his crypt with a seemly ordinary mailbox and explains as he hands it to Demo. “Whatever gets put in this mailbox will arrive at the one I have. Don’t attempt with living creatures; it will kill them.” Demo nods and after have attached it to his back, he walks over to the sofa where his mother is sitting. “I’ll be leaving now mom.” His mother nods and smiles up to his direction. “You make me and your dad so proud, take your works so diligently. You do remember to include the family tradition in your jobs?”
He simply replies. “Yes, mom.” and kisses her on the forehead. “Take care and remember to write. Mr. Butler will send me the letters.”

“Oh, alright.” She rolls her head as if she only does it because he asks but deep down she is glad to be able writing to her son.

With that, Demo, with Eyelander following him walks over to the others and Heavy, letting Medic use his arm as support nods to Ignis and the alicorn cast his fire spell.

**Equestria**

Inside Everfree Forest, at a small glade having a lake, a certain half-changeling walks out from the darker part of the forest and Scout stops on a rock, staring rather dumbfounded at his new appearance. He does jump when flames suddenly burst out from nowhere and when they disappear, a familiar group of ponies and single dragon lie near the water. Scout stares a few second at the just arrived group before he walks over to them. Noticing the grayish blue pelt of Miss Pauling and feels sorry of what he is certain has happened to her, Scout stops and offers her his hoof. “You alright there Miss Pauling?”

Miss Pauling does not take the offered hoof, she would’ve if she hasn’t been so startled. At first, she didn’t think this ochre with sun yellow back was him, but the voice made it pretty clear and taking an extra look she can see this is indeed Scout. The face is the same and so is the messy hair— but like his body, it has drastically changed color. The before dark red hair is now amber red and the large dents on his legs are completely gone, on his chest is a pale blue like orb that seems to shine in the sun. She can’t help but stare at this huge change on Scout.

Scout is not really surprised by this reaction, hell, he too is quite surprised by his change, hence why he came here to get a better look. “I know I look handsome, no need speak about it” He teases her and that snaps her out from he dumbfounded staring. Miss Pauling backs away, does stumble from being forced to walk on four again. "That's... quite the change." She muses and he can only whole heartly agree.

“Bloody hell, that’s you Scout?” Demo asks greatly surprised at Scout’s new form. “Who threw a bucket of paint on you lad?”

“My changeling side that’s who!” Scout calls back laughing and spread out his now bigger wings, revealing that the undersides are pale blue like the gem on his chest with sky blue spots in the middle and tips of the feathers. Demo laughs at his response and pokes him friendly on the shoulder. “Girls gonna chase you around.” Scout smirks as that has already happened, but well… his smile fades when his brown eyes land on the woman he wishes would return his feelings. Sure she finds him attractive but Scout has learned from his father that looks aren’t everything. His attention on Miss Pauling gets drawn away when Pyro pulls off the mask— which looks both weird and scary on her dragon face— and with it off looks at him, her eyes wide and has a joy that scares Scout.

“So pretty~!”

“Don’t you dare!!” Scout tries to warn her but it’s not like the firebug ever listens to him and he has to take the run for it unless he wants to get crushed by Pyro’s hug. “I’m too handsome to die like this!” He cries and it’s not like the others are any help, they are busier laughing at the whole thing. “Some help here! Mumbles is trying to fricking kill me!”

“Keep running and you won’t die!” Demo calls back at the chase between their speedster and firebug, still chuckling he turns back to the couple. Heavy does have a bit of trouble supporting the doc now he no longer has hands. “Need help with doc?” Heavy eyes him and nods, Demo notices the now scarlet big guy has a strange gleam in his eyes and curious to why he walks past Eyelander (whose look hasn't changed) and steps over to Medic who really struggles to get up on his white hooves.
The doctor’s legs give in and he collapses onto the ground, revealing a pair of white wings with grey tips as they spread out in an attempt to sooth the fall. Demo stops dead in his track, unable to stop staring at the new limbs Medic got from who knows where, can’t beat Scout’s change but still, doc looks like an alicorn with those wings! And taking an extra look, he realizes Medic is now taller than him in his pony form. “Bloody hell…” Medic looks up to him, then glances at his new limps, musing something but the doc’s voice is both too low and it's German so Demo has no idea what the unico— uh alicorn said.

“Demo, help me.”

Heavy’s voice snaps Demo out from his shocked stupor. “Oh right.” Takes him a moment to remember how to use magic and when he does, he levitates Medic up on Heavy’s broad back. “Any idea how you got those wings?” He asks the doctor but the answer has to wait, Medic is too exhausted and looks ready to sleep on Heavy’s back.
Maybe the ponies can explain this, but since he is not known in what he presumes is Everfree forest, he walks over to make Pyro stop trying to kill their speedster so Scout can guide them our from the forest.

**Next day. Ponyville**

Pinkie Pike is at full work over at the Main Hall, she wants to make the welcome party the greatest so their returned friends and partners will know how glad everypony is to see them again.
She has asked Rarity, Applejack, Demo and Engineer to help her with the decoration and what kind of food the other world creatures would like to their “Welcome Back” party.

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle returns from the hospital with ways how to help Medic do a full recovery from having almost killed himself by going past his magical limit, she is not as angry as she would’ve been since he did do it to save several lives. So to be honest, she is proud he decided to risk his own life in order to save others. Twilight heads down to Golden Oak’s cellar, the laboratory equipment has been pushed over to the wall, allowing Medic and Heavy; who is working as his caretaker to have a bed and the equipment used to train Medic back to his former strength. “I spoke with the doctor about your insomnia, these should help you get proper sleep.” Twilight explains him and levitates over the bottle with the pills she got from the other doctor pony. Plus a book the doctor pony lent her in case Medic wishes to read up on why his magic is not working properly.

Medic tries to take the two things by magic but quickly stops trying when he gets a nasty headache and he almost cut the book in half. So instead he takes them by mouth and puts them on the nearby desk. “Danke Twilight.” and turns back to her, and since he's not feeling up to explain why he has trouble sleeping. He instead decides to take the subject on the small conversation they made about her new role as royalty through the dimension book. “How are your new studies going?” He asks her.
Twilight shift uncomfortable on her hooves, Misha must’ve sensed she didn’t wish to speak with him around as he quietly leaves the room. Waiting a few more moments, Medic speaks again. “It still troubles you?”
Through their letters to one another by that book, Twilight Sparkle had told him she wasn’t confident if Celestia made the right choice. She had back then changed the subject by writing he has become an alicorn as well but wouldn’t be granted a crown. Medic fully understands why; he has realized that he does not do well with such power. That’s why he wasn’t that surprised to see he got wings when he returned to this world.
He struggles up on his hooves and slowly walks over to the seemly close to tears Twilight. “Tell me… what troubles you.” He commands her, this push is what needed to make her open up.

“I… I don’t think I would be right for this title. I don’t know how to rule!” Twilight cries her worries out after have held them back from what felt like ages. She is afraid of the many mistakes she could do to her future subjects and what about the alicorn magic now coursing through her? She saw what that kind of power did to other unicorns, so who to say it soon won’t happen to her? “What if this alicorn magic corrupts me?” She asks Medic fearfully. “What if it corrupts you? Turn you into that horrible person again?” She can’t bear the thought of her friend loses himself to this power merely because he is her partner.

“It won’t.” Medic replies calmly.

“But what if—“

“It won’t.” Medic repeats, harder this time. Twilight stares confused at him, and he sits down beside the scared uni- well she is— he too is an alicorn now. That’s not the point. Twilight stronger magic won’t change who she is, her good heart won’t let this power go to her head and if it ever does. “I won’t allow it.” He tells his partner- his friend more genuine than he has ever said anything to her before. “You are too good… of a person to fall to my level… I may never fully understand… why I got chosen to be… your partner… but if it means to save you from corruption, then that… is what I will do.” Controlling his wings is way easier than he thought, it almost likes having an extra pair of arms, which does come in handy. Medic folds a wing over her shoulder, meeting her fearful purple eyes with his steel-blue. “I am not worried… this power will affect you for the worse… You have this irritating… ability to inspire people to do… better. Just look at me!” He points at himself by hoof. “I threw out the mad scientist… in exchange for your friendship… and trust me." He smirks down to her. "No one… has ever succeeded that before.” and tries to hide his annoyance that simply talking is tiring him out.

Twilight laughs, for real this time. She is still afraid of the role of royalty given to her will get to her head, but she thinks, in time both she and her friends will get past this new title and return back to being simply friends again. She learns against his shoulder. “Thanks Medic, I really needed to hear that” She muses with a faint smile.

They didn’t notice Heavy has returned, not before his deep voice cut through their cheerful chat. “Party is ready.”
Medic looks up to the door and does wonder if it will be smart to go to a party in his current condition? Twilight seems to be thinking the same as she asks: “You think you can handle it? No offense, but you can barely walk, your immunity to bacteria is busted and don’t get me started on your magic!” She exclaims and accidentally hit him with her own wings.
more amused than annoyed about this, Medic pushed down the feathery limp. “None taken. To be honest… I do not feel up to a party.” He rather wants a nap, but sleeping has been more than hard lately...

“I will tell Pinkie you don’t feel well.” Twilight replies, fully understanding his reason. Medic is still weak and even on a healthy day, he can only stay near Pinkie Pie for a short time.
She leaves and allows Heavy to walk downstairs, figuring the two would like some time alone.

Heavy watches Twilight closes the door before he walks over to Medic who looks like he’s about to fall asleep, no real surprise there, simple things take a lot out from him and there will go a while before Josef has regained his former strength.
Walking over to the bed, Heavy gently touches the white alicorn’s head, he did wake Josef but instead of return the tender touch… the doctor flinches away. This not only hurt Heavy but confuses him as well. “Doctor?”
Medic meets his eyes, regret and something else he does not recognize before Josef lowers his gaze. Heavy is not sure what has caused this but he would like to help. “What is wrong?” He asks.
Medic still refuses to meet his eyes when he weakly speaks. “… I know the… cause… of the… nightmares…” Heavy titles his head, for Medic made it sounds like it is a really bad thing. “That is good, da? Now you know how fix problem.” Those night terrors look to have gotten worse, Heavy might not be a doctor, but he knows that going about with sleep is really bad for one’s health and Josef has barely gotten any since he woke from his coma.

….Yes, he knows how to fix the problem… but if he fixes it… Medic looks at the scarlet horse of the man he fell in love with— if he fixes the source to the nightmares then… he no longer will be able to love Misha…
Life is truly a cruel thing.

Author's Note

now we finally have all of the mercs back to Equestria, with some changes. but I do hope those changes will not make you quit the story.

Attempt to Stop Winter

Note: This happens a month after the last chapter.
made from the episode "Tanks for the Memories"

Ponyville is preparing for winter by taking down the leaves by the yearly race. This time Rainbow Dash didn’t race as she is way more interested in the upcoming winter. This winter feels special for her because this will be the first one she will spend with her pet tortoises Tank. “Once we get autumn cleared away, it'll be hello, winter!” She declares to the flying tortoises and lands on a cloud, to her disappointment, Tank is not as thrilled as she had hoped. The tortoises yawn instead. “Was that a yawn I just saw?” Tank responses with another yawn.
Leaving the cloud, Rainbow Dash grabs Tank, demanding. “How can you be tired when the most exciting time of the year is right around the corner? And don't forget the best part –“ She throws up him higher into the air in her excitement. “Our first winter together!” But again, Tank is not showing any sign of excitement. Rainbow flies over to him and nudges the tortoises awake. “Come on, wake up!” Tank wakes but not by much, maybe he will when she tells her pet what she has planning they will do in their first winter. “We'll have a ton of snow for our extreme sledding!” She can see it, them sliding down the snowy hill with such a speed that those standing nearby will be covered in their snow trail. Rainbow grabs Tank and points at the lake that in a matter of days will be frozen solid. “And over there, we can play horse hockey.” Adding. “With no shoulder or arm pads!” For a cool pony like her does not need such things and there is a reason why she called her pet Tank.
But again, Tank seems more interested in a nap than the plans she has for their winter. This is starting to worry her, so Rainbow Dash decides to ask Fluttershy what is wrong with her pet.

**Fluttershy's cottage**

“There you go.” Fluttershy gives the newly fallen leaves to the skunks so they can make a comfortable bed for their long sleep. Then she flies over to check on Heavy who has offered to help her out tucking the animals that soon will be sleeping the winter away. “How is it going?” She asks him about the task of sweeping the remaining leaves into the den for Harry, her companion bear.
Heavy let's go of the boom in his mouth. “Almost done.” and looks at Harry that hums in agreement, holding an armful of leaves. Fluttershy is happy to see that Heavy has gotten good friends with Harry and has also been helping his sister Zhanna to understand that all the animals living near the cottage are—

“Fluttershy! Something is wrong with Tank!”

Fluttershy jumps in her startle from Rainbow Dash sudden arrival. Recovering, she eyes the close to sleeping tortoises to then at Rainbow Dash’s worried expression. “Take him inside.” She requests and Rainbow speeds inside the hut, Fluttershy turns to Heavy. “When you are finished, could you feed the birds?” She requests.
Heavy glances to the many feeding spots for the birds and muses. “Will spill seeds.” and she replies. “That’s okay, the birds will figure it out.” and Fluttershy flies into her cottage. Here she checks Tank’s heartbeat.

“Well?!” Rainbow Dash asks impatiently.

“I suppose his heartbeat could be a teensy-weensy-eensy bit slower than usual... “ Fluttershy replies and Rainbow, thinking that is something to be worried about tells her. “Okay, so give him a vitamin or something!” Fluttershy eyes the tortoises, sleeping on the soft pillow. It’s pretty clear what is going on with him. “I don't think he needs that.” And before she can tell Rainbow what is going on with her pet, Rainbow Dash comes up with her own conclusion. “Maybe we're just staying up too late. Uh, too many Daring Do stories.” And pets her tortoises, it pleases Fluttershy to see that her athletic friend is willing to show her softer side around her pet. “Oh, that's not it either.” She replies and has to step back when Rainbow Dash flies a tad too close to her face, demanding. “Well, what's wrong with him then?!”
“Nothing! He's perfectly fine.” She assures her and Rainbow Dash lets out a sigh of relief and leans up against her sleeping pet. With her calmer, Fluttershy can finally explain: “He's just going to hibernate.”

Wait what? “You do realize he's not a bear, right?” Rainbow points out. Fluttershy giggles and explains while she picks a book from her shelf. “When the weather grows cold and less food is available, many animals hibernate to conserve energy.” She shows her pictures of both rabbits and bears doing this hibernate thing. “It's like taking a really long nap during winter, and then they wake up in spring.” Fluttershy flips the page and shows her a picture having a tortoise as Tank sleeping in an earthy den. “And see? Even tortoises do it! When the time comes, Tank will leave and dig into the ground.”
Rainbow Dash stares at the picture and the words of Fluttershy ring through her head. Tank will leave her? For this hibernating?

“But don't worry. He'll reappear when the spring sun warms the ground back up.” Fluttershy assures her friend but to her great surprise, Rainbow Dash straight out denies this fact.

“Come on! Tortoises don't hibernate! Somepony put that picture in there as a joke.” Rainbow Dash retorts and slams the book shut, she refuses to accept that Tank will leave her for this weird hibernating.

“It’s not a joke.” Fluttershy points out but Rainbow Dash won’t hear of it. “Rainbow Dash, Tank needs to hibernate.“ She tells her friend, Tank will suffer if he stays awake during winter, a Tortoises like him cannot produce their own body heat so they hibernate for the winter. “It's healthy for him, just like sleeping is healthy for us.” She tries to explain for Rainbow Dash but the other pegasus did not seem to understand as she snorts a laugh and with a bit rude thanks she leaves the cottage. “Where are you going?” Fluttershy asks confused.

“To get a second opinion from a real reptile expert.” Rainbow replies and flies off to find someone who can tell her that Tank won’t be hibernating.
She visits Spike at the Golden Oak Library, he’s not alone though. Fortunately, it’s not Twilight, she is too busy cleaning up autumn with the others. Nope, the one staying cooked up inside is Medic, he does not take the increasing cold that well, plus like his partner: is a giant egghead. Bit weird not see him and Heavy together though, but Rainbow Dash does not really pay it much mind as she has bigger things to worry about.
Ignoring the white un- eh alicorn, Rainbow Dash asks for Spike opinion about Tank’s well being.

Those questions coming from Rainbow Dash feels quite insulting, more so when she does not get the huge difference between him and Tank. “I told you, Rainbow Dash, I'm a drake!” Spike tells her annoyed. But of course, Rainbow does not hear him.

“Come on! You're practically twins!”

Spike deadpan the sleeping tortoises besides him and is not amused Rainbow thought they are alike. “I have more things in common with Gable than Tank.” Spike points out and groans when Rainbow asks, again not listing to him. “But if you don't have to hibernate, why should Tank?!” and he exclaims now really annoyed. “Because he's a tortoise and I'm a drake— a dragon and dragons do not hibernate!”

“Same family though, right?”

“NO!” Spike shouts and is happy Medic is willing to lend him a hoof on this.

“Unfortunately Spike hasn’t permitted me to investigate if his fire is what makes him warm-blooded.” Medic remarks, can’t help but grin from the wary look said dragon gives him. Anyway back to Rainbow Dash’s small issue. “But with Fluttershy’s talent with animals, then I assure you; if she says tortoises hibernate, then I guarantee tortoises hiber—“ “Well, what would you know?! You’re not her partner!” Rainbow Dash angrily interrupts him and before he can retort back, the blue pegasus has left with her pet.
Blinking of this aggression from Rainbow Dash, Medic turns to Spike but the young drake can only shrug in his own confusion of why Rainbow Dash did not want to hear them out.

**Next day**

Almost every one of the group is now outside and helping to prepare for the fast approaching winter.
Rainbow Dash is too, but she’s still set on having a grand winter with her pet tortoise. She pushes the big clouds filled with snow to its spot like any other pegasi. “These things are heavy! Chock full of snowflakes! We're gonna have such a killer time in the snow, Tank.” She tells her pet, then notices her tortoise is not flying behind her like he did not long ago. She spots Tank on the ground, digging a hole. “Tank!”

Seeing that Tank is about to sleep the winter over, Pinkie Pie trots over. “Aww, look at the cute wittle Tankie, all snuggly-wuggly, getting ready to hibern—“ “Don't say that word!” Rainbow Dash roars and yanks up Tank from the ground. Pinkie jerks away in surprise but like always she recovers quickly and asks in her cheerful self. “Which one? "Snuggly"? "Wuggly"? "Tankie"? "Hibernate"?”

Rainbow slams a hoof on Pinkie’s mouth. “That one!” Pinkie Pie removes her hoof, pointing out. “I was just saying how cute he—“ but that is nothing cute about that word. “If you think hiber... – you know.” She can’t make herself say that horrible word. “That napping thing – is so cute, why don't you go do it?!” She shoves Pinkie away, shouting after her. “Somewhere far away from here!” She then notices that Pinkie Pie wasn’t alone, most of the other bearers— plus her own are there, now staring at her. “What are you looking at?!” She yells angrily at them for staring at her like that. “Pinkie Pie and I are just having a conversation!”

Heavy shakes his head, he heard from Fluttershy that Rainbow Dash is for some refusing her pet to go through hibernating. He might not be as smart on animals like his partner but even he knows that if an animal wants to hibernate then it should. “Rainbow pony is silly, get upset over small such pet want hiber—“ Pinkie hushes him, clinging to his neck. “Don't say that word! That's what started this all!” She whispers and yells at the same time.

While Heavy is giving Pinkie a weird look, Twilight Sparkle tries to reason with her very upset friend. “We all know how upset you are about Tank. But you shouldn't take your anger out on your friends.” And Rainbow practically explodes. “Who said anything about anger?! I didn't say anything about anger! I'm not upset! And I am not angry! Do I look angry?!” She demands, looking ready to explode again.

“You look angrier than a drunk wasp with a bomb on its back.” Demo replies while the others have a look that clearly reveals that his words suit Rainbow’s denial of being angry. He's not really surprised that Rainbow Dash starts shouting again, but do wish she didn't do it at his face. “I told you I am not angry!” and she speeds over to her pet. “Come on, Tank! Let's get out of here!”

With Rainbow gone, Applejack think she knows what is going on, she has quite the personal experience about loss but… it does not make much sense. “Denial and then anger. Sounds like she is going through the grieving progress but...” She turns to Fluttershy in confusion. “Why would she do that for Tank? It’s not like he is dying.” Fluttershy shrugs with a quiet. “I tried to tell her he will wake up at spring but… I don’t think she heard me…”
Sadly there isn't much they can do about it since Rainbow Dash is clearly not in the talking mood, so they decide to get back to work.
Applejack does take notice that Sniper keeps glances to where Rainbow Dash flew off too but something is keeping him from going after her. She does wonder why but know that it's not really her business.

**At Rainbow’s home.**

“I need you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, not sleepy-eyed and scaly-tailed!” Rainbow Dash exclaims to her sleeping pet. “Which... is exactly what you are. But get up anyway!” She cries out loud, but Tank didn’t do that, he’s busier being tired and closer to the dreaded hibernation. “You can't hiber–“ she stops herself from saying the word, afraid saying it will make it happen. “…You know. What about all the primo things we're gonna do together this winter?” Rainbow Dash asks Tank and lists up all the things she had planned for them to do: “Building snow ponies, starting snowball fights, sipping hot cider by the fire.” All broken by the tortoise snoring. “Don't you wanna do those things with me?!” She yells as she takes all of this as a sign Tank does not want to be with her.
Tank snaps out of his sleepy state for only just a moment to give her a smile… then falls back asleep. So Tank wants to be with her but this hibernating thing is what keeps him from doing it? “So Tank's only hibernating because it's cold, right?” Rainbow Dash eyes her sleeping pet and muses to herself. “Well, I'd rather have him awake in the heat than asleep in the cold...” and in order for him to be awake, it has to be warm which means… she gasps in realizing. ”I just have to stop winter!” She exclaims and although it is wrong; she much rather wants it to stay summer than having to say goodbye to her beloved pet.

Outside, everyone in Ponyville is cleaning up and preparing for winter. The pegasi doing most of the work as they all have the magic over the weather.
The turned humans that have wings help on that part too, just as they did last year as well.
Soldier pushes one of the many snow-filled clouds to the sky, then stops when he realizes he has no idea where these clouds should be located. So he turns to the nearest pony and asks. “What’s the location for these clouds?”
“Over by Clear Sky.” The stallion replies, pointing at the direction.
Soldier follows his hoof and where he pointed seemed like a random spot. “There’s clear sky everywhere.”
A mare flies over to them. “Yo, Clear Skies right here!” She smiles widely but that’s only making Soldier the more confused. “But there are clear skies over there, too!” He exclaims, pointing at a spot in the sky not having any clouds, right behind the male pegasus.
and the mare replies. “That's Open Skies!”
This is getting confusing even for him! Holy liberty he does not understand pony names. “There are open skies everywhere maggots!” He tries to tell the two, not noticing that Scout and some other pegasus have stopped their jobs and watching the whole scene.
The stallion titles his head and explains him. “I'm not everywhere. I'm right here!”
Soldier stares at the stallion, taking a deep breath and at least tries to get an understanding before he breaks protocol the president gave him and snaps someone’s neck in his frustration. “So you're Open Skies.” The stallion nod. “and you're Clear Skies.” The mare nods, Soldier then gestures to the sky. “Then what's all that?” and the two replies as if it was that simple.
“Open, clear skies!”
None of them saw Rainbow Dash has come swooping and stole their snow-filled clouds. When Soldier did he asks. “Where'd our fluffy clouds go?”
“Fluffy Clouds? He's over there!” The mare named Clear Sky replies and points at a male pegasus with a mane very much like Pinkie Pies. That’s where it gets enough for Soldier. “Your names makes no sense! Get some proper name soldier!” He shouts at the two.
The stallion smiles sheepishly. “I’m not Soldier, that’s you.” and said turned human facepalm so hard it can be head all the way to the ground.
Soldier did not notice Scout and the other stallion are rolling on their cloud, laughing.

Grinning on how easy that went, Rainbow Dash hides the clouds inside a hollow tree. “Stopping winter is gonna be a breeze.” She tells Tank and after have forced the clouds properly into the hole, she grabs her pet and flies off. Right there Pyro walks by and as she passes the tree, the clouds burst out and cover the adult drake’s left side in snow. Pyro stares at the snow now covering her side, a bit confused where it came from.

***************

The next days, Rainbow Dash is doing everything in her power to stop winter from coming to Ponyville. She burst any cloud, removes the ice from the water and whatever she can think of to make sure the warmth of summer will stick around. But even with her speed, Rainbow Dash is unable to outwork the united effort from everypony else in Ponyville and at the week’s end, there is more snow than sunshine.
Realizing this, Rainbow is heartbroken and begins to mope around on the clouds, not sure what else she can do to stop Tank going to sleep. That's until her eyes catch the city/weather factory of Cloudsdale. She hesitates though, it’s one thing to sabotage the other pegasi from bringing winter to this area but stopping winter by the source? That’s extreme, even for her.
Tank yawns again, less responsive than ever. Rainbow Dash eyes her beloved pet, and knows if she does not try; she will lose Tank. So Rainbow heads for Cloudsdale: for her pets sake.
She arrives at the cloudy city and sneaks past any residents in case they want to stop her from removing winter.
She swiftly flies over to hide in a patch of cloud, peaking her head up when the sound sends every worker at the factory to lunch. “Perfect.” Rainbow Dash smirks and hides again, allowing the workers to leave. With the last one out, she grabs the cloud and sneaks inside the factory.
Inside the factory, Rainbow Dash gets past the few stragglers of workers with the more asleep than awake Tank in tow. She spots the room she’s looking for and quickly heads inside.
Inside are large machines having early stages of clouds and tubes behind that are filled with water. “We're in, Tank! Now we just gotta figure out a way to shut it down.” She tells her pet and flies over to one of the tables, looking into a magnifying glass. “Sabotage snowflakes? I think we gotta go bigger than that.” So she leaves the newly made snowflakes alone. She does stop to strap Tank to a lamp as the tortoise is getting bit in the way and she flies over to the large machine, following the pipes that all lead to the making of patches of clouds. “Hmm. We could get rid of these clouds, but... that's still not big enough.” She blows the empty cloud off her hoof and turns to the largest machine in the entire room, the tank holding all the water Fillydelphia brought to Cloudsdale in their tornado event. “Slam dunk!” Rainbow Dash cheers that she found the mother load and flies over to the huge tank. “With no water, they can't make clouds or snow! They can't make winter!” Unaware she got a third party in the room next door.

Hearing the voice of Rainbow Dash, the third member leaves the glassed lightning bolts alone and heads into the cloud making part of the factory. The first thing he saw was some turtle that looks more dead than alive, dragging the lamp it is attached to towards one of the machines. Before the turtle got itself turned into soup, Scout grabs the leash binds the animal to the nearby stair fence. Turning away from that near disaster he turns to Rainbow, who is now trying to break the tubes bringing water to the other machines. “Uh... what are you doing?” He asks her confused, he’s not close enough to sense her emotions but he still gets bad vibes from this scene.

Rainbow Dash freezes up as she has been caught but the moment she notices it’s just Scout, she returns back to her work of removing the tubes from the huge water tank. “Sweet timing, could you help me removing this?” Scout walks slowly closer, for once he does not have that cocky grin on his face.
“But wouldn’t that remove all the water for the cloud making?” He asks her in a slow, unsure voice, Rainbow Dash smirks down to him. “It sure will.”

Okay, now he not only can sense her emotions; which are hard to describe other than they hurt but he also understands that Rainbow Dash is seriously going to sabotage the whole place. He just does not understand why. “Why are you doing this?”

“Are you going to help me or what?” Rainbow Dash instead retorts annoyed, he does not move, so she figures she might as well do this alone.

“Why are you sabotaging the factory?” Scout asks back as he approaches her slowly. He’s wary, he does not fully understand but the emotions he’s getting from her is putting him on edge. She kicks one of the tubes and water spews out rapidly, he jumps into the air to get away from the water, now getting frustrated about this destructive behavior from one who was more excited about winter than Heavy. “Rainbow Dash! Why the hell are you doing this?!” He demands her to answer.
Rainbow Dash turns away from the second tube and at him, then her eyes go somewhere else, her emotions change to something he is very familiar with: fear of losing something, or rather... someone. Scout follows her eyes to that snoring turtle and that confuses him. “You’re doing this for a turtle?” He asks slowly. He never had a pet as a kid, ma had other things to worry about than a pet, like keeping track on a bunch of boys. That made him think of why his mother did barely have time for herself, and that makes him angry. “You are sabotaging this whole place for a stupid turtle?!” He asks Rainbow Dash harshly, confused and angry to why she does all of this for an animal.

“He’s not stupid!” Rainbow Dash snaps back, kicks the second tube and lands hard on the soaked floor not far from the flying half changeling, she is more than ready to fight this colt, he might be fast but being part changeling makes him a sucker to kicks: she learned that when the changelings invaded Canterlot. “He is my pet and friend! And if I let winter come I… I… I have to say goodbye!!” She shouts at him.

Those words throw his mind back to long before Miss Pauling came to recruit him, back to his early childhood. He’s not sure if it’s a real memory or not, only that thinking about this obscure scene of watching his father drive off without a word. Once his only memory of the man, and brought him pain and anger for so many years. He has never spoken it out loud, but he’s still afraid his father will remember why he left in the first place and do it again to both him but also his two sisters. No, he— he can’t think about that now! This is not the same, she is acting stupid because of a pet, this is not the same! Scout shakes angrily his head that Rainbow has unintentionally made him think about Spy. But that early abandonment taught him a harsh lesson. “Whatever you like it or not…” He straightens up and meets Rainbow Dash’s desperate gaze with his furious glare of the reminder to why he does not like to be alone. “No matter how much you fight, how much you try to stop it: you can’t.”

“I will make Tank better! I will stop winter!!” Rainbow Dash shouts.

“It won’t change anything!!” Scout retorts back with his pelt giving off small bolts of electricity. Oh, how he knows that fact painfully well. “Delay it all you like but it will come. Your pet will—“

“Don’t say that word!” Rainbow roars, takes off and flies hard into Scout, knocking them both into the cloud making machine which starts making clouds, or at least it tries to but without water, it only overheats itself.
Ignoring the danger, Rainbow Dash kicks Scout in the chest with a determent. “No matter what: winter won’t come to Ponyville!”
Scout cries in pain from the kick, he was lucky this didn't happen in his former shape, otherwise; Rainbow Dash could've done some serious damage on the weaker shape. Still hurts like hell getting kicked into the organ that works as a changeling's stomach. Ignoring the pain, Scout gets on her side and even with his more harmless shape, he can still be scary when angered. He bites her neck and throws her into the snowflake machine.

The whole room spin for a moment but she recovers just fast enough to see Scout come for her again, shooting him a glare, Rainbow Dash gets up and they start a hoof fight. She fights for her pet’s sake, while he, much to her unawareness simply fight because she started it. Too busy trying to hurt the other, none of them saw that the spilled water has reached one of the machines.

Good thing someone else was in the room.

"Knock it off!" Sniper jumps in between the two, causing just enough startle from both to hear his next words. "Get the bloody hell out, now!" Sniper snaps at them. One of them realizes the threatening screeching sound coming from the machines and the thick smoke beginning to surround them. Rainbow Dash forgets all about Scout when she notices the smoke will endanger Tank. Ignoring the two turned humans she swiftly flies over to her pet and leaves to bring him to safety.

Scout glares at where Rainbow flew out, he is really angry but also confused and that does not really sit well in his mind as it makes him angrier. He lets out a frustrated scream and kicks on the machines there starts to screech louder. He's too angry to care though.

"Scout." Sniper calls, admittedly worried for the speedster behavior. He has never seen the kid like this. Scout snaps to him, he looks ready to attack but Sniper knows he won't. Kid's eyes are dazed, he's too upset to do anything rash. "Let's get out from here." He tells Scout and gently grabs Scout at the neck, guiding him out before anyone come to check the room.

**Four days later**

After having repaired the damage that unexpected happen to the cloud making machine room, Cloudsdale went right back to work and at day’s end, the last snow cloud has left and Cloudsdale can move on to bring winter to the other towns further south of Equestria.
Everyone is out enjoying the snow after weeks of hard work bringing winter.
All except one.

Rainbow Dash stares at the snowy landscape outside from her window, feeling like she’s trapped in a pit of tar, not having the strength to get free…Rainbow Dash can’t bring herself to anything else than lie beside Tank, feeling worse for each yawn he’s doing.

Outside and below Rainbow’s house, Fluttershy and Applejack walk over to Twilight Sparkle, with the earth pony saying. “Heard from Sniper that Rainbow Dash is not doing so great.” Twilight nods she is indeed correct, Rainbow Dash has been acting weird all winter preparation, but now she has really gone down the dumps. “Any idea what happened?”
But all Twilight can do is shrug, musing. “I tried to speak with her, but she completely ignores me.” She glances to where he left not long ago. "Even ignored Sniper." Which says a lot since the turned humans have some personal connection to their partner.

All three look up to their pegasus friend’s home. “She hasn’t left her home for three days, it’s not like her.” Fluttershy muses somberly.
Rainbow never disappears like that, not even when a new book of Daring Doo is out. Applejack, having a slight frown on her face turns to Twilight Sparkle. “If it’s okay for you princess, maybe you and Fluttershy should speak with Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy nods in agreement with Applejack.

Twilight frowns sadly of the “honorary” title Celestia gave to her. “Applejack, I am not…” She sights, not feeling up to this discussion at the moment. So instead she turns to Fluttershy. “Let’s speak with Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy nods and the two flies up to her home.
They both walk inside, finding Rainbow Dash moping on the bed with her pet lying beside her. Fluttershy steps over to her, asking worriedly. “How are you feeling, Rainbow Dash?”

“Whatever…” Rainbow Dash replies in a miserable voice like she is devoted of all hope.

Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle exchange worried glances with one another, so Twilight walks over to her, asking. “Isn’t there anything we can do to help with whatever you are dealing with?” She wants to help but has no idea what is going on with Rainbow Dash and that is really frustrating, more so when Rainbow is only responding with a sad and dismissive. “Whatever…”
“What has made you like this? You usually love winter.”

Rainbow Dash lets out an annoying sight, doesn't the princess understand she does not want anyone around. “Didn't you hear me, princess?” She asks the accended unicorn, ignoring the frown Twilight has on her face. “I said 'whatever'.” She turns back to mope besides Tank. “I don't know if you're here to cheer me up or what, but I'm fine.”

“But—“ Twilight tries but Fluttershy stops her. “Let me handle this.” The yellow pegasus walks over to Rainbow Dash and says with a hard tone her partner at times uses when he gives somepony tough love, one she knows her friend needs right now. “Rainbow Dash, your winter is going to be pet-less.” Rainbow Dash sits up, at first with a startled expression on her face, then it breaks under the tears flooding Rainbow’s eyes and she burst out crying.

Twilight turns to Fluttershy in an utter surprise of such a strong reaction from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy explains her. “This has been bothering her all autumn, and unless she lets it all out: she won’t get past it.” Twilight nods slowly, although she admits she does not fully understand it as Tank will return at spring.

**Meanwhile inside Everfree forest**

From the shadows, Spy and Sniper are watching Scout stalks around the frozen lake at this glade, now and then attacking a tree as if it offended him.
Sniper glances to the blue changeling before he leaves without a word. Spy watches the Aussie leave, not entirely sure what Sniper's angle is from giving him a heads-up about his son is not doing so great. He can think about that later. Turning back to the glade, Spy does not have to sense his son’s emotions to know the young man is deeply troubled, about what he does not know but has a good guess from how Scout has been very keen on keeping his distance from him ever since the merging. It seems the BLU side of Scout is again causing havoc in his mind. Spy can’t really blame the kid though. He is after all the reason why his son is dealing with this problem, to begin with.
Spy knows he is supposed to be there for his son but ignoring the years of training Ace put him through is not that easy. It has been drilled into his mind that letting people get close to him gives the enemy a target, Spy does agree on that but... not having anyone close… it is terribly lonely and, well in his current form, he will starve if he pushes people away. He does mentally kicks himself to go out there before his son accidentally hurts himself in his upset state.
The moment his son notices his presence, he goes in defense mode. “Fuck off, I don’t need you to gloat at me!” By lashing out.
Spy is not bothered by it, his son hasn’t yet learned how to make hurtful insults but must say; this was one of the better ones. “I’m not here to gloat.” He replies the sparking in anger Scout, and knowing it will put a lit on the rage, he turns around and moves to leave, saying. “But I can see I am not wanted.”

“Wait..!” Scout calls without really thinking, realizing his mistake and embarrassed he showed he didn’t want Spy to leave. “I...” Letting out a growl he tries to hide his true feelings and turns his back to Spy. “Whatever, just leave me alone.” For a painful time, he hears no movements and the emotions he is sensing does not reveal what his father is thinking. When Spy finally does move, Scout mistakes it him leaving which causes a lot of pain, only to be sharply replaced with a surprise from feeling his father’s hoof on his shoulder. He looks up to Spy, into those stoic but sympatric reddish orbs. “You don’t deserve this.” Spy speaks, and Scout blinks in confusion, he does get it from his father’s next words. “The fault is solely mine.”
Scout remembers that when ma did speak about his father, she always mentioned that he was quite the martyr. He remembers he mistook it for his father to be dead but now he sees Spy thought he solely deserved the pain his departure caused. Scout wants to say something but he’s not sure what, maybe that him leaving made life hell for him? But he knows his father did it with best intentions.
“This is stupid...” He finally speaks, for really, shouldn’t they both just get over it and start over?

For once, Jeremy got a good point, this is stupid as there is nothing they can do about the past other than getting the best out of what they have. “You look cold.” He remarks to Scout and starts to leave the again confused colt. “I’m sure there’s enough hot chocolate for you too.” Well aware Scout loves that stuff, his sisters' heritage that trait as well.
Takes a moment but after a small laugh, Scout follows him. “Sure.” Having that iconic grin of his back, that’s more like it, Spy smiles and both returns back to the hut.

**An hour later. Rainbow Dash's home**

The blue pegasus has gotten all the tumult of emotions out of her system from crying and slowly, she accepts the words everyone have been telling her: she cannot stop Tank from hibernating and she now knows that it was wrong of her to even have been trying. Picking up Tank, Rainbow Dash admits with a new wave of tears ready to fall “Oh, Tank... I'm sure gonna miss you.” More so when her beloved pet slowly touches her hoof in the sign he too has accepted this and glad she understands this needs to happen.

Out near the now frozen lake, ponies are having fun skating and sliding down the nearby hill.
Engineer is holding a sled, allowing his son and Apple Bloom to get properly on it before he pushes it down the hill, much of the joy for the two kids. Down at the lake Spike is skating gracefully around, broken when Pyro catches everyone on the lake when she makes a belly slide as if she is a giant penguin. She and those the caught ends in a large patch of snow, they get their heads up from the snow, Spike leaving the whole patch when he happed to be right underneath Pyro’s head. The ponies stare a few seconds at the scene before laughing along with the two drakes.
Further away, Scout is building a snowman, just as he puts on the head, he gets startled when Laverine squeaks his name, somehow got onto his back without him noticing. He stares at his little sister, then to the snowman where Sauda stands with a deep frown in an attempt to figure out what it is. He laughs and shows them how to roll a ball. The two girls are quick to copy him and Scout has fun teaching the two how to build a snowman, much to the delight of the two watching parents.
Rarity and Derpy pass Soldier who is engaging in a snowball battle with some kids, one of them includes Derpy’s child and both walk to the nearby glade of trees. Here they meet Applejack and Pinkie Pie doing a bit of a snowball fight with Demo. Twilight having a conversation with Heavy, Zhanna and Fluttershy, who is holding a silver dove.
Not long after they have joined the group, Rainbow Dash appears, carrying Tank in a bag, telling all those who decided to come. “I thought you guys might like to say goodbye to Tank. He's ready to hibernate.”

Pinke jumps. “You're using the word!” and exclaims excitedly to the others. “Oh, she's using the word! And when Tank finishes hibernating, I'm gonna throw him the biggest welcome home party ever!” Then realizes that is not right. “Or wait. Should it be a 'welcome above ground' party? Or a 'happy wake-up' party? Maybe an 'it's about time!' party!” She did not see Heavy rolls his eyes with his sister staring dumbfounded at her.
Rarity did and smiles in agreement that their pink friend do at times overthink the naming of a party.

“I'm glad you're feeling a little better, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack says and puts down the snowball. Rainbow Dash nods in agreement. “Yeah, me too.” Walks over and digs away the snow so the still soft earth is exposed. She puts down Tank and he walks into the dirt, digging himself deeper inside. With only the front still free from the dirt, she asks him. “So, you really wanna do this hibernating thing, huh?” Tank nods, well if that’s what he wants then… she has no right to stop him.
The others say goodbye to Tank as the tortoise digs himself deeper into the ground until the snow above coves the hole. With that, the others leave.
Twilight Sparkle do stay by Rainbow Dash’s side and asks her encouragingly. “Well? Ready for some winter fun?” Rainbow has to decline for now though. “Uh, I'm gonna hang here and read to him a bit.” She walks over to the spot where Tank is hibernating and pulls out the newest book of the Daring Doo series. “That little guy can never get to sleep without a bedtime story. I'll be right there.” Twilight nods and leaves them be.

Rainbow Dash opens the book, then stops when she notices a shadow above her. She smiles weakly. “I know you’re there.”
A few seconds pass, then Sniper jumps down from his spot, awkwardly walks over to her. Rainbow Dash titles her head slightly, she figures he wants to say something to cheer her up but Sniper has never been good at talking about emotions. That’s okay, having him around is enough, so with that iconic smirk of hers. “So, you wanna read this or should I?”

Relieved he does not have to try and comfort her as that’s really not his area, Sniper chuckles of the reminder how their friendship started, takes the book and quickly checks the cover. What he sees is very amusing. “’Daring Doo and the Arachne Queen’ hm, sounds like an interesting story.” He muses at the cover of Daring Doo doing a sort of bull riding on a giant spider with a gold spot on its back, he notices a griffin with missing wings in the background. Well isn’t that a reverse role?

“It’s one of the best!” Rainbow Dash grins widely. “I haven’t gotten that far yet, only where Daring Doo has recruited a griffin companion that can’t fly but he’s more of an egghead really.” Sniper chuckles and opens the book from where she has come and begins to read, unaware that he already know what would happen in the story.

Author's Note

this is a long one and I have been very busy, so forgive me if I have missed a few grammar mistakes.
I have been trying not to put episodes from seasons past 4 but I felt I needed to with this one.

Waking Nightmare

Note: This happens three weeks after the last chapter.

It's not made after any episodes but I did inspire it from the documentary I have watched about the Holocaust.
I apologize if this chapter feels a bit weird, it is more or less an outlet to the rollercoaster of emotions and lack of time to think I have been dealing with these past weeks.

This is getting bad, like really bad. Luna thought she could handle them, though she could help this other worlder, but oh how big of a mistake that was.
One of the Tantabus slams into her, toppling her over and when she gets up, Nightmare Moon stands menacing before her. Its partner, the one she had tried to stop and inflict further harm on the dreamer returns back to that dream realm, back to torment that poor soul. Luna wants to help but it seems... she too has become a victim to the nightmare creatures...

The Tantabus takes shape as a human, one without a solid form, but it will from the owner of this small dream realm. It walks over to the table, pokes it and one the table appears a person, alive but cold, empty, lack of any emotion. Slowly it moves its head over to the dreamer, watching the clarity horror in those steel-blue eyes.

Back in that room, the stench of blood and the distant of burned flesh fills his nostrils. He tries his best to ignore it, but it's like his nose can never get used to the smell.
He's not one thought much of what is right and wrong, all that matters is the search of science. But... there is no logic in what is going on here, the soldiers throw away countless of people, all perfect test subjects, especially those who are weak. His favorite experiments are to make something weak strong. But his superiors do not like his views on wanting to keep them as future test subjects. He constantly gets told that they deserve it, that filth like them are worth nothing.
Told him not to goof around and instead focus on finding a cure to rid the world of the sickness that pledges a lot of their people.
Yes, it is a good reason. More so when he discovered he too has been inflicted by it. Came as a huge shock but he has been very good at hiding it, not to show he bore this very same sickness his subjects have.
He has done a lot of experiments in this place. At first, it was doing his job to create a cure for the sickness but over time he got bored in doing the same thing over and over again. Out of his boredom, he began to do other tests, a lot held fruit and several of them would lead to the medi-gun.

But this superior didn’t care about his ability to make mere humans into gods by replacing parts of their organs with animal and use a machine that could make one recover in a matter of minutes. His superior wanted the cure.
“Do your job and find the cure, I don’t care how you do it.” The man told him and had the nerve to destroy all of his former work.
It enraged him, but he is smart enough not to start a fight with his superior who can and will throw him in with the "filth" if he ever stepped over the line. No wish in ending up in the furnace. So he went to work on the obnoxious cure but only grew frustrated as he found no evidence of what caused this sickness. Did that mean he was stuck with it for the rest of his life as well? It did bother him, more so when his body wanted those urges fulfilled but never would be able.
His superior refused to call quits for it, so he continued in the experiments, ignoring the growing sense of how wrong this was starting to feel. He didn’t care about the meat bags, but every experiment made him feel worse as there was nothing accomplished other than another mangled mess to the pile. Till finally, he reached the breaking point, when he found “the cure”.

His superior walks over to his table and takes the note that holds the cure. The man smiles; a twisted unnatural one. “Well done Mr. Ludwig. Now we simply have to administer it.” The superior puts a hand on his shoulder, tighten enough for it to really hurt.“Let’s start with you, shall we?”

***********************

Medic eyes open wide in pure horror from the intense nightmare, now he really wishes it was the same he dealt with before his coma, at least there he only dealt with obscure people and dread, but now… the core to the nightmares has been exposed and haunts his dreams, his very mind. He hasn’t been able to sleep ever since he realized this truth, more than ever he has been afraid to close his eyes, forced to stare at the papers holding the cure to homosexuality, and more than anything; he wants to erase it from his mind. Sleep has always been hard, but ever since he came back to Equestria, it has been straight out impossible without those pills. Sadly he ran out and the doctor thought it would be best he didn’t get more as he needed a natural sleep. Medic can almost laugh, he hasn’t gotten a normal sleep in years.
Movements on his left and still held by that repeated nightmare makes Medic freak out and in a flash of light, he’s out in the freezing snow, barely able to see through the cracking headache after have done such an advanced spell in his still weaken state.
He does not really notice, his mind is still trapped in the stronger than ever nightmare, fully thinking he’s in camp, trying to find that old broken heater so the room can be heated up. Why does this place have to always be so darn cold? He hates it, he can’t feel his fingers and it makes work straight out impossible.
Feeling something on his head and he jumps startled, looking up a white dove head meets his gaze.

‘coo?’ Archimedes title his head in the confusion of why its owner is out in the snow in the middle of the night. His owner does not really seem to be aware of him and keeps wandering aimlessly around, making those weird sounds but this times they are not comforting to the dove. ‘coo, coo’ Archimedes calls but not the wanted response as he gets brushes off. This is not like his owner, the dove realizes, something is wrong and he knows who to get.

Back at the Golden Oak Library, Heavy woke at Josef jerked around as he always does when having a nightmare, he was about to put a hoof over him in attempt to calm the doctor but a flash of light and the doctor was gone. Heavy hadn’t been enough awake to comprehend that for a minute or so. When he did he pretty much panicked. Josef is not supposed to do magic other than light levitation and healing magic!
Disappearing in a flash of light does not look like easy magic and who knows what such a spell did. Heavy quickly gets on his hooves and searches for the doctor, carefully in case that light flash spell was in some way a shrinking spell. Never know with the doctor really. When he found no sign of Josef in the room, Heavy did consider wake Twilight and tell her what happened, before he could though, a light tab on the only window catches his attention. At the window is Archimedes, Heavy walks over and lets the dove inside. “Doctor is not here.” He tells the bird, figures Archimedes wanted its owner’s attention as it usually would when paying them a visit. He did blink when the dove didn’t fly around in search of Medic but instead lands on his head, pulling his hair, flies off to then land again, all the time cooing like crazy. This is new behavior, Heavy observes but if he didn’t know better, he says Archimedes wants him to follow. Heavy figures this has something to do with Josef, Archimedes adores its owner and wouldn’t be upset unless it has something to do with the doctor. So he decides to follow the bird. He carefully and quietly (he is not made for being quiet) sneaks out from the library, he did notice Twilight stare at him but didn’t make a move to stop him, she must’ve figured he could handle this on his own. To be honest he rather wants to do this alone.
Medic has been acting weird around him since he woke from the coma and his nightmares have gotten worse. Got so bad that he needed medicine that caused a deep sleep without dreams. The pony doctor suggested Medic should try doing without them for a time as those pills weren’t good for one in long periods of time but these short days have been a living nightmare for Josef. He hasn’t gotten any sleep for every time he tries, he wakes with that horrified look in his eyes and barely registers his surroundings.
Heavy knows this has to stop, Josef can’t go on like this but he can’t get those pills unless he will also deal with addictiveness that will ruin his recovery.
He follows Archimedes through the snowy and decorated streets of Ponyville, seeing no sign of the doctor but he trusts the dove to know where its beloved doctor is. Archimedes brings him to the edge of Ponyville, near the train station, where he finds a lonely track of hoofprints, leading away from town. Must be Josef from how unsure the maker of these tracks are and Archimedes flies that way too, so he follows both.
He finds Medic, walking unsure away from town. Heavy speeds up. “Doctor!” He calls, he realizes that was a bad move. Josef's head snaps at his direction, not only does he not have his glasses, so he won’t be able to see him properly but it looks like he is still affected by his nightmare. So when he heard his call, Medic freaks out, turn heel and staggers off.
Heavy follows, he needs to get Medic away from the cold and inside the warm, his body wasn’t meant to handle cold to begin with so Heavy dreads what his weaken state will do in this temperature.
He rather easily catches up to the doctor, thankfully, Medic is not yet sure on his legs and Heavy is faster in his horse form. He gets over to the doctor and stops him by wrapping a hoof over his chest. “Josef, do not be afraid.” He tells the still trapped in a waking nightmare doctor.
Medic blinks several times, slowly he stops struggling. “Misha?” He asks weakly.
Heavy nods and lifts Medic up, away from the cold snow. “Only bad dream.” Glad it is now over.

The freezing cold fades away from his body thanks to Misha’s warm body. Medic, exhausted from several sleepless nights almost falls asleep in the warm and comforting embrace of Misha. But right there, his eyes snap wide open when he hears his own voice whisper inside his mind ‘time for the procedure’ and he freaks out. “nein, nein!” He cries and struggles away from Misha, much to the Russian’s confusions.

“Doctor, it is okay. You are safe now.”

No, he is not, none of them are now. ‘they’ know the cure. A terrible cure. One he is tasked to perform on anyone having the disease. Medic eyes meet Misha’s and a deep terror strikes him from thinking they are both sick. “Geh weg von mir!” He screams and a blast of magic pushes Heavy away. He collapses onto the snow, his body nearly broke down from using magic. Eyeing Misha, Medic is hit by a deep regret that he struck him but the now waking nightmare keeps speaking to him, commanding him to do what needs to be done. He… he can’t do it, not against Misha.
‘He’s sick, you both are and only you can cure it’ the voice in him continues.
'I won’t do it!' He screams back in his mind but it won’t leave him alone, the shadows of the people he used to make this discovery won’t stop until he made their sacrifice worthwhile.
“Nein!” He cries and in another flash of light, he is gone.

Heavy stares at the spot where Medic disappeared in that flashing light spell of his, the worry he felt before has been replaced with a deep fear he has never in his life felt before, not even when he helplessly watched the guards kill his father. Something is terribly wrong with Josef, something he dreams about every night and now it has gotten so bad that it haunts him in his waking hours. Worse is, it seems the problem involves around him, hence to why Josef stuck him and flinches away from his touch. Heavy gets up on his hooves, wincing in pain from where he got hit by the magic, that definitely will leave a mark. It does not matter, what matters is Josef. He can’t leave him out in this snow for if he does… he will freeze to death but Heavy knows he can’t get near him as whatever is haunting him will make Medic fight him.
He needs help and the only one only having a somewhat understanding and not going to make a scene about this, well that will be Josef’s partner.
Heavy gallops back to the library, he finds Twilight up and making tea, probably to them both from having been out in the snow for so long. Her before calm expression fades, replaced with a worried frown when she sees him return alone and have a magical scorch mark on his neck.
“I need help.” He tells her before she can ask.
Twilight nods seriously, quickly dress herself up for the cold, grabs a large scarf which she levitates around his neck (he does not need winter clothing thanks to his winter coat, but Heavy figures it was meant for Josef) and they both run outside to find Medic.
Heavy explains about Josef’s behavior and the light spell the doctor used before he disappeared.

Twilight feels deeply sorry for her partner of what Heavy told her. “Poor Medic, forced to relive his worst nightmare every time he tries to sleep…” She eyes Heavy and also feels bad for the big stallion, well aware how much he cares for Medic. “Don’t worry, we will find him and figure out a way to end his nightmares. Even if we have to ask the princesses for help.” Heavy gives her a somewhat confused look at those words but he did get what she meant. “What was spell?” Oh right, he does not know what it was, Twilight must admit she is worried Medic made such a spell in his current state. “It was a teleportation spell. But he shouldn’t do such a spell in his state, it’s not a beginner—“ She notices the look in Heavy’s eyes that now is not the time for a lecture, she clears her throat embarrassed and instead explains. “In his confused state, Medic should teleport to places he thinks he knows.” And asks the larger pony. “Any idea what that might be? I only think of the hospital and my home.”

That does also brushes his mind but from how freaked out Josef was, he does not think to do a silly experiment is on his mind at the moment. He does not understand much German, only enough to know Medic wanted to get away from something, or someone. Where would he be going if trying to get away?
He…. He does not know… Josef is not the type to flee like this and when he does flee, he usually seeks cover behind either him or some of the other team members, letting them shoot whatever is chasing him down.
“I… I do not know where he go…” Heavy admit and more than ever, he fears for his doctor’s life.

Heavy wasn’t the only one dealing with this, for Medic does not know either where he is going. His only protection is now what he is trying to get away from and that is really messing up his already fragile mind from the constant assault of nightmares and the lack of sleep. He has no idea where he ended up when the light disappeared, all he knows it is cold and he can only see the snow.
He keeps walking, but each step gets harder, his body tremble in exhausting, till finally the cold and the pain from have used several adept spells got too much and he collapses into the snow.
He closes his eyes and for once, he did not hear the voice commanding him to do his job, he can’t even hear the wind anymore, maybe now he can get some proper sleep.

“Do you want to sleep?” A familiar voice asks him, he can only nod. “You know if you do, you will have to come with me.” The voice remarks. This made him open his eyes and before him stands the magpie- his death. She titles her head slightly, then without a word, she flies back into the small snowstorm. He weakly lifts his head after where she went, well aware of what she kept from happening. Is he really that far gone?
He barely reacts when something else comes out from the snow. A ponyfied vision of his supervisor. “Pathetic.” The pony snorts down to him, he does feel quite pathetic too. “So this is how it is going to be? You found the cure to the biggest sickness and instead of curing yourself, you rather want to die with it.”
Medic does not answer, instead, he lets his head drop back onto the snow.

“It does not matter. Thanks to you, we now have the cure.” The supervisor remarks rather uncaring of his demise, and why should he care? He is just another cog in the machine. “Of course it will be harder without you, but it’s not like there are any loss if a few of the sick expire during the procedure.”

“It’s not a cure…” He argues weakly back, he wants to get up but he’s so cold… so darn cold… and so tired. “All you do… is remove a person’s ability to ever feel such emotions... They will never be able to fall in love.”
And in the worst case, that person might never be able to feel any emotion again. He might be a man of logic, but even he would like to have the ability to feel joy and frustrating when he's trying a new experiment.

The supervisor laughs “They- you do not know what love is. If you did, then you would’ve known love only happens between a man and a woman.”

Those words more than offended him, enraged him enough to move. He gets on his hooves. “Dummkopf…! You know nothing.” He sneers, tries to shout further words, attack, anything but he’s too weak and collapses back onto the snow. His supervisor laughs at him and steps onto his head. “Oh? And you happen to know what love is? Didn’t you create the cure to fix yourself in the first place? Weren’t you planning on doing it so you never will have to be ashamed every time you feel distracted by another man, annoyed that attachment drives you away from your precious work?”
Yes, he was planning on doing that, planning on using Mann Co. resources to perfect the cure but that was before he met Mikhail, before he realized how wonderful those feelings could be. It was before he realized that those idiots he was surrounded with were actually worth his time. He will never admit it to them, but the other mercs, yes even those silly ponies. They are comrades, his friends.
The supervisor steps harder onto him.. “Why should you be the exception of all the others?”
Medic’s eyes wide, of the question, one he hated the answer to. If he had a cure to fix a sickness, why shouldn’t anyone get it, including himself?
Why should he have it if any other like him need it removed?
Because he loves someone? Well, other lesbian and gay people love too, they care for their partner like everybody else.
…. Why does the world consider this a sickness?
He suddenly asks himself and is quite startled about it as it goes against everything his supervisor, the Fuhrer told him- told everyone. Everyone keeps saying that gay people are sick, they have to in order to find the same gender attractive. It was something that should be cured but… were they ever sick?
What if it’s normal?
It sounds absurd— well not really, he has accepted crazier things, so consider gayness as a normal thing, that’s rather easy for his brain.
“It’s not a sickness.” He whispers and can’t help but laugh as this idea, this solution festers into his mind. “It’s not a sickness, it’s normal!” He laughs, feeling both silly and so relieved that the answer to this very thing is really, well quite easy. It’s a simple as look at a picture from a different angle.
His laughter does get put to a sudden halt when the supervisor steps onto his throat, so hard he cannot breathe.
The pony smirks and the eyes begin to turn white along with the colors draining away. “You really are pathetic.” The Shadow Pony grabs him around the neck and throws him over to a rock, which he hit hard enough to pretty much knock him out. Still conscious but can do nothing but watch the Shadow Pony stalks towards him. ”Suffered so many years for something so stupid.”
Hates to say it, but the Shadow Pony got a point. So many sleepless nights for worrying about his own sexuality, over something he cannot change and instead should just be happy over being who he is.
Poor Misha had to deal with all of this crap coming from him, he’s lucky from have accepted it long ago.
The Shadow Pony is only a few steps away from him and no matter how much he struggles, Medic cannot get up, he’s too cold and has long ago used up all his strength.
Then, just as all hope seems lost. A beam of magic hits the Shadow Pony, making it jerk away from him. Medic follows its gaze and is so relieved to see Twilight and Heavy come charging to his rescue.

Twilight fires another beam at the Shadow Pony, not really wondering why it gets affected by normal magic as she hasn't bothered to get her Element.
It snarls at her and runs at them. Heavy leaps in between the Shadow Pony and Twilight, he steers and hits the shadow with ones of his hooves, that was enough for the Shadow Pony and it flees through one of its black gems. Heavy stomps on the cluster, destroying them.
“Medic!” Twilight cries and runs over to her fallen partner, he is terribly cold but at least awake. Heavy trots over, and she levitates the scarf off him and around Medic. “We were so worried— need get you back— you are freezing cold— and I don’t care what the doctor says, you need proper sleep!”

She rants on, barely noticing Heavy walks over to Medic, wants to hug him but what happened last time makes him hesitate. Not for his own well being but nervous that he will cause another freakout from the already weaken doctor.

Medic feels really bad for all the trouble he put on Misha. “I’m… better now.” He muses and tries to get up, but his legs give under him. Before he falls flat into the snow again, Heavy’s large and thickly coated hoof catches him. He looks up, his steel-blue meets Misha’s moss green eyes and the Russian must’ve seen a change as he smiles. “Good.” Heavy says and gently stroke his head against his, Medic returns it and for the first time since he realized that he fancied Mikhail, he no longer feels afraid to have these feelings. He does not care what others think, as he has found his own truth and is set on sticking to it. So with a new boldness, he kisses Misha with all the love he feels for him.
Heavy suddenly jerks away, much to his surprise. It's hard without his glasses but Medic thinks he sees confusion on Misha's face. “You not afraid?” Misha points out although it sounds more like a question.
Medic laughs and shakes his head. “Not anymore.” He is sick and tired to be afraid of such an important part of himself, now he wants to enjoy it and anyone who does not like it can take it up with his bonesaw.

Okay that is quite a surprise as Josef has always been afraid about their relationship, yes he has let his guard down a few times but that has more been in the heat of a moment, but now, to fully see it gone. To know that Josef someway, while he walked in the snow and encountered that Shadow Pony; found the answer he was looking for and willing to take their relationship into the next step. That’s… That’s quite an overwhelming joy. He pulls Josef up and hugs him, maybe a bit too tight but he’s just so happy, “Best news, so happy for you!” He cheers for his doctor.
Josef laughs hugs him back. “Took me long enough.“ and after a tender kiss, he snuggles up against his mane. “I’m surprised you had the patience.”
Heavy does not care, he finds the wait so worth it. “Wait forever if have to.”

Twilight Sparkle watches the two from the sideline, unable to stop smiling that two share such a passionate moment from having been afraid to show each other how much they care for one another. She has never been with somepony special but does recognize the love her partner and Heavy feel toward one another from her own parents and have watched how much Heavy and Medic struggled to hide their true feelings, now finally found the courage to show the world. That is really touching in her eyes.
So she hates to break their moment but not only is she starting to get cold but Medic has been out here for too long. “We better get back.”
The two snaps their attention to her, Heavy gives her a sheepish smile while Medic has a gleam in his eyes that he does not really give a darn who sees this anymore. So ignoring her partner as it’s clear he’s not embarrassed at all, Twilight gives Heavy ‘no need to be embarrassed about it’ look before she walks over to them and teleports them back to the library.
Going inside, Twilight is not at all surprised to find Spike heavily asleep, not at all aware of the drama that went on. Perhaps that's for the best as well.

Getting the warm air onto his skin feels like thousands of small knives, Medic winches in pain but he is glad to go through it as it will remove the numbness he is currently feeling. Won’t stop him seeking warmth from Misha though, man has always been warm and that does not change even if he’s a horse. The only difference he has a thick pelt. Medic finds a good spot near Heavy’s chest where the pelt is a bit longer than what he got on his back and can’t help but remark. “You’re like a ponyfied bear.”
Heavy chuckles at this, nodding to his cutie mark that is a bear paw print. “Maybe part bear.” He can’t help but laugh at this small joke going around Heavy that he is like a bear.

Twilight brings them something warm to drink and they all do a bit of chatting as they get warm again, well Medic and Twilight did, Heavy is so used to the cold that is really does not bother him.
"Are you sure you're not a little cold?" Twilight asks the big horse, turning to her partner when he says with a grin.
“He could sleep outside and not feel the difference.” Medic jokes and Heavy replies after a short laugh. “Pony winter nothing. Windigo winter like back home.” Which made Twilight almost choke on her tea in laughter that he got that one right.

A half hour later, only Heavy and Twilight are talking, Medic has fallen asleep, using Heavy’s shoulder as his pillow. Twilight eyes the sleeping white alicorn and can’t help but remark. “He looks so peaceful.”
Heavy follow her gaze and is quite taken off guard by the sight, this is the first time he has seen the doctor sleep peacefully, he sure hopes this will be the case many nights forward. “Yes, it is good.” He replies and does feel bad he has to wake Medic in order to bring him downstairs. “Sad I need wake him.”
Twilight gets up and begins to turn off the lights. “No need.” She says and stops at the stairs to her room. “You have been through enough for tonight.”
Heavy smiles. “Thank you.” She returns it and walks upstairs to her bed, she calls a softly. “Goodnight” and turns off the last light. Heavy puts his head down and that content smile does not even fade as he falls asleep, for really; everything he dreamed about will be right there when he wakes.

Author's Note

maybe I made Medic too emotional, but I found he was the best to do such a chapter on how I have been feeling lately.
although the realization that gave me a sense of ease has nothing to do with my (none existence) love-life but more about my future overall.
unlike Medic though, mine is a bit more bittersweet but I am glad to have figured it out.

Danger looming

Author's Note

hia guy! before we begin this crazy adventure, I quickly want to say that this story got inspired by KnightMysterio AU- crossover: Waking Nightmares.

fair warning to you hardcore Grammarly people. I am terrible writing accents, so the tf2 dudes' accents are at the minimum. and if Zecora's lines are a bit, well wonky I will apologize and say it's harder to the rhyme than I thought.

Also, this story has a slow burn because (like the MLP show) I want to do character development and write some Slice of Life chapters. so if you don't like a Slice of Life/ Adventure fanfiction, then this is probably not for you.
I can and will go into dark territory but only if the plot calls for it, I don't like edgy and come on guys, this is a Team Fortress 2 and My Little Pony crossover! the mane six and mercenaries are all stupidly awesome and that's where I am aiming to make this story.

Danger looming

*She was running, running for her sanity, running for her very life. She sped down the dark hallways of her and her sister's once-called home, chased by the shadows of her alter ego that seemed to keep getting closer. A shadow shot out from the darkness as she ran, wrapping itself around her hind leg. She reacted immediately, shooting a burst of magic to dislodge it, shouting: "You won't claim me again!" as she resumed her mad dash. She’d already learned once before; never again will she give in to the shadows.

A shrieking laughter echoed through the hall in response, making her flinch both from the pain it caused her ears, but also from how much it seemed the owner enjoyed her torment.

"You don't have a choice!" The shadows gathered around a dark throne ahead, coalescing into a form as black as the heart within it, the eyes above holding nothing but malice. The surrounding darkness settled as the mare came fully into being, a mane and tail upon her gently swirling with a false sense of calm. The smirk on the mare’s face told a completely different story, opening for her to speak and revealing fangs as sharp as any blade, "No matter how much you try and deny it: I am who you really are."

She knew this mare intimately. After all, she had been her. But she now looked upon that visage and realised just what, truly, her subjects - and her sister - had faced, "No! I am not you!" She - Luna, Princess of the Night - cried up to the mare - Nightmare Moon, Queen of Nightmares. However, even to her ears, her voice sounded weak. Unsure.

The Nightmare laughed in the face of Luna’s false bravado, "Is that doubt I hear?" She giggled gleefully as the shadows began to crawl towards the Princess. "Did you truly believe I was gone? That those Elements of Harmony simply destroyed me? You may think you are rid of me, but I will always be a part of you!"

The shadows pounced, swallowing Luna. But, in an instant, the darkness was pierced by a light, a rainbow of colours appearing and forcing Nightmare Moon to step back.

"What?!" The darkness cried out, hundreds of eyes glaring at the sudden rescuers.

Above their victim stood ten glowing figures, several of which appeared to be Alicorns. One such Alicorn stepped toward Luna, extending a hoof, as if offering to help her stand. Luna somehow felt she could trust this unknown Alicorn, and began to reach to take the hoof. Before she could, however, Nightmare Moon burst into darkness and rushed forward to attack the interlopers.

"THE ELEMENTS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED"

Two of the Alicorn rescuers were immediately swallowed by the darkness, disappearing from sight and seemingly destroyed. The one that had reached out to Luna attempted to retaliate, but like his allies, is immediately swallowed, his light seeming to shatter. The darkness rushed forward unhalting, enveloping six others before they could react. The final would-be rescuer stood tall against the tide rushing towards them, seemingly looking straight at Luna as they are consumed. However, unlike the first three, their light remained. And within the darkness, five other lights also shined, outlasting, surviving.

Luna stared with hope in her eyes at the light within the darkness, before she too is consumed, her mind assaulted from all angles. For a horrific moment, she was broken, once again Nightmare Moon. She found herself before a purple unicorn, rearing up before smashing the six Elements of Harmony around her.

"THE SEALS ARE BROKEN AND THE DARKNESS IS FREE ONCE AGAIN"

Out from the darkness that surrounded her appeared several beings; a unicorn seemingly made out of shadows, but separate to the darkness he emerged from. A bug-like Alicorn with contempt and an evil smirk on her face. A far too familiar Draconequus with a playful grin hiding malice, and a centaur with large horns, rage coursing through him. Those four and others emerged from the darkness and began to destroy everything and anypony in their path. She wanted to stop it, but the darkness surrounding her gave her the sickly sense of enjoyment watching the world suffer.

"JOIN US, ALICORN OF DARKNESS"*

"NO!" Luna jerks up, breathing heavily from a far too real nightmare. Looking around for a moment, realizing she is back in her room in Canterlot. She sighs but the fear from the nightmare is still very real. Nightmare Moon is right, even with the darkness cleansed away from her, she can still feel her darker self deep inside. It feels her with dread and fear that she feels more like a ticking time bomb than a reformed princess of the night. For honestly... nothing has changed, the ponies still cower away from her beautiful nights and the common ponies still fear her. So how long until she reaches the edge and turns back into Nightmare moon again?

"Luna?" A softly call behind the door, it opens and Celestia walks carefully inside. "Luna, is everything alright?" She asks her younger sister worried.

Luna wants to speak out her worries, but... "Just a bad dream." What can Celestia do anyway? Force the subjects to love her? Luna doubts that's ever going to happen. And it's not like Celestia can help her deal with the nightmare. She has no power in the dream realm. No, this is something she has to deal with on her own.

"Alright," Celestia muses, she hesitates but walks over and nuzzle her sister. "I'll be here if you ever need to talk." and leaves her sister to her rest. Celestia will be more than happy put her many duties aside if her sister needs a lending ear, that's the least she can do after have exiled her for so long...

The door closes and only then Luna drops the facade that nothing is bothering her. She turns her gaze up to the morning sky, hoping that dream was just a dream. Yet something tells her that dream was more of a vision, a warning of what is coming.

***
(a month later)

Deep inside the Everfree forest, Zecora, a zebra with great wisdom and knowledge of potion making searches the forest floor for a certain herb she needs for her potion. She does stop her search when a noise she has never heard before appears and that's saying something when she spends most her time inside this forest. The zebra looks around for the source but cannot find it, instead the source finds her. A creature made out of metal, standing on two legs and holding a knife over her appears out from nowhere, about to stab the knife into the zebra, but another stops it.

Zecora spins around in shock, first now realizing she had been in grave danger. The black insect creature there has tackled the metal one away lets out a pained hiss when the metal creature stabs the knife into its shoulder before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The wounded insect horse staggers once before dropping to the ground unconscious.

Zecora hesitates; she knows what the insect horse is: a changeling. A creature there feeds on love and those it steals it from are often left comatose for weeks. But this one did save her life. Against her better judgment, Zecora walks over to the wounded and now unconscious changeling and brings it back to her hut.
As she has no wish ending up as this one's next dinner. Zecora wraps a sort of bandage there suppresses pony magic, she can only hope it works on a changeling as well. After have bound the hole filled hooves she starts treating its wound, the changeling wakes up not long after.
It struggles against the binds, hissing at her. It is hard because of the blue reflection-less eyes but Zecora thinks she sees fears in them. That is something new.
"Do not quiver, you are quite safe with me my changeling savior." Zecroa tells the changeling, nodding down to the bindings. "These bindings are for my safety as someone like you find ponies like me quite tasty."
The changeling stops struggling, it lowers its gaze, seemly thinking about something.
"I understand yours disincline towards me in your mind." Zecora tells it understanding, very sure she too would not be happy if she found herself in such a situation. She takes a bowl with a potion for disinfection. "You will be freed when your wound has been healed. You are far from home where you let yourself get seen."
The changeling meets her eyes; it takes some willpower not to flinch at those glassy blue eyes.
"Thank you." It says with a smooth male voice, not raspy or high pinched as those few changelings Zecora has met over the years. This is also the first time a changeling has thanked her.
"May I be so bold asking what such a beautiful creature like you is called?" He asks with a very charming smile and Zecora can't help but blush of it, even though changelings aren't beautiful to look at, she must admit this one is handsome compared to the last one she met. Polite as well. "You are a very charming speaker, my name is Zecora my love eating creature." She is feeling way calmer around this one, still not enough to let him free just yet. "And what name may I ask do you proclaim?"

"I am afraid I cannot tell you my real name, my dear. You may call me Spy."

Spy? So this changeling is an infiltrator? Zecora ponders, but if he is then why did he straight out say it? "Changeling spy out to comply or have defied your queens desires?" She asks him.

"Neither," Spy replies, not sure he should but he has to tell this zebra the truth about his incredible weird situation if he has any wish getting back home. "I am not from around here: this isn't my true form. Before I came here; I looked closer to the one there attacked you. I still do not fully understand how, but that robot and I got transported here after my team's Pyro set it on fire. I found myself in this form and—"

"And now you wish to tell this place goodbye wayward changeling spy?"

Spy nods, but like coming here; he has no idea how to get back home. Perhaps. "Any chance you could offer me assistance for that little mission?" He asks the zebra, realizing he did rhyme a bit.

Zecora gives him a smile, deciding to trust this other world being. He does sound sincere. "Perhaps the princess can help you out of your worldly mess." And lets Spy free from his bindings.
He gives her a curious look. "I take they are some kind of horse as well?"
She nods. "Equestria is home to many pony kind, but changeling is not taken friendly try; keep that in mind." Fortunately, his changeling magic can solve that problem. "If you are true about your friendly intend I will help you use the magic of pony pretend."

He had been hoping this Zecora would bring him right away to this princess, but from what he has gathered, this changeling species he has been turned into is not one of the good guys. Figures as he doesn't consider himself a good guy either. He also understands the residents fear if what he has been turned into feeds on love–- no matter how stupid that sounds.
Makes him wonder; does that feeding leave the target as a husk? Spy maybe be a man who will kill without a second of hesitating but even he shudders at the thought of leaving a victim as a mere husk. And if that's the case then he fully understands why Zecora is wary around him. "I will stay on my best behavior." He promises the zebra, but it would be easier if he didn't feel like starving all the time. "You said I feed on love; how does that work exactly?"

"You steal the love of magic leaving behind a pony filled with tragic," Zecora replies.

Spy feared that was the case, but he has to feed somehow. Only two days of being stuck here and he can already feel his body is breaking down from hunger, he needs food and soon. If not, then not even his strong will can stop him from giving to his into the hunger and steal the love as Zecora said.

Seeing the worry on the changeling's face, it is clear this one hasn't been dealt with this all his life. This is a new problem for him. Zecora chooses to believe this one has indeed been something else and decides to offer him a substitute for the love he needs to survive on. "I can make a potion to keep you fit, however the hunger for real love will always be your conflict."

Better than starving he guess. "It'll have to do."

Zecora nods and starts brewing the potion for her new changeling companion.

***

(two weeks later. the human world)

The Spy of Reliable Excavation Demolition or RED for short doesn't know why, but he has been feeling tense ever since his clone of the Builder League United or BLU got torched along with the Spy-bot and did not respawn for some crappy reason. It confuses him to no end why he is feeling like this after BLU Spy disappearance, he and his clone–- or whatever they are towards one another has never felt any connection to one another or cared for their look alike in that case. They have been hired to kill one another and in all the time here, both he and the BLU have been doing just that, no question asked. Well the only question asked was why they looked like one another, but it's not like the ice-cold heart to the Administrator is ever going to answer them that.
Speaking of the devil; that woman had demanded they found his look-alike, but none of them has found a clue of what happened. Engineer thought it was a respawn failure, and had put up a few moments of ceasefire with the BLU Engineer so he could ask some questions.
The Texan returned not long after, a deep frown on his forehead. Spy dreads the answer but he much rather wants to know than be in the dark. "What did he tell you?"

"Well, at first he thought Medic had his head captured again like last time." Engineer replies with his soft-spoken voice.

That had been the only time he had ever felt sorry for his counterpart. He is sure Scout had a hand in with that incident for not long after he showed Scout those pictures of what BLU Spy did in his free time with... her– no, he shouldn't think about it and his counterpart was stupid in not ending it sooner. BLU Spy got decapitated not long after that whole mess; kept alive and stuffed into a freezer by his team's Medic. Must've been hell for the BLU Spy; enough that Spy decided to end his suffering. None of them ever mentioned it again but Spy is sure BLU Spy was thankful for the mercy kill. He wonders if Medic have decapitated and taken his head again? Wouldn't surprise him honestly.

"I checked our refrigerators, but didn't find any BLU Spy head." Engineer continues, "I told my clone that. It took a while but I got him to tell me that BLU's respawn says he's alive but out of range."

Not sure that is good news or not, for respawn can pick them up pretty much everywhere in the world. But if it cannot track him then that creates the question. "Any idea where he might be?" Engineer shakes his head. "BLU doesn't know either." The shorter man says. Spy thought that was the case, he wonders where his counterpart ended up and why he is feeling a strange sense of hunger all the time.

Bonding over dragon attack

Author's Note

part 2 after the episode created after Secret of My Excess.

this happens the next day after the last chapter.

Bonding over dragon attack

They came to the agreement Soldier would live with Derpy as he probably can handle getting objects over his head better than any one of them. Also, Soldier did not mind Derpy, in fact, he finds her a very sweet American. Spy and Demo did not bother to correct him that they aren't in America anymore.
Demo got to live with the Cakes and told the two bakers that he has some experience in baking as he has been taking care of his old mother which the Cakes were very relieved about as that meant he could help them in the kitchen once and a while.

With them settled, Spy heads back to Zecora and calls Celestia over the mirror. He tells the ruler of this land that two more from his world have come here. "Some of the local ponies has lent them a place to sleep while we're searching for a clue coming home."

In the reflection of the mirror, Celestia nods and taps her hoof up to her chin in thoughts. "From how only your comrades are brought here. I suspect someone is causing this. Is there someone who would like you gone?"

"That's a very long list, shorten down to only one if we count magic into that list." Spy replies and tells her about Soldier's roommate there happens to be a wizard.

"It's a possibility this Merrasmus has brought you here." Celestia hypnotizes and will study on it after this conversation. "What can you tell me about this Soldier and Demoman?"

Spy leaves the hut for privacy for both him and Zecora when she returns from the herb gathering. Outside he tells the princess. "What Soldier lacks in brain; he makes up for it in muscles and bravery—although that bravery often comes out as insanity."

The insanity point did worry Celestia a bit, she would offer that stallion a spot as the more active royal guards but she won't allow him if he cannot keep himself in check there might cause her subjects or others harm. "Does he show any form of loyalty?"

Well, Soldier was at first out of control when the team was made. He never listened to reason and thought he was the commander of the team, it had also been in that time Soldier shot him when he thought he was the RED Spy. Fortunately, over time, Soldier calmed down and got more open to the team's suggestions. "If you are asking he will listen to your command. Tell him you are the president of Equestria, stroke his ego a bit and you have him on your side." Celestia smiles amused by that. "As for Demoman, he may accidentally cause some collaborate damage as his hobby is explosives but won't cause any trouble for your subjects."

She thinks she can deal with that. Ponies do from time to time destroy buildings and such with their magic, it does ensure the builder ponies always have a job, though. "Very well, thank you for the information. I will return back to the research about getting you home."

Spy nods and the Princess of the Sun disappears from the mirror, letting him stare at his own reflection there shows a changeling frowning from his own thoughts: How long has he last been thanked for doing his job? He does not know but he is glad someone finally notifies his skills. He returns back to Zecora's hut.

"Did the dear princess find you a tome there might bring you home?" Zecora asks him, turning away from her brew and pushing aside the depressing thoughts that Spy maybe very soon leave forever.

Spy shakes his head. "No, still researching up on it." And he sort of hates himself that he is so casual about it. He knows he should return home, that is where he belongs. But he has sort of lost interest in going back, one of the reasons is a certain zebra. Shaking the thoughts aside, he steps over to Zecora, allowing his head rest on her back. "Something strange happens today. When one of my teammates realized who I was, he got quite... happy seeing me. I felt his emotions. I thought only love would feed me, not genuine joy."

That is quite a discovery, Zecora thinks. She knows changeling feeds on love, Spy has after all been sort of feeding from her. They discovered that simply being near somepony who feels genuine love towards the changeling is enough to sustain him. And yes, Zecora admits that she loves this changeling. "Hm, this is just a mere thought, but perhaps you do not need feed on only the love." She suggests and nuzzles his shiny black insect hide.

Enjoying the zebra's touch for a moment, Spy does highly doubt Soldier loves him, not even as a friend but-- "That could be the case, Soldier emotions didn't have any sign of love, he was happy yes, but that's about it." He replies and steps away from her from the sound of approaching hooves.
Zecora opens her mouth, but whatever she was about to say never leave her lips when Twilight suddenly barges into the hut, closely followed by Spike. He has gotten quite the growth spurt since he last saw that dragon. "What have you been feeding him?" He asks Twilight. The unicorn sends him an annoyed look before she turns to Zecora with: "Something is wrong with Spike. Can you help me?"

Zecora checks the now pony sized dragon, poking his head, waving a watch before him-- which Spike with greedy eyes tries to get. She removes the watch from him before he does and after has pulled a bit his longer hands; she knows what is going on. "He is starting to mature, for that fact I am quite sure."

That takes Twilight a bit off guard. "So he's just growing up? But that doesn't explain why he keeps grabbing things." She points out and levitates a pot out from the dragon's claws.
Zecora gestures both her and the changeling to come over, explaining mostly to Twilight. "A dragon's heart is prone to greed, a steady diet to make growth speed." Twilight follows her over to the kettle in middle of the hut, watching the powder Zecora threw in turn into a shape of Spike as the zebra explains, "then the resulting bigger size only makes their hunger raise."

"And here I thought I had hunger problems." Spy remarks and snatches away one of the chichi masks away from that greedy dragon. Spike growls at him and winches down when Spy returns it with his own way more intimidating hiss. Twilight gives him a scared look, Spy corrects himself and straightens up. "Apologizes." Shooting the dragon a glare when Spike now is grabbing a spoon which he snatches away as well. "How do we stop this behavior?" For this is starting to get on his nerves.

"If Spike continues to collect without restrains, more growth will certainly occur: he will transform into a monster with greedily absurd." Zecora explains to the changeling and Twilight, the latter gasps horrified of this new fact. "You mean the more he collects the greedier he gets? But how do we stop him before he is completely out of control?!"

Spike reaches out and grabs some of the potions, Spy hisses at him but Spike knocks that annoying thing out with a single slap with his claws. The unicorn and zebra turn around, with Twilight watching in horror Spike hoarding everything inside the hut. "Spike stop it!" She cries and grabs everything by her magic. Spike did not like that one bit, this is his stuff now! "It's mine!" He snaps and lashes out at her. Only stops when a panther suddenly stands between them, snarling furiously at him. The dragon sneers back but when he sees the horrified look on Twilights face, he for a moment snap out from his primal greed. Realizing he had almost hurt her. He drops all the stuff and hastily leaves the hut.
With that growing threat gone, Spy returns back to his pony disguise, asking the stunned in horror Twilight. "Are you alright mon amie?" She nods slowly.
Zecora steps over to her pile of belongings, musing her thoughts out loud. "It seems he is not yet consumed by greed, he still saw the friend in you I believe." She tells Twilight.

"I have to stop him." Twilight declares and with quick thanks for the help she gallops out.
zebra and changeling give each other a look, both hoping this mess will end well.

***

In Sugarcube Corner, Demoman is not entirely sure what just has happened, he was helping the Cakes by cleaning the kitchen (do some practice using his hooves) and the next thing he got this adorable pink pony named Pinkie Pie besides him, telling him welcome by firing that cannon of hers. Talk about one blast of a welcome.
"First time I got a party on the first day on the job." He cannot help but remark, jumping when this pink pony suddenly appears right behind the cake she gave him, saying hilariously seriously. "First day on the job is very important you know." That he can agree on. "Aye, you got that right lass." And tries to take the plate with cake Pinkie offers him, he drops it onto the floor. "Sorry about that, still clunky with these," waving his front hooves.

"Not used to hooves?" Pinkie asks tilting her head with a small giggle. "What did you have before?"

"Something called hands, they worked like that dragon's claws." Demo explains, she makes a, "ohhh" sound and suggests; "Then perhaps you should your unicorn magic?" Offering him a new slice of cake. "We can't have you drop all the cake onto the floor." That he agrees on, especially when she told him she baked it just for him. Demo takes a moment to remember how to use his new magic, when he does, an aura of red surrounds the cake and plate. He hesitantly levitates it over to him and feels very victories when he takes a bite of the cake without dropping it. The cake is pretty good too. "Thanks, bit too sweet for me though."
He returns rest of the cake back onto the table. Now he knows how to use his horn, Demo uses his magic on the broom and now simply has to walk around while his mind does the brushing. He can get used to that.
He doesn't stop his task when Pinkie jumps up beside him, asking as if it's the most important thing in the world. "What sort of cake do you like?"
He has to think about that for a moment. "Hm, I do like blueberries, oh and I do have my own recipe for a good cake. I could make it for you."

"Sure! I would love baking cakes with you Demo!"

Demo smiles, yet has to ask for he hasn't found one liquor store and not only could he need a drink but he would need vodka for that cake. "Do you have alcohol around? I need some for that cake."

Alcohol in a cake? That is the first time for Pinkie, but this is Demo's cake, so... "I don't know if Mr. and Mrs. Cake have any, but you can always ask Berry Punch if she has what you're looking for. She is very good making certain drinks."

Sounds like just a pony for him with that kind of name. Pony names are weird. "And where can I find this Berry Punch?"
Pinkie opens her mouth to answers but is rudely interrupted when a big purple dragon- looking very much like Spike barges into the shop with what looks like a chicken coup filled with all kind of junk inside. Before any of them can stop him, the dragon grabs the broom from Demo and puts it into the chicken coup. The dragon turns his intense gaze towards the two ponies with a look there reminds Demo of when he stood face to face with the Loch Ness monster.
"Stay back lass!" He warns Pinkie, both leaping away when the dragon steals the cake Pinkie made for him. The pink pony lets out a scream, jumps as far away from the hoarding dragon as she can; which is the top on a shelf filled with cakes. She grabs two of them and throws the cakes at the dragon. "Back! Get back!" She yells, already having two more in her hooves. The dragon ducks under the assault, but does seem more interested in keeping his chicken coup of junk safe. That gives Demo an idea. "Keep him busy lass!" He tells Pinkie, she does by throwing more cakes at him. Demo uses the dragon's distraction to turn his magic at the junk and pulls out the broom, not the best choice of weapon but it will have to do. The dragon stares a few seconds at the levitating broom, to then letting out a yelp when Demo slaps him over the face with it. The dragon sneers, grabs the broom and a cake, stuffing both into the chicken coup.
Demo tries tearing its treasures away while Pinkie continues throwing cake at the dragon's hide.

"Pinkie, don't give him cakes!"

The sudden cry from Twilight makes Demo loses his focus and the grip around the chicken coup. Before he can recover, the dragon hits him with its tail. Slamming him into the wall which would've knocked him out if he had been human, but all it does now is making the room spin a bit.

Pinkie throws more cakes at him, yelling at the newly arrived group. "I'm not giving him cake! I'm distracting him with it!" She reaches out for more but just then, the dragon snatches the whole shelf and she drops head first onto the floor. She and Demo recover quickly. "How dare you to take the cake?!" She yells while he searches the room for anything he can use as a weapon. He does forget his task when the dragon suddenly grows rapidly and burst through the shops roof. The now house sized dragon wanders off in search for more to his hoard.

"Hey, what just happen?!" Demo demands, for dealing with a truck-sized dragon had been bad enough.

Twilight doesn't, unfortunately, have time to explain the deal to this stallion. "I'll explain later, right now we have to stop him."

That Demo can agree on, he chases after the three mares, the repairs on Sugarcupe Corner will have to wait until this crisis is over.
Finding that rampaging dragon is not difficult, for he has again gone through another growth spurt. Now more than big enough to swallow a horse whole, and is completely out of control.
The rampaging dragon almost steps onto a mare if it hasn't been for Soldier snatching her away.
Demo is so glad to see him here. Agreement with the Administrator be damned, these ponies need their help! "Soldier, I need your help!"

Soldier gives Demo an angry look, still not forgiving him for calling him a civilian. Demo opens his mouth, only to be cut off when that Godzilla monster roars loudly. Demo turns back to Soldier again, letting out a sighs. "Look, I am sorry I called you a civilian, I never meant offending you like this, but the Administrator was threatening to harm my mum if I didn't fight you!"
Soldier blinks, Tavish was forced? More importantly: "You don't think I'm a civilian?" Demoman gives him a look.

"You are many things Jane, but a civilian is not one of them."

Landing on the ground, Soldier feels like he too should take back all the words he has called his pal throughout their fight. "I know Scotland is not part of England." He just said that because he knew it would enrage Tavish.
The brown pony smirks and offers his hoof. Soldier hesitates; they can't shake hands without said hands. So he kicks his hoof against Tavish as a sort of fist-bump, the two grin to one another, both feeling like a nasty storm has finally settled. "Let's kick some Godzilla ass!" Soldier declares and flies over to fetch a shovel he found lying around.

Oh it's good to have his pal back again, and better they for once can fight side by side. "Godzilla? Solly, we're going to fight a real bloody dragon!" Demo laughs and finds a metal pole, levitating it like a sword. He runs at the dragon with Solly flying close behind.
Demo jumps onto the dragon's leg, runs up its back and with: "leeeet's do iiiit!!" he hits the dragon right over the snout, stunning it just long enough for Soldier do this world's vision of a sky drop. The blue pegasus lets out a battle cry and hits the dragon's head so hard that one of the large green spikes gets cut off. The dragon roars furiously at its attackers, powerful enough to throw Demo off its back. He would've gotten very hurt by the landing if Soldier didn't catch him in mid-flight. "Eat this lizard breathe!" He throws Demo who lands back onto the dragon and hit it right between the eyes.

The dragon roars in pain; lashes out after the two annoying ponies there keeps hurting him. Too busy hitting after those two that he did not see a third member in form of a blue pegasus fly over to Rarity who is trapped in his tail and tries to pull her out. He only did by chance and with his very narrow mind recognizes that pony to be the one who has been flirting with Rarity. Rage build's up in him and with a roar, the dragon hits the blue pegasus with his large claws. The brown unicorn catches that on at last second, but by then his greed for treasures has made him forget about those two and start searching for a location to place his treasure. He finds it in form of another dragon's once lair-- a pain over the head reminds him about the pegasi and he hits out after it, knocking it off the sky. He returns back to his thoughts of putting his hoard into a cave and starts climbing the mountain.

Soldier smacks onto the ground, for a moment stunned by the crash but a big lizard is not keeping this soldier down, no sir.
"You alright, Solly?" Demo asks, he and Spy trot over to him. Soldier jumps back on his hooves. "He's gotta try harder than that!" Demo smiles hearing that while Spy turns his gaze up to the mountain where that stupid dragon is.

The blue pegasus clears his throat, getting the two other's attention. "Soldier, you and I need to distract him. Demo, can you try and get that pony free from his tail?"

"Aye I can do that."

Soldier grins to Spy, he always knew the man had a soldier in him. "Let's kick some dragon ass!" and takes flight, not seeing Spy roll his eyes at him before following.
Soldier is the first reaching the dragon. "Maggot!" He yells and hits the beast right on top of the head, making it roar in pain and when it tries to eat him, Soldier decides that now that he looks like a horse; he might as well act like one and kicks it hard over the snout.

The dragon winches in pain, holding over the spot where he got kicked.

"Ahem."

Opening his eyes, the dragon stares right at that blue pegasus standing on his snout. He growls in anger but forgets that for a moment when the pony turns into a nightmarish animal with glowing red eyes, roaring back at him. The dragon is for a moment stunned by his childish fear but forgets that when the green pegasus kicks him again over the neck. He growls angrily by these pests and after has flicked the shapeshifter off, he takes out the water tower barrel he grabbed when the chicken coup got too small and grins victoriously when that pest of a pegasus smacks right into the button. Before that one can recover, the dragon slams the barrel into the mountain, trapping the pegasus inside.

"You bloody dragon!"

The dragon turns around, for a moment thinking that pegasus got out when the pain from before returns, no, it's just another one. This one a brown unicorn and glaring at him on his back.
"You'll let him out or I'll gotta chop your head off!" The unicorn shouts and hits him right over the face yet again, this time it shed blood. The dragon stares startled at the small wound over the cheek, then in a growl, catches the unicorn and throws it away. He didn't see the bug pony catches the unicorn in last second, both crashing rather hard onto the ground.

"Thanks, mate." Demo thanks Spy, the now bug looking horse shoots him a small glare but does say. "No problem." Before taking his pegasus form again. Both gets back on their feet, with Demo watching the dragon apparently listing to the white unicorn trapped by it. Better get up there before that dragon decides to eat that one. "Can you fly me up there?"

Spy checks his wing, not only does it hurt but the landing chipped it. He won't be flying anywhere soon. "My wing is chipped. I'm afraid I am grounded for now." Turning his gaze up to the scene above them, "Hopefully there is enough sense in Spike to recognize miss Rarity." He has taken notice the dragon has quite the crush and hilariously protective around her. The reason why he always flirted the mare when that dragon was around.

"Is it a Scout/Miss Pauling situation?"

Spy nods and smirking along with Demo laughing. That laugher does get cut short when black/green cloud of magic suddenly burst out from Spike, turning him to normal size, making both him and Rarity fall from the sky now there is no longer a big dragon holding onto the mountain. Fortunately their friends came to the rescue with two pegasi catching them by a makeshift blanket. When the two are safe onto the ground, Spy and Demo calm down and Spy turns his gaze to the mountain where Soldier is still trapped. "We better get to him before he tries to dig himself out."

"Sound like him." Demo grins and the two heads over to the mountain, when up on there, Demo uses his levitation magic on the barrel while Spy turns into a panter and pushes it with his shoulders, those two combined efforts and a muffled battle cry followed by something hitting the side makes the barrel loses its grip on the mountain, dropping it to the ground and lets a very pissed Soldier out.
"Where is that dragon?! I'm gonna stuff that tail so far down his throat—"

"The dragon is no more," Spy tells him as he returns to his pegasus form, turning his gaze down to where Spike speaks with his friends and crush.

Soldier huffs disappointed he didn't get the kill that beast, he didn't notice the exchanged look the two other gives him. Only turns his gaze back to them when Spy says in his usually smooth voice. "Your last attack was what chased it off." With Demo nodding in agreement. "Ay, we couldn't have done it without you!"
Soldier boasts his chest proudly he succeeds defeating this threat and thinks he-- Demo and Spy too deserve a medal. "Medals for everyone!"
Demoman laughs while Spy looks like he would much rather be somewhere else than here now.

****

(evening)

After have made sure Spike has recovered from his greedy rampage and sleeping soundly, Twilight heads into the Everfree forest and when she reaches her goal in form of Zecora's hut, the young unicorn knocks onto the door. There goes a moment before Zecora opens the door, blinking seeing the unicorn here. "Strange see you this late, is there more trouble Spike's greed we need to negate?" The zebra asks.
Twilight shakes her head. "No, Spike's fine now." She notices the changeling inside the hut, he seems quite annoyed over something, probably because it is rather late for visits. Better get to the point of why she is here. "I would like to thank you for helping us with Spike-- with a lot of things actually." She admits to the zebra. Zecora has been a great source of guidance to her and her friends. "You have been such a great source of wisdom, and--"

Zecora stops her by lifting her hoof. "No need thanking me, helping ponies is my destiny that I can guarantee."

Twilight smiles to the zebra. "I know, but—" her words get cut short when Spy's body suddenly lights up, startling the changeling just as much as her. "What's going on?" She asks, Zecora turns around to see but she too is quite surprised by this. The light emerging from the changeling shapes into shards looking an awful like the Elements when Nightmare Moon destroyed them. But, that can't be. There should only be six elements!
These shards surround Zecora, making the zebra take a step back in surprise. It's there Twilight feels it: the spark and the element Zecora has come to represent. She gasps in this realization. "Zocora, you... you are the Element of Guidance."
The shards around the zebra gather around her chest, forming a stylized circle gem in color of ocean blue and held by a golden necklace.

Zecora stares at the necklace around her neck rings, taken quite aback she has been chosen to wear one of the Elements of Harmony, and here she thought only ponies could be granted such an honor. "This is quite the surprise." She admits to Twilight, turning around to the changeling. "I wonder why the shards came from you my dear Spy?" To then blink in surprise that Spy also has gotten himself a necklace, this one in silver and instead of a circle shaped gem his is the form of a knife; in the same ocean blue color.

Twilight gasps seeing another necklace of Harmony of Guidance around Spy's neck, but why is the necklace silver? What does this mean? "I need to speak with the princess about this." She declares and runs off so she can write to Celestia about this discovery.

With her out, the zebra and changeling both look at their new trinkets, Spy being the one most confused about this. Turning his gaze to the zebra. "What is this Element of Guidance Twilight spoke about?" and more importantly; "and why did it come from me?" For he doesn't consider himself the man people should look for guidance.

Protector of the Diamond Dogs

Note: This happens week after the last chapter.
Made after the episode 'A dog and pony show'

Rarity has gotten the jackpot with a customer! Saffhire Shore has not only visited her boutique but wanted one of her newest designs! Granted Sapphire has demanded three more of a gem filled suit, one she cannot make as she used all her gems on that first one. So she has to get more, easy enough. She grabs Spike to help her with the gem search, promising him that he will get some to snack on as repayment for the help. After have explained Spike of the reason, the baby dragon gasps in excitement. "Oh my gosh! Sapphire Shores! The pony of pop! She is awesome! I mean, she's gorgeous and talented and —" Rarity sends him a look, a bit offended him gushing over somepony else than her. He chuckles nervously. "Heh... and not even half the pony you are. I mean, you're ten times more gorgeous and talented and—"
Flattering, but he is wrong about one thing. "Spike, a lady is never jealous." She corrects him and returns back to her search for gems at the mountainside located a few miles from Ponyville.

"Of course not. But were you totally flipping out or what?!" Spike asks and still unable to calm down over that Rarity had an audience with THE Sapphire Shores.

Rarity giggles lightly of the dragon's choice of words. "Ladies do not "flip out", Spike." But she will admit; "However, I was quite in awe." and speaking about that pony there has ordered three more of her gem filled costumes, she starts to search for more gems. "I need to find more jewels than ever before to decorate her costumes. Oh, aha!" With her magic being specialized in finding gems, Rarity rather easily finds what she is looking for. And excitedly makes Spike dig them out. It is a decent cluster of gems.

Seeing the cluster of these delicious gems, Spike's mouth starts to water. "Ooooo! You look so delicious." He licks his mouth.
"Spike!" Rarity snaps him out from his hunger for the gems, he winches in disappointment but does understand as she explains him. "I promised I'd give you gems to snack on, but we need to collect more first or I'll never be able to make these outfits for Sapphire." Reluctantly, Spike put the gems into his wagon. He does quickly get over it and returns back to his job helping Rarity finding more, he does wish he could snack one just one of all the gems they find.
When his wagon has a large pile of those tasty looking gems. Rarity pats him over the head, saying happily. "You've been very patient today, Spike. And for that, you get the finest reward." Rarity levitates the biggest and prettiest sapphire gem out from the pile, giving it to him. "This is from me to you." Spike forgets about his hunger to eat this gem, realizing what she has just said and is truly touched by this gift giving from the pony he has a major crush on. "It's perfect." He smiles at her and decides this gem shall not be eaten, but saved as a memento.
He follows her happy to get more gems.

Both Spike and Rarity are unaware they are being watched, three creatures watch them behind the thick shrubbery surrounding this particular site. The leader of those three watches the dragon digging up gems, taking notices. "He is the gem hunter, hunt gems like Protector." He tells his two comrades. The biggest of the three steps over to watch the dragon, that one is far from being as big and strong as their personal gem hunter, but perhaps. "Get dragon to Protector?" He suggests, thinking it might make Protector happy who has been a bit down lately.

"Spike! Where are you?"

"Wait! Who is that?" The first one asks, they move toward this other voice, spotting a pony- a unicorn. The three blink once, then grin at their luck. "Unicorn, we bring unicorn to Protector." They declare, now certain it will make their protector happy.

Rarity tracks down one last cluster of gems, voicing her thoughts to the digging dragon. "Well, Spike, I think that's all we can do for today. And these will certainly get me well on my way with Sapphire's outfits. Why don't we start headi- " She gasps of what he gem tracking spell catches up, she follows it. "What's this? Another jewel." But does find it strange that her tracking spell leads her to the nearby trees. "Strange. It's in the trees." Brushing few of the branches aside she finds the gem, but gets the world's biggest startle when a very... well ruffian looking creature appears from the tree, having that gem around its neck, she steps back and an attempt not letting this quite ugly looking stone dog know she did not mean to offend it. "Uh... Good day, gentle... uh, fellow. Uh, I am Rarity and this is my friend Spike." She introduces herself and Spike, said dragon waves weakly towards the creature. "And you are..." She asks nervously.

This gargoyle looking dog with skin very familiar to stone jumps out from the tree. "A Diamond dog." This diamond dog introduces himself, and is very keen on getting this unicorn for their Protector. He and his fellow Diamond Dogs really want to please Protector.

Stepping further away from this approaching and quite menacing looking Diamond dog. "Oh really? Oh well, that explains your fine taste in jewelry. I mean I-I-I know that diamonds are a girl's best friend and now I know that they're a dog's best friend too, ha ha ha..." She giggles weakly and in the hope this Diamond dog perhaps would stop approaching her. "So, um, you're out hunting for gems as well?"

"Yes. We hunt." The leader of this small pack replies, much to the unicorn's confusions. "Uh...we?" She asks and he explains. "We once hunt gems, but now we hunt pretty things for Protector, so now we bring unicorn to Protector." and his two pack members sneak attack this pretty unicorn from the ground. The biggest of them tries to snatch the unicorn but she ducks just in last second. Before he can try again. The baby dragon uses his strong tail to jag it into the smallest dog's tail. The smallest diamond dog yelps in pain, distraction the biggest long enough for the baby dragon to pushes him away with his spiked head.

"Run Rarity, run!" Spike calls to her before he or Rarity can get away, though. The biggest Diamond dog forces him to the ground with its powerful paws before turning its anttention back to Rarity. But even stuck into the ground, Spike refuses to give up and grabs the diamond dog's legs, making it stumble and land onto the smallest one.

"Spike! Come on! Hurry!" Rarity calls, but before she can get over and help the baby dragon, the apparent leader of those three dogs appears behind her from the ground. "Gotcha!" and she can do little than struggles against this brute pulling her towards the hole. "Unhand me this instant, you ruffians!" She cries, calling for Spike but he cannot help her at the moment and the dogs drag her into these dirty tunnels

Spike cries for her, but it is too late, she has been taken and has proven he is no match for these Diamond dogs. He has to get help! Reluctant but knowing it is his only hope saving Rarity, Spike runs back to Ponyville so he can get Twilight and the others.

(down the tunnels)

"Ugh put me down, you thugs!" Rarity cries up to her captures but they completely ignore her, they bring her inside a huge cave filled with colorful drawings everywhere on the walls. The one holding her drops her roughly, with the leader of them calling into this cave. "Protector! We found pretty unicorn for you!"
Sounds of movements, Rarity winches seeing something big move at the edge of the light, to then scream when an adult dragon head appears. The only good thing that this one is not as big as the one there took a nap near Ponyville, but still big enough to be scary.
This dragon is fire red with an orange line down the back, making its black spikes and blue underside scales stand out. It approaches the Diamond dogs and the terrified Rarity there notices its yellow eyes are locked onto her. She smiles weakly up to it. "H-Hello, nice meeting you um, Protector. I uh... must say you have decorated your lair quite n-nicely." She compliments the dragon with a weak smile, this dragon might not be as big as the one deciding to take a nap up on the mountain or those during the dragon migration, but it is still big enough to be able to look into the first-floor windows of her boutique if standing on its toes
The dragon titles its head at her, then smiles widely and says- to Rarity's surprise- with a female voice. "Thanks! I like them too." and before Rarity can get her bearing and speak again, Protector has snatched her up in her claws, making the unicorn let out a startled squeal. "You are a very pretty unicorn, very pretty hair." Protector says, touching Rarity hair with those sharp black claws.

Rarity, now feeling much calmer around this female dragon, she replies with a smile. "Why thank you." Although she is still a bit uncomfortable having those sharp claws this close to her face "Um, could you perhaps... remove your claws? I would hate you accidentally cut me and messes up my coat." Protector does, still holding her like some sort of teddy bear, but Rarity can deal with that. "Thank you, darling."
Protector beams.

"We brought you pretty unicorn." The leader of the Diamond dogs says, asking the dragon hopefully. "Protector happy?"

The dragon nods with a big smile down to the three. "Very! Thank you! Here." Still with Rarity in her left claw, Protector easily dig into the rock wall beside her, clawing out a cluster of gems. The three Diamond dogs drool at the sight, begging like real dogs when the dragon throws the cluster of gems over to them. After have eaten their treat. The three Diamond dogs thank her and asks in their great need to please the adult dragon. "What else can Diamond dogs do to please Protector?"
The dragon returns her gaze back to the unicorn. "You got me a pretty unicorn, it is good enough."
The three dogs nod and leave the cave, very proud of themselves for pleasing their protector.

Well, this is quite the surprise. These ruffians of Diamond dogs were just trying to make this dragon happy, so what did they get in return? Besides from gem of course.
"They seem to like you, Protector." Rarity remarks, winching but does somewhat deal with this dragon messing up her hair by petting it.

"I like Diamond dogs" Protector replies happily. "They bring me things, they make me happy."

"And what do you do in returns?" Rarity asks curiously.

"I make sure no one hurt my Diamond dogs." Protector replies with now a menacing smirk, it does not fade as the dragon adds. "Everyone who does will burn."

Rarity gulps and dreads the worst, knowing Spike, he will get help and that means her friends will have to face this dragon; the protector of the Diamond dogs.

***
(Ponyville)

"What is Scout and pink pony doing?" Heavy asks, walking up to where Engineer, along with the mares watching Scout and Pinkie discussing something seemly incredible important.
Rainbow Dash looks up at him. "Pinkie said something about wanting to make friends with Scout properly." and like the rest has no idea what that means. For aren't those two friends already?
Heavy frowns and turns to the speedster and pink pony of randomness both now backing away from one another, then with both of them yelling; "GO!" They run at one another, knocking their heads together. Both of them topples to the ground, Pinkie is the first to recover. From the looks of it, she is asking Scout a question. He gets up and nods with a huge grin on his face, making Pinkie hugs him before both trottings off happily away as if that former scene was completely normal.

"Uh, what just happen?" Rainbow Dash asks, not sure of what she has witnessed. Her friends and the turned humans only shrug in a sign they have no idea either. Their confusions towards Pinkie and Scout is replaced with confusions of what is freaking Spike that much out that the kid dragon cannot speak, only manages to say "Rarity... woods... jewels... dogs... hole... taken... Save her!" the group eye one another, but can see this is important so Twilight pulls Spike onto her back and heads towards the mountainside where Rarity at time goes to find gems. Her friends and the two turned humans follow.
On their way there Twilight asks the still gasping for air Spike "Spike, can you breathe now?"

He takes a couple more breathes before he says. "I-I think so."

"Good. Now tell us what you know." Twilight says, turning her eyes to Rainbow Dash flying up beside them, remarking with a small grin. "Yeah. because all you said earlier was—" and she repeats what Spike cried when he came to them.

"Not a whole lot to go on there, sport." Applejack points out.

Spike apologizes and now out from his state of panic, he explains the ponies. "Rarity and I were in the woods looking for jewels when these creepy guys showed up."

"What kind of creepy guys are we talking about?" Engineer asks for he can think about a lot of people suiting that description.

"They called themselves the Diamond Dogs. They grabbed Rarity and disappeared down a hole in the ground."

Well, that does sound like it is going to be rather easy, Applejack thinks and voices that out loud, telling the worried dragon. "Just take us to that there hole and we'll save Rarity."
But that proves not to be that easy. At the place the ponies find countless of holes, it does make it harder but they refuse to give up just because of that.

Twilight jumps down to the hole filled valley. "Come on! Let's get started." She sticks her head into one of these holes, calling down. She jumps when a pair of eyes appears in the darkness of the hole, but no monster she thought would jump at her. No, instead she got her face filled with dirt as the owner of the eyes fills it up. Looking around, Twilight realizes the same is happening to the other holes and urges her friends. "Quick! We gotta get down one before they're all filled up!"

They try but the holes fill up faster than they can reach them. Applejack tries to stop one of the holes from getting filled by forcing herself down but she cannot fight hard enough against the geyser of dirt. And with her orange coat filled with dirt, she tells her friends in horror. "We can't muscle through it!" Snapping to that huge stallion when he lets out a roar and stomps hard onto one of the earth piles, but all that did was making the pile more impacted.

"Don't stomp!" Engineer cries, he jumps onto one of the piles and starts digging. "We have to dig." The mares follow his example, Heavy does it by tackling the earth piles away as his big size wouldn't allow for digging.

Their attempt digging their way in does get rudely interrupted when the Diamond dogs are cheeky enough to appear from the ground and pull the ponies tail, greatly delaying their digging. But the dogs weren't done messing with them. Two of the Diamond dogs appear behind Twilight and Rainbow, both ponies jump at them, ending slamming into one another as the Diamond dogs dodge the attack by returning back into the ground piles.
One of the dogs stops Applejack's and Heavy's attempt getting inside by appearing in a taunting manner, disappearing every time either Applejack tries to grab him or when Heavy tackles into the earth pile which only caused him to get his pelt filled with dirt and one step further away from getting inside.
The ponies try but have no way keeping up with these ground diggers and soon all lie on the ground, gasping for air of chasing and being pulled off their piles by the tail.
It takes them a moment to recover, when they are back on their feet, Heavy grumbles greatly annoyed by this enemy. "They fight like cowards."

Fluttershy gets on her hooves from getting pulled down from the earth pile, worrying for Rarity has to deal with those things on her own. "Oh, poor Rarity must be terrified."

Then Spike gets an idea, he picks out the gem he got from Rarity and with it attached to a rod, he puts the lure near one of the many dirt piles

"Spike, it is very noble of you—"

Spike hushes Twilight down, she lies down beside him, whispers; "-to sacrifice the gem Rarity gave you." He smiles and images himself as Rarity's knight in shining armor. "Oh, Lady Rarity. My damsel in distress." He dreams of fighting his way through the Diamond dogs to save Rarity. And when it is done, she will show her gratitude with a kiss of—" his daydream gets to a sudden halt when a Diamond dog has appeared and as hoped; snatches the gem. "I got a bite!" Spike cheers, clamping his claws around the rod as the Diamond dog digs itself a new hole, pulling hard the rod. Spike tries to reel the dog in but it is too strong, dragging him into the hole.

"Spike!" Twilight calls and jumps in after him. Rainbow Dash quickly follows suit with Applejack and Engineer close behind. Fluttershy hesitates, but thinks she rather wants to face whatever is down there than being alone with that huge and scary earth pony, so, she jumps in as well.

Heavy cannot follow, he is too big for it, instead, he decides to get the other mercenaries in case this will turn into a fight.

***

Protector leads Rarity into her cave, showing the unicorn what she has done to remove all the dull colors of the place. Rarity looks at the many drawings, all of them kinda childish but sweet in their own way and yet, some of them looks sad. She turns to this friendly dragon, asking: "Do your drawings have any story behind them?" Protector nods. Rarity turns to one of the drawings showing what looks like strange creatures jumping around on a field filled with rainbows. "What does this one tell?"
Protector goes down on her front legs, getting a bit closer to Rarity's height, the dragon stares a few seconds on the drawing. "It's my friends, we are playing together." She replies happy but Rarity notices there is sadness in her tone.
Rarity eyes the dragon, asking softly. "Do you miss them?" Protector nods, replying with a weak smile. "But I am sure we will meet again. They always return for another game." Rarity nods and turns her gaze back to the drawing, taking notice that those beings on the drawing do not look like anything she has seen before. "May I ask what your friends are? I cannot see what they are."

The dragon chuckles and much to Rarity's surprise, Protector tells her. "They are humans, I used to be one too. But the rainbow turned me into this."

Human, the stallions there are connected to their Elements of Harmony have told her that they used to be a creature of the same name. Could this be one of them? Before she can ask about this though. A howl echoes through the caves, making Protector snaps towards the cave opening, pupils narrowed into a slit and her whole posture tense, seeing that scares Rarity as it does remind her she is talking to a fire-breathing and dangerous dragon. "What is going on?"

"Someone is hurting my doggy friends." Protector replies and with; "Stay here, you will be safe." She leaves the cave.

Rarity sure hopes those intruders aren't those she thinks they are...

***
Again the Diamond dog there brought them here howls before running off, leaving the ponies and single dragon alone in the cave hallway. They did not want to let it get away that easily and the group follows, then stop to a sudden halt when a loud roar echoes through the caves.

"W-What w-w-was t-t-that?" Fluttershy asks, trembling in fear. The other ponies look around for the source, to all jump and cry in fright when a huge yellow flame burst out from the cave-way to their right.
Seconds later a fire red dragon appears, snarling at them with its yellow eyes revealing that it will enjoy killing them with that sinister look in them. Fluttershy screams in utter fear seeing an adult dragon in these caves. "Dragon!!" and takes the run for it. The others quickly follow.

The dragon pursues them, sending another fire-breath at the intruders. She does stop when noticing what cave they chose to run down at. Knowing these caves in and out, she takes another route and as wanted, she cuts them off from reaching where the Diamond dogs pups reside. She roars and flames there once only would appear from an object she built but was limited in fuel; now wonderfully part of her and her fire burst out from her jaws. The intruders duck the last second, and with the flames gone. They run down a more wanted hallway. She chases them, giggling from seeing and hearing her doggy friends cheer for her keeping them safe.
The cheer gets louder when the intruders realize they have been forced into a dead end. She giggles raise up on two legs and slowly walk over to them as she is blocking their only way out. "The cheers of the dogs are the sound of your demise." She says and makes sure her long tail and somewhat slender body is surrounding the intruders ."If you can't take the heat; you shouldn't have come."

If that female dragon talks then that means it might be reasoned with. "Hold up missy, we didn't come here to cause trouble." Engineer tells this fire red dragoness, she blinks but he is just happy he got her attention, he takes a small step forward towards this dragon. "We only intruded on your lair because we came to save a fellow pony of ours. One of the Diamond dogs took her, we will leave the moment we have her."
The dragoness slowly moves over to him, not once blinking and for a painful moment, Engineer dreads this dragon is going to turn him into cooked horse/bird meat. Then; "Oh my gosh, Engie!" and the dragon pulls him into a crushing hug, one he recognizes far too well. Holy smokes, talk about dumb luck! "Pyro?" Engineer asks and the dragon nods. He can't help but laugh, "Pyro, you are a dragon!"

"Yup!" Pyro beams, turning her gaze briefly to a pink unicorn only she can see as that one remarks highly amused.'I didn't know horses can get a beak and hair made of feathers.'She giggles at that and tells Mr. Ballonicorn. "I like it." Turning her attention back to Engie, explaining him. "Mr. Balonicorn finds your new form a bit weird."

Well, her imaginary friend isn't the only one. "He'll get used to it." He tells her before turning to the dumbfounded mares and single dragon. "It's alright, Pyro is one of us." They calm a bit down, but are still bit shaken up almost have gotten fried by this dragoness, Engineer would've been surprised if they calmed down right away. Pyro is a force to be reckoned with and has always been someone everyone from the team fear- well except himself, he has taken the time to get to know Pyro, learning what was behind that mask and accepted her very unique quirks, in return Pyro has been protecting him and his buildings with a vengeance.
Turning back to the now dragon and knowing Pyro can cause a lot of harm without really realizing it- although Pyro do seems to be way more clear in the head at the moment. But still, he would prefer having both Pyros around so he knows where they are. "Is the other Pyro with you?" He asks and can't for the life of him figure out if this is the RED or BLU Pyro.

Pyro blinks, looking confused for a moment. "There was another Pyro when we came, but she's gone now." She replies and puts the now quite ruffled up Engie back down onto the ground.

Okay, guess he has to risks this, then. "Are you RED or BLU Pyro? Sorry but I really can't tell without your suit." Her colors do point this being the RED one, but then again, he hasn't turned blue because he is on BLU team, so this could be the BLU Pyro for all he knows. Pyro didn't seem to mind though.

Pyro opens her mouth to tell him that she's not sure what he entirely means, but stops when Mr. Ballonicorn tells her surprisingly seriously.'You and the other Pyro has finally accepted one another again. You are both Pyro.'Pyro frowns at his words, not entirely sure what her pink balloon friend is talking about. She turns her attention back to Engie, explaining him still frowning. "Mr. Ballonicorn says I am both. Maybe I am, for I remember having both red and blue uniform on."
Engineer blinks, staring dumbfounded at her for several seconds before asking hesitantly. "Do he know how it happens?" She shrugs, not entirely sure what Mr. Balloonicorn meant and would like some time to think about it, but right now she much rather wants to rejoice that Engie is here! And—Pyro gasps. "There are more unicorns?!" She cries delighted and pulls the purple one into a tight bear hug. Pulling this one away, wondering out loud. "Would you like to meet mister Balloonicorn?" But this unicorn cannot answer, for some reason she has decided to take a nap right this moment, much to Mr. Ballonicorn's disappointment.

...Maybe he should've warned Twilight that Pyro loves unicorns to bits... speaking of unicorn. "Do you happen to have seen a white unicorn?"
Pyro nods, still holding the knocked out Twilight in her left claws, the dragoness points down the hallway she chased them through "The very pretty unicorn is in my memory room. Come I show you!" and she heads out, still holding Twilight.
Engineer follows with the others close behind him, well almost everyone. Poor Fluttershy has almost passed out from fear. After have gotten her back on her hooves and reluctantly pushed by Rainbow Dash. They follow Pyro through the caves. Engineer notices that the cave entrance they are walking past all have one or more Diamond dogs standing, watching them like a real dog there doesn't know how to react to strangers would. Now that he is on that subject. "Say, Pyro. Are you protecting the Diamond dogs as you did with me?"

Pyro nods. "They are my doggies and as their owner, I need to take care of them." She has been doing that ever since that rainbow took her to this place. They might not be cute or cuddly, but they really make up for it with their ability to talk and bring her stuff. The other her wanted the dogs as well, but it was hard protecting the Diamond dogs as she and the other Pyro kept wanting to play with one another. Fortunately, they figured it out thanks to Ballonicorn, but then the other her suddenly left, leaving her with new memories she does not fully understand.

The Diamond dogs, seeing their Protector being friendly to the intruders; they figure there is no danger and returns back to their daily schedules. Some of them decide to get a better look at their protector's new friends. Fluttershy whimpers when one of them approaches her. "...Good doggy..." She whispers and weakly pats it onto its very dirty head. The Diamond dog whimpers of the good feeling and tells this pony. "I like whimpy pony, nice like Protector"
Fluttershy smiles weakly. "Thanks." She says, voice a little louder than before. She and her apparently new Diamond dog friend both turn to the cave way Pyro is leading them down to the sound of someone yelling infuriating

"Please be quiet!" Followed by Rarity's voice. "Good heavens, what is that smell?— oh, mystery solved. It's your breathe."

"Sounds like Rarity is handling herself just fine." Applejack cannot help but laugh. And so right they are, passing the corner, they see Rarity surrounded by the same three Diamond dogs there had taunted them from above, now getting tormented by Rarity complaining about their sense of staying hygiene. "You look and smell like you haven't bathed in weeks. Have you never heard of soap?" She asks them and starts moving down the cave way the dogs tried to keep her from going. "You could all do with a good round of soap and water. Oh water, oh water, I'm terribly thirsty. Could I please have some water?"
The biggest of this small pack slaps his big paws up to his hurting ears, whining how much they hurt from this pony's voice. "I can't take it anymore! We should have giving Protector colored coal instead!"

Feeling sorry for her doggies, Pyro puts down the purple one, walks over to the pretty unicorn and tells her in a simple but serious matter of fact. "Please do not hurt my doggies."
The pretty unicorn looks up at her, smiling that charming smile "Oh, you're back. My deepest apologies, but I was simply stating the—" Pyro shuts her mouth with a single claw, repeating now in a threatening tone as the unicorn speaking is hurting her doggies ears. "Don't hurt my doggies."

"Listen to her Rarity." Engineer pledges the white unicorn, pissing off Pyro has always been a terrible idea and they do not have the respawn to count on here. Rarity is smart enough to listen and although annoyed, she keeps her mouth shut. The Diamond dogs breathe out in relief with the smallest of them saying. "Pony whining hurts ears."
Rarity opens her mouth but one glance up to Pyro, she closes it again incredible annoyed yet thinks it's best not to enrage the dragoness. Much to Engineer's relief. "Thanks, Pyro means well, but she... well, is a dragon." He apologizes. Rarity gives him a look there pretty much says 'no need to apologizes, darling' and the winch around the nose would be said about like this: 'but their smell is killing me.'
Something Engineer does agree on. He is used to being around smelly men, that does happen when running around in all kind of weather and getting killed all kind of manners all day. But still, even a bunch of mercenaries knows to take a bath after each match. These dogs smell like they haven't ever gotten one.
That does give him an idea and one he thinks Rarity will appreciate it a lot.

***
(an hour later)

Trom the hill above the entrance to the Diamond dogs caves, Twilight watches the scene of Rarity and Engineer taking a role model of washing one of the many Diamond dogs in the river nearby. The dog itself did look uncomfortable about it but did not try to get away thanks to Pyro mere appearance there helped it and any other Diamond dog to stay calm. Her other friends, both ponies and turned humans join in under this small task. She smiles hearing Scout exclaim startled up to Pyro. "Holy crap! You're a chick?!" and then getting lightly whacked over the head by Sniper when he probably said something rather offending to the dragoness. Her smile widens slightly when a shine around Engineer appears and when it fades, a silver necklace having a purple wrench is around his neck. Rarity says something to him and the bird/horse chuckles before both return back to their task.

Twilight returns to her letter to her mentor.'Dear princess Celestia, two of my friends taught me a very important lesson today. Generosity can come in many shapes of ways, through beauty and style or the rougher practical way. Either way it works its wonders to find friendship even in the strangest of places.'
Finishing the letter she levitates it over to Spike who transports it to the princess and the two head down to help their friends cleaning up their new dragon friend's pets.

None of them saw a pony made out of shadows is watching them from the top of the small mountain.

***

Miles away and working gloomily on a rock farm, a pony there once thought herself great and powerful, now nothing more than one having to chip up rocks just to get food on the table. Her heart is filled with the anger of this great humiliation and prays for a chance to get back on those who did this to her.
The beings of darkness hear her pledges for revenge. The unicorn jumps when a pegasus of shadows lands before her. It takes a step towards the unicorn, voice barely a whisper but she still heard its as clear as day."We hear your call from the darkness in your heart. Let the darkness in and we will grant you the power you seek in order to defeat the one who humiliated you."Out from its wings, an amulet in shape of an alicorn appears."With this amulet, you will be granted the power worth an alicorn. All we ask that you will immobilize everyone on your path to glory."It offers her the amulet, asking with its glowing white eyes locked to hers."Do we have a deal?"

She knows that agreeing with this being is the possible worst choice ever, but her anger and wants to retribution pushes her logical thoughts asides and she takes the amulet, the instant it is on, she can feel its immense power going through her body. Now she really feels great and powerful! The shadow pony disappears, leaving behind black crystals. The unicorn drops the small hammer and heads towards where he rival lives- time for some much-waited payback.

Author's Note

now you know where Pyro has been all this time. she has adopted a whole pack of Diamond dogs, and I almost got my tail burned off just to find her.
I do not have the luxury being a unicorn and I am a bit on the Diamond dogs bad side from past events. fortunately I and Pyro had a decent relationship, so she spared me which means I can write future chapters of this crazy adventure.
but until then, I think I need time to recover from almost getting turned into a crisp...

Confirmation and Confrontation

Note: This happens the next day after the last chapter.
part 1 and made from the episode 'Magic Duel'

While once again helping Pyro in giving the remaining diamond dogs a much-needed bath, Spike burps up a letter from the princess. Seeing that, Pyro 'ohh' at the small trick, asking excitedly. "Can I do that too?"
Twilight levitates the letter over, answering the dragoness thoughtful before reading the letter. "Probably, I'm sure Spike can teach you the trick." Spike chuckles weakly up to the bigger dragon, not sure if he looks forward teaching an adult and very fire happy dragon. Twilight did not notice her number 1 assistance hesitations about her suggestion; she's too busy reading what Celestia has written to them. She gasps excited of what the princess is requesting from her. "Oh my gosh! Princess Celestia will bring the delegates from Saddle Arabia to Ponyville and would like we stand for the entertainment!"

"Hopefully not all of us." Engineer remarks after have let the dog he washed run back to the cave. He doesn't consider himself much of an entertainer and some of this bunch aren't suited to for such a task. He voices this to Twilight, adding in a quieter voice. "Unless you want a big pile of rubble lying around, I suggest you keep Soldier and Pyro far away from the entertainment."

Engineer makes a good point. Twilight has seen what Soldier can do of destruction and Pyro, well, she is a dragon with a huge love for fire so... yeah, perhaps it is best she will stay here during the show. "Okay, you make a good point. But I still l would like to give the delegates a decent show."

"How long before they arrive?"

"Two weeks from now on."

Engineer nods, that gives them some time to figure that conundrum out. "Whoever you pick, I will be more than happy build you a stage for the performance." That is something he is way more comfortable with.

Twilight smiles. "Thanks, Engie." and after have helped him and Pyro out for a bit, she and Spike return back to Ponyville so she can find somepony who can entertain the delegates. Pinkie is an obvious choice, but Twilight would like something more magical— "I got it!" She cheers and gallops out to find Demo and Medic, thinking this would be a good chance making those two give each other a break with their hostilities between one another.
Finding Medic is easy enough, that unicorn spend most of his free time reading in her library and when not helping Twilight and her friends, he works in the hospital. Today he is working, so Twilight heads over there.

Medic has mixed feelings about her idea. "...You want me and that drunkard to Demo perform before some delegates?" He puts down the bandage he has been using on a pegasus there has flown a tad too close to a thundercloud, turning fully to Twilight with a deep frown. "As much I like to make a scene with my skills, I do—"

"Great, we start the moment you're done with today's patients." Twilight interrupts him. Medic frowns deepen but she ignores him. After having spent so much time with this unicorn; Twilight knows Medic will come around. And he will forgive her dragging him into this when she does a barter he cannot resist. "I was planning on some advanced levitation magic, but if you don't think that's worth your skill..." She turns to him with a crooked smile, daring him to take the bait.

Oh she is one sly girl, Medic cannot help but laugh at this, more so when a man like him is usually the one pulling others around the circus ring and not the other way around. "Alright fine, I'll come." He promises her greatly amused on her tactic of persuading him.

Twilight beams and leaves the doctor pony to do his job. On her way to find the second human turned into a unicorn, she passes some of the others such as Heavy frowning deeply of the flower sandwich Derpy offers him with Soldier munching his own down at the cafe. And the napping Sniper is about to get a rude awakening from the prank Scout and Rainbow Dash with that small thundercloud they placed above him. She hears said cloud go off just as she spots Demo doing his cake deliveries. "Demo, you got a moment?" She calls and trots over to the one-eyed stallion.

Turning his gaze away from an understandable very pissed Sniper chases the two speedsters throughout town, Demo turns to Twilight and Spike "Aye, if it will be quick."

"It will, I promise." Twilight says and quickly explains her plan on letting him and Medic do a complicated levitation show for the Saddle Arabia delegates there will arrive along with Princess Celestia in two weeks. Unlike Medic who frowned at the thought, Demo is surprisingly very open to the idea. "Sure, let me finishes up my deliveries and I'll help you out." He is truly a pony quick to adapt to new situations. She has a feeling that is the cause of him had to work so many different jobs.
"Great, meet me at the park." She tells him and lets the brown unicorn finish his chores, glad she did not have to bribe him like with Medic.

(Later)

With the two stallions before her, Twilight shows them what she has been planning for them to do as entertainment. She casts her magic on two piles of colored stones Spike made for her and levitates them around in certain patterns. While doing so she explains the two. "We are going to move over to use some of Fluttershy's animal friends for the show." Putting the stones back onto the ground, pointing out for the two stallions. "But only when we are sure they won't get hurt."

"Hm, I do know how horrible it feels watching a beloved pet getting hurt." Medic muses and glance to his own pet dove Archimedes currently roosting on his back.

Demo did not know the feeling watching a beloved pet hurt, he has never been much of a man for pets, but he does know how much critters means for Fluttershy, so he can see Twilight's reason. "Alright, and you want I and Medic do what you did?"

Twilight nods and does the pattern again with the red and blue stones. "Demo you will do the pattern of the red stones, and Medic you will do the blue." Eyeing the two sheepishly. "I figured it would be easier if I used your team colors." The two chuckles.
Twilight then levitates the colored stones over to them. "Now you try."
Their red and blue magic surrounds their fellow colored stones and tries to do what she showed them. They messed up pretty quickly, but after a bit insult throwing at one another, they slowly got the hang of it. Not perfect but Twilight can say that she is impressed how quickly seemly two enemies managed to work together.

"What's are you doing?" Miss Pauling asks curious but also a bit worried what the mercenaries are doing around one of the civilians, although surprised no one has been killed by them yet. Demo turns to her and the red stones held by his magic drop to the ground, several of them hit Medic and that purple unicorn. They both shoot him an annoyed stare with the purple unicorn lecturing him as if this isn't the first time. "Demo, you can't let simple distractions ruin your concentrations." The Scotsman gives her an apoplectic smile, making the purple unicorn rolls her eyes before turning to the bit confused Miss Pauling.
"We're practicing for the performance the princess asked we could do to the Saddle Arabia delegates."

"No, you are making us do the performance frauline." Medic points out grinningly, Twilight returns it with her own small smug smile.

This is getting weirder and weirder. "She is making you perform for delegates?" Miss Pauling asks utterly flabbergasted hearing that more so when the two mercenaries nod as if this is completely normal. "I'm sorry but I did not expect people like you— especially Medic to agree on such things." Miss Pauling says and can't help but wonder how Twilight did it.

"Frauline Twilight is devilishly good at bribery and at times threat." Medic replies simply.

"Really?" What kind of threats and bribery can make someone like Medic agree on anything? He has done horrific experiments, both from the war but also on his fellow teammates, he has been tortured and blown to bits for years working for Mann co and brushed it off as if it was nothing. So what in world does that unicorn have on him? "And what might that be?" Miss Pauling asks this Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight smiles. "If my bribery of teaching him magic doesn't work, then I just put him in the same room as Pinkie for a half hour." Medic shudders of the mere thought as his mind still wants to figure out how Pinkie's ability to predict things works but he always ends up with a nasty headache if he hangs around Pinkie Pie more than a half hour. Oh, and now with Pyro have joined the group: "Or I can just throw him to Pyro."

"NO!" Both Demo and Medic cry horrified at that very idea, both thinking then they rather would be set on fire than going through the torment of being the now dragon-shaped Pyro's teddybear substitute.

"Anything but that!" Demo says, adding sharply to Medic. "She has been hanging around you too much!" In which Medic retorts. "I cut people up for a living, not throwing them to their doom like Twilight does!"

Ignoring their fear for said firebug and a pony from this world can make two harden mercenaries tremble in terror without threatening them by death— although Pyro could be considered as a torture method, speaking of said firebug. "You found Pyro?" Miss Pauling asks and must admit she is quite irritated she hasn't heard this from any of the mercenaries. She is starting to feel she doesn't have any control over them anymore. "Why didn't you report this?"

"I have been very busy lately." Demo replies, the Cakes trust him so much that he now delivers their goods to fancy places such as Canterlot, even been to Manehatten a single time. Not that he complains, traveling around this world is very interesting.

Medic simply just shrugs. "We would tell you– at some point." Not really seeing the big deal that they forgot telling her, it has only been a day. "We found frauline Pyro yesterday." Noticing the only mild surprise on Miss Pauling's face, it seems she knew Pyro was a woman. "Our thoughts she would’ve been turned into a pony was wrong. She has been turned into a dragon instead, one there is bigger than Heavy."

"And has adopted a whole pack of dogs." Demo adds.

"Which of the Pyro's is she?" Miss Pauling asks, ignoring the purple unicorn's confused look and the question of what she meant— wish the mercenaries would have done the same.
"Remember what I told you we have a clone? Both the Pyros were transported here." Medic explains her and the purple unicorn nods in understanding. Miss Pauling sends him a disapproved look for revealing such a crucial thing about the company they work for. "Medic, your contract stated not to reveal anything about your jobs."

Oh right, guess he sort of forgot. Medic thinks but brushes it off as Twilight has made a good pony to converse with. "It's not like she can use it for anything." He waves Miss Pauling off and the Administrator's assistance face-palm, much to his amusement. "But back to your question miss Pauling: we do not know. But if you want to hear my theory, I say the two Pyros somehow managed to become one person. That is why she has memories of both the teams."

So Pyro's souls have merged? Miss Pauling wonders how they managed that when the others have never been able. "Have you asked Pyro about it?" Blinking when Medic shift uncomfortable and the purple unicorn, Twilight giggles as if something very amusing has happened. "What?"

"Pyro loves unicorns." Spike explains in a small laugh from the two veteran fighter's discomfort. "Every time she sees one, she crushes them in her hugs."

Medic grumbles, very happy that ponies are very study creatures and he can healing magic. If he had still been human, well he thinks he would've preferred getting eaten by that hydra than being killed by a child-acting adult dragon crushing his bones in a hug. "Don't go near Pyro; you will dearly regret it." Medic tells the assistance to the Administrator, thinking Miss Pauling does not deserve such an embarrassing death.

When Medic is the one warning her, Miss Pauling figures there is a good reason to listen. "Alright," and figures there is no reason staying around those three. She leaves them, having quite the surreal feeling that she is bit useless. The ponies of this village is somehow keeping the mercenaries in check and she does not have any duties for Helen so... well she has been doing small odd jobs for the town's mayor; mostly because she doesn't have anything else to do. It's a weird feeling, more so when this Major Mare actually puts her well-being into her thoughts, something she is not used to. It’s strange having so much free time, and honestly... Miss Pauling has no idea what to do with herself.

***

(Near Everfree forest)

Scout and Rainbow Dash let out a relieved laugh after have finally gotten Sniper off their tails from that thundercloud prank they pulled on him. "That was awesome." Scout grins, watching the griffin stalks away after have giving up the chase. Must admit that Scout is happy he is fast enough to both stay one step ahead Sniper and dodge his arrows. If not then Sniper would've probably tanned his hide for that prank.
Rainbow Dash laughs and lands on the cloud right beside him. "Who's next?" She asks devilishly.
Scout is about to make a suggestion but stops himself when he notices someone he has ever since Miss Pauling told them about when they would get back to the human world wanted to speak with. And finally seeing that backstabber, Scout has the chance. "Maybe some other time." Scout tells Rainbow Dash and flies off. The rainbow-haired pony shrugs and flies out to do her own thing.
Scout lands inside this creepy forest the ponies call Everfree, he searches for the changeling and when he does, he starts to trot over. "Spy!" He calls as it still feels wrong calling him that other word.

"Don't get any closer."

Scout is a bit confused over this command but he thinks he knows why. He won't be able to feel Spy's emotions from here, but he needs to feel them— he wants to feel them. So Scout does not obey. "We need to talk." Getting in close, he can feel Spy's feelings and is surprised Spy has a whole plethora of emotions. It takes him so much off guard that he does not voice what has been bothering him ever since he got hit by the truth of what Spy is to him. He only does when Spy starts to leave, Scout quickly catches up and stop the older one by stepping in front of him. "I need to know Spy; why are you trying so hard making me hate you? Why do you shun me away when you clearly care for me?" He demands as he is starting to get sick and tired keep thinking about this crap. Wondering what is real: the emotions he is sensing or the giant asshole he has been dealing with since day one when he became Mann Co new Scout. He has never questioned why Spy hated him so much, he simply figured the man just was spiteful in nature, but now; now he can’t stop thinking about it.
Of course, Spy refuses to tell him. "Come on, just tell me!" Scout snaps angrily, stepping forward. Spy looks as if he wants to step back but pride is keeping him on his spot, now Scout knows where he got that from; never been one to back down from a fight either. But unlike him, Spy can be very scary when he wants to, showing that when the full-blood changeling hisses and moves as if going to strike him. Scout backs away, and the only thing keeping him from taking the run for it is his own pride but also the emotions of sadness coming from Spy. He is starting to get sick of sensing emotions not fitting to what he sees. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asks the glaring Spy.
The older changeling turns his back to him and for a moment Scout thinks Spy is going to leave again, but a sigh, followed by the emotions of resignation.

"Do you really want to know?"

Scout wants but the emotions coming from Spy makes him a bit unsure, still the need to know wins over his hesitations. "Yeah."

Spy sighs again, he sure hopes his reason will make Jeremy back off but he somewhat highly doubts it. Kid always wanted a father figure; one he wants to fill out but can't because of his job. "If you think the war games were bad, then you got nothing on the world war... after have done the worst mistake of my life, one there got my family and my whole hometown killed. I was taken in by an old agent and trained to become his successor, so I became a spy for the France government. I infiltrated both enemy and allies, gathered a lot of Intel- most of it ended up with a lot of people dead. I created a lot of enemies; never allowed to form an attachment as that would be a weakness my enemy would be more than happy use on me. I knew your mother before I became a spy, she had been my only source of solace but when I was advised by my superiors; I cut ties with her. When our path crossed again and she told me you were my son, and I felt obligated to ensure she and you at least had a decent life. This sense of obligation was first the reason why I returned to her house with an envelope of money every time I got the chance, but then, my reason of staying was for the hyper child of endless joy... I am not a man known much happiness in my life. I lost everything during the war, saw and often was the cause of so much death. So watching a child; so happy, so filled with life and dreams. It reminded me of the good in this world..."

"So why did you leave?" Scout asks quietly and no longer sure how to describe the one before him. He has completely forgotten that almost every mercenary on the teams had been fighting in the world war. He was lucky he was just a child, far away from the horrors when it was going.

"It came to my attention that people there wanted me dead caught scent I was in a relationship. So in order to keep you both safe; I had to leave and erase any signs I have ever been there." Spy replies and now he really would like a cigarette so he perhaps could calm his quite ragged nerves. "When Mann Co came to me with the promise they could keep me safe from the many people there wanted me dead. I agreed as not even my own country wanted me anymore. I stayed with Mann Co for years, as they promised; I was safe from my former enemies but still not fully because my mind hold secrets the Administrator wants and she has tried more than once blackmail me to hand her those secrets. Never worked though, but when I saw who the team new Scout would be; the same child there reminded me of the light in this dark world, now a young man— destined to get killed countless of times in the war games until the respawn would fail as it did on the former Scout. I was devastated but I knew that if the Administrator ever caught wind of my connection to you. She would use you to force- and I fear- succeed getting the information she wants out from me."

"Is that why you were such an asshole against me?" Spy nods slowly. Scout must admit that he is dumbfounded hearing this. Spy- his father has sort of been protecting him this whole time? Wow, just wow. That does also sort of explains why RED Spy agreed training him how to be around ladies- although he was still an ass about it but Scout guess the man did it to make sure his facade wouldn't break. And knowing all of this, he, well he can forgive Spy.

"Scout, don't." Spy warns his boy from the emotions he is sensing. He does not deserve forgiveness, he does not deserve this boy. "I can't be what you want me to be. It's too risky—" but again Scout completely ignores him, and with his iconic speed steps over and hugs him. Spy is completely taken off guard by this gesture and the love he gets from the boy. Scout is pushing him and he is unable to stop heading to the cliff, he feels himself falls over the edge he had been struggling to stay on ever since he saw Jeremy again, he cannot fight his true emotions towards his son anymore. Spy folds his head over his boy's neck in his way returning the hug, and his changeling instincts make him transfer the love he has gathered both from Zecora but also from the friendship he has made in his time here over to his boy.

Scout eyes wide in surprise, both from Spy- his dad is returning the hug— awkwardly— but mostly from the sense of a warm tingling seething into his body, filling him with a energy very familiar to what he gets from his new ponies friends, well not quite. This is way better! "Whatever you are doing, it fricking feels good." Scout says and is sort of happy no one can see them inside this forest for his need to get more of whatever his dad is giving him is making him step closer to the adult changeling, now pressing his head up against his father's chest as that is where the energy is coming from.

Scout's not the only one feeling good about this, letting out a sigh he seems to have held back for years, taking in this incredibly special and rare moment of bliss.

***
(In the human world.)

Spy- about to throw a Sapper onto a Soldier robot, stops midway when he is flooded with emotions he cannot ignore or push aside. They arrive so fast and sudden that he drops the Sapper and just stands there with a shocked expression on his usually stoic face. He only snaps out from it when a rocket from the Soldier-bot he tried to sap fires at him and only by dumb luck misses. He let out a curse and quickly turns on his invisibility watch, confused and startled why he is feeling like this, why he feels so... happy. He hasn't felt like this ever since the war. What is causing it? What is BLU Spy doing to cause so strong emotions of happiness? Usually, he would only feel a sort of contentment and at times happy but also sad- Spy knows that those emotions come when BLU Spy is around Zecora, but this is way different.
It was both really weird and disturbing having such strong blissful emotions while running around and trying to avoid getting blown up.
Fortunately having these strong emotions from the other part of his soul isn't causing any madness of longing, so that's a good thing right? This is so strange, Spy thinks as he finally gets around to put that Sapper onto the Soldier-bot.
He is about to move on, but stop in realization what is causing these emotions when Scout comes running and whack one of his robot lookalikes over the head with a gleeful; "Bonk!"
Did the BLU Spy really...? He must've told RED Scout, for why else would he be feeling like this? Not sure that's a good or bad thing, having his boy knowing means Scout knows Spy has never hated him but it will be hard making the kid understand he cannot be the father he wants.
Spy watches Scout run around and kill robots with that iconic speed of his, allowing himself to feel a touch of pride- that really easy with the flooding emotions he is getting from the BLU Spy. But this strange moment of bliss comes to a sudden halt when a giant Demo-bot appears and blow almost up half of the team with its bombs. To his horror, Scout is one of them. If he hasn't been affected by BLU Spy's emotions, he would've only returned back to respawn, waiting for the kid to return while cloaked. But that he cannot— will not do. An instinct he awoke when he realized that one child was the light to his miserable life, one he buried so deep down he could when his son became Scout and has so far been able to keep down, but not with the strong emotions he is getting from BLU Spy. He runs over to the blast site, throws several Sappers onto the robot and with it stalled. He grabs the wounded but still alive Scout away from the glitching out robot and pulls him over to where he spotted Medic who is currently busy healing Engineer who just barely had survived that blast himself.
"Doctor!" He calls and has to shield his face when Ignis throws himself at the giant robot like a living meteor; blasting the robot to smithereens.
Medic looks up and straight away sends the healing beam onto the wounded speedster. The wounds close and Scout slowly gets around. For a moment he forgot that RED isn't the enemy and in a state of panic searches for a weapon or escape route.
Engineer puts a hand on the frighten Scout. "Easy there boy, we're not out to hurt you."

Scout calms slowly down, muttering as if being offended. "I knew that."

Engineer chuckles and with a quick thanks to Medic, runs out to help the others get rid of the hoard of Heavy-bots. Spy hesitates for a moment, has to more than once remind himself he cannot get too soft around Scout and leaves, but stop when Scout voice asks him confused. "Why did you save me? I thought you loved to see me getting killed."
Again he has to remind himself he cannot do the same as BLU Spy did, it is not safe. So without a word, he leaves.

Scout blows a raspberry in annoyance, more so when he cannot figure out why he's not as angry at mister sky-mask as he usually is. In fact, he wants to be around him. It's annoying as hell, for why would he ever want that? Spy hate him and has never hidden that fact. And yet, ever since Sniper and Heavy recovered from whatever was going on with them, Spy has changed; not as mean as he used to be, in fact, he is starting – Ugh, why is he thinking about this?! He should be out there, kicking robot ass! Grabbing a new scattergun, Scout runs out to help the others fight those stupid Heavy-bots, and he does a good job stunning them with his baseballs but no matter how much he tries, he cannot stop himself from searching after Spy.
When he does find the snake, it is because that snake has protected his back and shot a Spy-bot there had tried to backstab him. Okay, this is getting weird. "Um, thanks?" Scout doesn't get an answer, only a simple nod before Spy cloaks again and out of sight once again. Scout hesitates but like Spy, he returns back to fight the robot army, something he is more at ease with, yeah sure, he is feeling quite weird around the snake and sort of wish he knew why he has this need to be around him. But that mystery has to wait till after the hoard of killer robots.

***

(Everfree forest.)

“What are you thinking about?” Scout finally asks after have tried to figure out why Spy- his dad is having a strange mix of hope and sadness going through him. He wonders what is causing it. for not long ago, Spy was happy. It’s a bit hard knowing when Spy is looking at him thanks to those glassy blue eyes, but Scout thinks he is since his head is slightly tilted backward; towards him.

Spy’s first instinct is to brush the question off but stops himself in last second when he realizes that he won’t be unable to lie around Scout as long they are in this world. He cannot hide behind a mask around his boy, that is very annoying and also uncomfortable for Spy as he does not like being honest. And yet, a small voice in him whispers that this forced honesty has been what gave him this second chance for what he saw as a pipedream. The changeling in them may have kickstarted this, but Spy is still not comfortable revealing his true emotions by voice. “This has changed a lot.” He replies carefully, again having to remind himself that lying will be impossible around Scout in this world “I… I am a bit... at a loss how to handle this, how to ensure both our safety.”

… Oh, Scout forgot for a moment that Spy here has a lot of enemies— the reason why he stayed away in the first place. His ears drop of what Spy will do. “So… you want to pretend there is nothing between us?”

He would, it will make everything so much easier, but feeling Scout’s sadness, unintentionally throws him back to the day where he left Scout as child- which had been bad enough. Sighing, Spy muses. “It would be safer.” but part of him- the reckless side wants to take the risk if it gives him a chance for happiness. The spy side of him, trained to think logical won’t take that chance, though. And like most other times, it is the trained side there wins. “It shouldn’t be hard, we barely know one anoth—”

“I can’t just pretend there is nothing between us!” Scout interrupts Spy, he shoots the black bug-horse a glare, although there is more desperation than anger in his grey eyes. “And I know you can’t either! Just thinking about it hurts you!”

“It doesn't matter what I want.” Spy argues with a rather leveled voice, although his emotions betray it and he hates that Scout can see right through him this very moment and know he too wants this pipedream being a family as a reality. “All that matters is that you stay safe, although you are making that very hard with your reckless behavior.” He remarks to Scout, not only trying to convince the boy that this is for the best.

Scout tail makes a quick swipe in a sign of his annoyance, the only thing keeping him from throwing insults back at Spy is what he is sensing from the other. All that grief is starting to hurt him, it reminds him of the pain he felt when he stood before the darker vision of Spy. “Just… Just stop it.” He almost begs Spy, stepping over and nuzzles his head against his dad’s neck; Spy stiffens up by the touch. “It hurts me too.” He muses, wishing more than ever that he can make this pain go away. It is maybe a bit childish of him, but Scout wants to feel that happiness from Spy again, not this stinging pain he is getting now.
The regret he can do without too, but that’s partly his own fault for not voicing this pain he is getting from Spy better.

Noticing his son is starting to get mentally fatigue from his negative emotions, Spy wants to make it better by having positive emotions but he knows that no one can shift their emotions on command. He sighs in defeat, knowing that, once again, his boy is pushing him over a line he can never return from. Not because he can, ignoring the parental emotions can be easy, but Spy… he doesn’t want to ignore them anymore now that he finally has his boy within his reach. He nuzzles Scout’s head gently, musing softly in defeat. “Alright, we’re doing this your way.” He senses surprise from his boy, then relief and Scout smiles up to him. Spy is about to tell him that they need to plan out how to work this out, but sort of forgets in favor of his maternal instinct kicking when Scout yawns from the exhausting of having to deal with his mess of emotions.
He nudges Scout gently. “Come.” and brings his boy over to Zecora's hut. Inside he prepares a bed and makes the boy lie down."You should get some rest." Spy is about to leave but stops when Scout's asks him in a low voice. "Can't you stay?" Followed by an embarrassed wave. Spy smiles lightly that his boy realized his question sounded very much like something belonging to a small child. Still, he does not tease Scout for it as this has been more than he has been hoping for. It's a wonder how fast Scout has forgiven all his mistreatment against him. Spy lies down beside him and hesitates, not sure what he should do now.

Scout finds this amusing and with a light laugh. "Never thought the know-it-all spy would be unsure about anything." He curls together so his right shoulder and back touches Spy's left hoof and side. He glances up to the adult changeling from the feeling of mild amusement coming from him, Spy's face isn't showing it though. "Shit you have the world's best poker face ever." He remarks. This time he got a reaction out from his old man. Spy makes a sound there sounds to be a mix of a cough and a snort. "Go to sleep already." Spy says, placing his head on Scout's back. "You have ruined my image enough for today." Scout cannot help but laugh at this nor points out. "You're fucking weird." but he must admit that feeling the gentle and soothing feeling of the more positive emotions is very nice. Letting out a yawn, Scout finally goes to sleep, thinking that even though his father isn't the man he has been hoping for; he's still content.

Zecora returns home to a both strange but very heartwarming sight of Spy lying beside an old colt sleeping with a peaceful smile on his face. She walks quietly over to them, Spy doesn't turn to her when he says in a quiet tone. "He's my son." and the tone of pride does not go unnoticed by the zebra. She lies down beside him, letting her head touches his. "I see your son makes you warm of pride like the sun."

Spy smiles, glancing down at the sleeping young stallion. "That he does." And the smile falters. "Both he and I want this but I won't be able to be his father when we return back to the human world. Too many people want to hurt me through him and I fear he might one day slip up about this secret." Spy glances at her. "He's not known to be the quiet secretive type."

Zecora chuckles lightly, mostly as that it the complete opposite of Spy. "To be fair, it is clear you deeply care. So I know your son getting harmed will cause you much alarm."

Spy nods slowly, and his urge of wanting to stay here only gets bigger as only here he is allowed to truly be the father Jeremy deserves. "I want to stay." He presses gently his head against hers in a whisper, but if what Heavy and his son have told them is true. Then they have to return in order to figure out a way to become whole again. He needs the RED Spy as much his counterpart needs him. "but I can't... I have to go back..."

Bearing this breaks her heart, Zecora wants Spy to stay as much he wants to but they both know this has to be done. "I do not know how long a human lives but we ponies have hundreds of years before our loved ones should shred their tears."

He knows she said this to give him hope, but knowing she will live hundreds of years is sort of depressing. "We humans will be lucky if we reach the seventy."

"Unite your soul, I will wait for your return when you have become whole." Zecora says. She does not care if she will outlive him, every moment with him will be worth it.
Spy kisses her, it feels sad and yet hopeful. "I will return, I promise." She smiles and nuzzles Spy son's messy mane gently, the young stallion stirs a bit but does not wake. Looking up from the sense his muzzle touching her neck, Spy smiles down to her. "Don't judge him if he doesn't accept you right away. He is still hopeful I will get back with his mother." Zecora nods that she understands, but does hope Spy's firstborn will accept her over time, for she does love his father dearly.

Author's Note

well, not only has Twilight gotten the knack for messing with the mercenaries but we also are going to get dadspy, I long have been waiting for that.

True Meaning of Family

Note: Acapella16 asked for a chapter made from "Sisterhood Social" and Gina M Taylor would like to see Dr. Hooves. I made this chapter in response to those two.
sidenote though. Dr. Hooves is NOT Dr. Who as I have never watched the show and never going to. so, sorry, no Timelord.

this happens a couple of days after the last chapter.

It has been quite a while since he last woke in a fit of dread and fear, but usually, that would be from his nightmares, not from the smell of smoke which usually says that Pyro is once again trying to burn down the place. Medic snaps awake, realizes he is in the pony world, so no Pyro and hurries downstairs to find the source of the smoke. Both to his relief and disgust, he finds the source of the smoke is someone's cooking, no wonder that whole meal is black from how much smoke is in the house.
“Oh, morning Medic.” Rarity greets him with an awkward smile, from the looks of it; it seems he wasn’t the only one getting a rude awaking. “Morning frauline Rarity.” He muses back before turning to the meal there deserves to get thrown in the trashcan, much to his horror; two ponies are eating this stuff. Without a word, he removes the food and throws it out, much to the unicorn kid’s disbelief.

“Hey! I worked really hard on making that!” Sweetie Bell objects to this unicorn having the nerve of throwing out her breakfast, this stallion eyes her with a look clearly saying that he really doesn't care how she feels about it. “I would only feed this to my worst enemy.”

“Oh, don’t be so picky mister.” Rarity's father argues lighthearted and drinks what should’ve been juice, now it looks more like oil. He sends this light grey unicorn a small stare when that one levitates the glass out from his own magic and throws it out with; “That’s not picky, it’s simple survival.” Hondo Flanks turns to his daughter, frowning. “Your new boyfriend is quite the—“

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Rarity quickly corrects her father, much to Medic’s relief, she sends the unicorn a small look. “He’s my houseguest, and a friend, nothing more.” Before turning back to her parents with the question why her family is here. “I wasn’t aware you would come on a visit.”

“We wanted to surprise you!” Sweetie Bell says once again joyfully.

Rarity's mother Cookie Crumbles smiles in agreement but has to admit. “Sorry dear, I and your dad can’t stay for long, but I am sure you two will have a great time during our vacation.”

That catches Rarity truly off guard, she hasn’t scheduled to house her sister. If she had then she would’ve asked one of her friends to house Medic since Sweetie Bell is usually using that room when on her weekend visits, but this isn’t simply a weekend it sounds like. “And… how long will you be gone?” She asks her parents with a nervous smile.
“A week, seven days and six nights.” Her mother says joyfully, not at all seeing the panicking look in her daughter’s eyes. “I know, such a short time to spend with your little sis.”

Sweetie Bell jumps from the excitement she feels being with her older sister for a whole week. “We're gonna have the bestest time two sisters could ever have!” She runs past an uncomfortably looking Medic and outside to grab her luggage. “I’m gonna go grab my stuff from Dad's wagon.”

Rarity must admit that she wishes her parents warned her about this a bit earlier but it has never been their style, still won’t stop her from arguing. “But I've got such a long to-do list.” Then sighs when realizing that they probably already have their plans set and it wouldn’t be fair if she told them no. “Oh well, I suppose 'spend time with your sister' will just have to be added to the list.” To then snaps her attention to the door when her younger sister has dragged a whole mountain of luggage inside.
“Just a few necessities.” The filly smiles.
Rarity frowns lightly but does not voice anything as she knows far too well how much it means to have the right clothing to the right situation. After another sigh, she turns back to her parents, giving them a weak smile.

With them set and this houseguest of their daughter has removed the breakfast, Hondo Flanks figures there is no need to stick around longer. “Have a nice week you two!” He and his wife give both their daughters a goodbye hug and with that, they head out onto their vacation.

The two sisters return back to the kitchen, Rarity frowns seeing that Medic has for some reason found a very big interest in the pot which Sweetie Bell used to make her breakfast, she clears her throat, getting his attention and telling both him and her sister. “Now, let's get that kitchen all cleaned up.” She moves over to remove the mess, does stop when her sister says confused. “Cleaned up? But we haven't even eaten yet.” In which she replies as she heads over to the remnants of the food Medic yet hasn’t removed. “Well now, Sweetie Belle, I appreciate the gesture, but we simply can't eat this breakfast; it's burnt.”

“More than that.” Medic smirks and shows Rarity what he found in the pot; it’s a black goo, and it is moving. Rarity stares at it, just to comprehend what she is seeing before she can though, he grabs the pot. “You get it back later.” Grabs the remaining burned food and heads upstairs to his current room to figure out what made this destroyed food move as if alive. Also to get a bit away from that squeaky toy there happens to be Rarity's sister.

Rarity stares after the bit crazy doctor pony, but quickly recovers as Medic finding such things interesting is the norm for him and she figures he might have a little fun with the stuff. Hopefully, he won’t leave too much of a mess.
Her sister on the other hoof does not understand Medic's quirks and asks confused. “Where is he going?” and Rarity replies with a small shrug. “Perhaps trying to see if he can return your burned food back to its former state. If not, never fear, my dear.” She trots over to the shelves to get what she needs. “I'll get a proper breakfast going.”

“Can I help?” Sweetie Belle asks.

Rarity turns to her, very unsure what her sister can help. “Oh, er, of course, er, in one moment, Sweetie Belle. Let me just get things started.” And she returns back to her task in making a proper meal, Rarity completely forgets about her sister, only realizing it when Sweetie Bell cries loudly. “Rarity! I thought you said I was gonna help!” Much to Rarity embarrassment, so to make up for it, she lets her sister put the garnish on the fried eggs. She suggests this but even that simple tasks seem to be too much for Sweetie Bell as the filly crashes the table she prepared and almost ruined the breakfast as well, almost, so, fortunately, Rarity did not has to start over.
After breakfast, Rarity suggests her sister clean the kitchen, hoping Sweetie Bell won’t ruin anything while she brings Medic- who has once again forgotten the world around him in favor of his new discovery there was Sweetie's Bell attempt in making a meal. Levitating the plate with fried egg, Rarity knocks on the door. “Medic, your breakfast is ready.” She hears him speak something in a language she did not understand, quickly followed by: “Oh, come in, come in.” She steps inside and frowns seeing that his room is once again a mess with papers lying around. At least it is only papers this time, last time she got a living and frog legged orange at her face from a spell he tried out after Twilight’s lessons. She lets Medic takes the plate. “Here you go. Do I even dare to ask what you are doing with Sweetie, eh... breakfast?”

Well, it was less interesting than he thought. “I had hoped your sister had succeeded making her abomination food alive, but it turns out it was just remnants of air stuck in the pancake dough.” Pity, he would've liked another specimen like the monster bread.

“…. That was pancakes?” Rarity asks with eyes on that black goo in the pot, not sure she should be impressed or horrified what Sweetie Bell has made with her cooking skills. Well, in any case, Rarity has better things to worry about. “When you’re done eating and playing with Sweetie Bell’s burned breakfast, could you be a dear and clean it?” Oh and before she forgets. "I presume you rather not have to share the room with a little filly?"

Medic nods she stand corrected, he doesn't mind kids but he sure heck haven't the patience for them either. So, yes, he would be happy if that Squeaky Bell doesn't bother him.

Seems like she has to share room with her sister, Rarity finds it unfair throwing Medic out because of this sudden change of plans. Sweetie Bell will only be here for a week after all. She nods and heads back downstairs, happy to see that her sister hasn’t messed up the cleaning. She helps her with the last part and when done, figures Sweetie Bell can help by bringing the dirty clothes to the washing room while she prepares her inspiration room to the new line she is working one. Rarity regrets to have left her sister for when she returns to check on Sweetie Bell, she finds to her horror that her sister has washed her expensive one-of-a-kind designer crocheted wool sweater and before she could get it out from the sun, it shrank, much to her great frustrations.
Still trying to not blow in front of her sister but needed to get a bit away from this mess, she heads back to her inspiration room, telling Sweetie Bell. “Stay out of trouble, okay?” She later wishes she hasn’t left her sister alone in the room.

Meanwhile, Rarity is having her share of trouble with her sister, another filly is having her own problems in form of the pony there usually compete in the Sisterhood Social along with her has gotten sick. “Why does Amethyst Star has to get sick at the worst time?” Dinky Doo whines heartbroken to her mother. She has been looking so much forward to competing with her stand-in sister, now she won’t be able…
Derpy brushes her daughter’s mane gently, understanding Dinky’s frustrations but: “If Amethyst could choose when she gets sick, you know she never would’ve chosen it now.” Dinky lower her eyes. “I know…” She muses before turning them back up to her mother with tears in them. “But I have been looking so much forward to this…!”
“I know sweetie.” Derpy says and does wish she could take the role as stand-in sister, but Derpy is her mother plus her bad eyes make her a very bad chose for competitions such as Sisterhood Social.
Fortunately, Ponyville is filled with mares there might be a stand-in sister to Dinky. “What about we ask around? See if somepony wishes to compete with you?” She suggests.
Dinky gasps in surprise to then leap in joy. “Yeah! Let’s go!” and the filly is out from the house. Derpy follows with a smile and the mother and daughter starts asking around for a stand-in sister for the upcoming competition.
That task proved harder than thought. Most mares either didn’t feel like competing, didn’t have the time or have their own sibling to compete with. Leaving Twilight’s library with her very disappointed daughter behind, Derpy muses her thoughts out loud. “I know it’s called Sisterhood Social but does that mean no colt or stallion can compete?” Maybe she should ask the Apple family about it, they are after all those doing this small festival. “I need to ask Granny Smith about the rules who can be a stand-in sibling.” She tells her daughter there nods and the two head to Sweet Apple Acers, on their way they encounter a very miffed Sweetie Bell. Dinky greets her and asks the few years older unicorn foal. “You going to compete in Sisterhood Social?”

In which Sweetie Bell replies with a loud huff. “I was planning but my un-sister said it was uncouth!”

Dinky titles her head in confusions of what this white curly-haired foal meant, she turns to her mother for declaration. Derpy steps over to the angry Sweetie Bell, worried what she has just called her sister. “Not all ponies like to get messy. Rarity is one of them… Sweetie Bell, did you and your sister get into a fight?”

“She’s not my sister anymore.” Sweetie Bell grumbles and before Derpy can speak again, she trots over to find one of her friends.

Derpy watches this filly leave and is quite worried, perhaps she should speak with Rarity after she has found a stand-in sibling to her Dinky.

“Mom, can you refuse someone being family?” Dinky asks confused but also worried as they walk towards the Apple farm. Her mother eyes her surprised, then smiles weakly. “I’m sure Sweetie Bell doesn't mean it. She’s just angry at her sister at the moment.” Didn’t eases up this young filly's worries. “Will you un-daughter me if you get too angry?” Her mother laughs lightly and pulls her into a hug with: “You will always be my daughter, nothing going to change that.” That eases up Dinky’s worries, she hugs her mother and feeling much better, follows over to where the oldest residence of Ponyville is taking her nap.

After have woken Granny Smith, Derpy explains the old earth pony about her small problem and asks the thought there crossed her. “So I was wondering if a stallion could be Dinky’s stand-in sibling for the event?”

Granny Smith scratches her chin, musing. “Well, the Social's always had a pretty loose definition of what is a sister.” Turning her gaze to the young filly with a smile. “As long as you share a bond that represents the spirit of the Social, you're in!”

So anypony sharing a bond of a sibling will do? Well, that does kinda take out her good friend Time-Turner. Yes, he likes Dinky but he is so… awkward around foals and has more the silly neighbor vibe with her daughter than anything. Turning to her daughter, Derpy notices that Dinky's eyes are shifting in her thoughts, then the filly lets out a loud gasp and declares up to. “I know who we can ask! Thanks!” She tells Granny Smith and the filly runs off. Derpy wonders who her daughter is going to ask, guess she’s going to figure out soon. She turns to the old earth pony. “Thanks, you really helped making Dinky’s day bright again.” Granny Smith nods in return and Derpy follows her daughter to whoever Dinky wants to ask.
That somepony turns out to be Soldier, bit to Derpy’s surprise and yet she can sort of see why. He and her daughter has gotten quite good friends.

“I can be your brother of arms for a day!” Soldier declares and already preparing himself to make a training course there will help Cadet in the upcoming battle she speaks about. “With the training you have done, you won’t have any problems smearing those maggots inside—“

Derpy has to stop him there, this isn’t the first time he thinks Dinky’s so-called fights are part of the War Games. “No enemies Soldier, it’s a competition for fun.” Soldier sends her a confused look. “Smearing their insides is fun.” He points out, she shakes her head and has to remind him. “Dinky’s enemies have to stay intact and breathing.” He looks rather disappointed but they have reaches a point in their friendship that he listens to her words without doing anything stupid.

Dinky doesn't really understand much what her mother keeps telling Soldier not to do, only that if he does it, then somepony will get hurt like that manticore there attacked Town Hall and she dosesn’t want that to happen. “Many of the ponies competing are my friends' Soldier.” She tells the olive green pegasus.

“So this is a competition to strengthen the bond among the soldiers?” Soldier asks, Derpy nods he got it right. Then it that case. “I won’t smear their inside against the nearby wall. But I can still kick their ass in the competition?”

“No harming the others.” Derpy smiles, happy she has realized Soldier is literal which makes her careful not to say anything he might take the wrong way. Taking a step over to him, she whispers as if it’s a big secret. “Don’t tell Dinky, but the soldiers are in fact Civilians.”

Soldier grumbles but does not start yelling as he usually would when hearing he will compete against civilians, according to Derpy; Cadet thinks they are competing against fellow soldiers and seeing how excited the kid is, well he will keep his mouth shut. Turning to Cadet. “Alright! We only have one day to get the training course right, so let’s get training Cadet!”

Excited Dinky salute him. “Yes sir!” and giggling runs outside so they can make a substitute course for tomorrow’s competition.

“Thanks for understanding.” Derpy says to Soldier, the stallion turns to her, grumbling. “Wish it was fellow soldiers, it makes it easier.” and that is why she said the others are civilians, Soldier has made as big solum promise he can that he will not harm civilians as long he is part of the Royal Guard. “I know, but Dinky has really looked forward to this.” and thinks she better asks her good friend Time-Turner if he could help these two putting up a reasonable and safe training course. “I have a friend there can help you with the course.” Soldier nods and after Derpy has dragged Time-Turner out from his lap and explained him the situation. The brown earth pony with an hourglass for a cutiemark tells the two. “Come along you two, there is a lot we need to make for you to be ready— miss Dinky Doo could you be a dear and fetch some eggs for me?”
Derpy smiles and is about to aid but then remembers the issue between Rarity and her sister. So after have reminded Time-Turner that Soldier takes words literally and listens if using military terms, she leaves the three to check on the designer unicorn.

Walking inside Rarity boutique, Derpy calls for the designer pony. “Rarity, if you’re not too busy, can we talk?”

“Oh, just one moment, I need to get these fabrics washed for my fabulous new line.” Rarity’s voice replies from the back. Derpy decides to walk over to where she heard the unicorn, thinking Rarity will tell her if she’s not welcome there. Looking inside the washing room, Derpy is about to voice her concerns about what Sweetie Bell told her but forgets it when she sees a tiny but very stylized sweeter. “ooh, I wasn’t aware you could get such designs to pets.” She says, turning to where Rarity is putting her new clothing designs into the wash.

Rarity lets out a huff. “My favorite sweater... ruined because of that Sweetie Belle—“ She didn’t see where she was going and accidentally steps on her cat Opal. Understandably the cat hisses at her for stepping on his tail before turning around and returns to wash himself. Looking at her cat, then at the sweeter, Rarity gets an idea and levitates the sweeter onto Opal. Much to the cat’s annoyance but Rarity didn’t see it, she’s just happy someone could use the greatly shrunk sweeter. “Oh, Opal-wopal! It's as if Sweetie Belle knew the sweater was perfect for you.” Then remembers what her sister did to the sweeter in the first place, plus like Sweetie Bell, stubbornly staying mad at her. “And Sweetie Belle should consider herself perfectly lucky that this thoughtless mishap turned out all right.” She huffs and returns back to work, oh, she has almost forgotten about Miss Hooves. “Oh sorry, I had a lot on my mind. What was it you wished to speak with me about?”

Which reminds Derpy why she came here in the first place. “I heard from Sweetie Bell the two of you got into a fight, is that right?” She asks the unicorn.

Rarity hangs the new clothing to dry, scowling she replies the older mare. “I wouldn’t call it a fight. Sweetie Bell kept messing up my stuff, so I might have gotten a bit angry at her.

Understandable, Derpy sure knows how much a foal can get on somepony’s nerves, especially when it comes to sisters. She and Amethyst Star did sure fight a lot back when they were foals and even today they can have a sisterly spat. “I can relate to that, but—“ She follows Rarity back to the shop. “I and Amethyst Star never went so far to renounce the other as sisters.” Rarity does not seem that bothered, busier decorating a dress in blue diamonds. Derpy steps over to the unicorn. “Rarity, are you really planning on staying angry on Sweetie Bell from a few small mistakes?”

Rarity turns to her with a huff, in her eyes what Sweetie Bell did is far from being some small mistakes. “She almost destroyed my kitchen– do you have any idea how long it took for me to clean that up?”

“What did she do to cause such a mess?”

“She… she tried to make me breakfast.” Rarity replies hesitant, feeling a bit embarrassed as her younger sister did— well the thought was there, but Sweet Bell didn’t do a very good job. She voices this to Derpy, adding as she attaches the baby blue diamonds onto the outfit she is making. “In fact, her ‘help’ did more harm than good, she ruined my sweeter—“

“The one you put on your cat?” Derpy asks just to be sure.

Rarity nods. “That’s right. And when I told her to stay out of trouble, what did she do? She cleaned up my inspiration room and ruined a whole week of brainstorming!”

Derpy turns to the clothing line Rarity came out with not long ago. “But you got back on track.”

“Ehm… yes— but I might not have.” Rarity argues, stubbornly returns back to her work. Checking the box for the sapphires, she realizes she has run out and she would have more if not for Sweetie Bell. “Rrgh! This is what I was talking about.” She tells the grey pegasus greatly annoyed. “She used all of my former rare baby blue diamonds on a silly art and craft project.” Scanning the room for it. “Now where is it?”

Even with her bad sight, Derpy ’s spots it first. “Found it.” and walks over to see what all the fuzz is about. The sapphires Sweetie Bell used have been shaped into a heart around a drawing of the two, Rarity might not see it as the drawing is a bit crude but Derpy sure can see the love and care behind it. “Oh~ this is so sweet!” She praises the work and shows it to Rarity. “I remember the first art my Dinky did, it was horrible but I could feel the love and care put behind every line of that drawing— Rarity?” She asks, noticing the unicorn is holding a hoof over her mouth with eyes filled with tears. Derpy is not sure it’s because the unicorn find this just as loving as her or heartbroken that her diamonds is used to such a crude drawing. She gets her answer three seconds later as Rarity cries out loud. “Oh, Sweetie Belle! My one and only sister! What have I done? All the time I could have spent with you was wasted complaining and wishing you were gone!” She snatches the art out from Derpy’s hooves, but this pegasus didn’t mind, in fact, she is happy knowing that Rarity finally sees that Sweetie Bell tried to make her big sister happy. However, she does get a bit worried when the unicorn collapses onto the floor, crying loudly. She pats Rarity’s shoulder gently. “There, there, what about we go out and find your sister?” She asks, forgetting for a moment she is speaking to an adult mare and not a filly.

Fortunately Rarity did not take notice of that, otherwise, she might’ve gotten quite offended. All she heard is the grey mare’s suggestion. “Yes! I must get her back!” She jumps onto her hooves, declaring loudly. “As Celestia is my witness, I shall never be sisterless again!” and with those words she gallops out, leaving a quite dumbfounded Derpy behind. About a half minute later, the grey mare follows and helps searching town for her sister. They find Sweetie Bell that evening, hanging out with Applejack and her sister, Rarity gasps happily. “Sweetie Belle!” She trots over to the group sitting around a campfire and warming marshmallows. “Oh, I have been galloping all over looking for you. I–“ Sweetie Bell rudely cuts her off by hitting away the hoof Rarity has reached out to her.

“Oh hello, un-sister. What are you doing here?” Sweetie Bell asks coldly, for she hasn’t yet forgiven her older sister, in fact, she is annoyed Rarity found her. “Better be careful, you might get some dust on you.” She mocks her sister.

The Apples and Derpy all sense the hostility coming from the unicorn foal but for now, decides to let Rarity sort this out on her own.

And Rarity is planning on just doing that. “Oh, Sweetie Belle, I want to apologize. I am not better off without a sister.” And to her joy, Sweetie Bell admits the same, adding in a sad tone. “Spending the day with Applejack and Apple Bloom made me realize that.” Rarity laughs out her relief and she steps over to hug her sister. “Oh, Sweetie, you don't know how happy I am to hear–“

“And that's why I'm adopting Applejack as my big sister!” Sweetie Bell interrupts her, much to everypony’s big shock, runs over and hug her new acclaimed sister. Still hugging Applejack’s front hoof, she tells her no longer older sister Rarity. “A sister is someone who loves and takes care of another sister. Applejack's a real sister.”

“Sweetie Bell, that’s… that’s not how it works.” Derpy tells the still upset foal. “You cannot choose family, only the views on them.”

“Yeah! Besides, she's my big sister!” Apple Bloom cries angrily of the thoughts one of her best friends is trying to steal her older sister. The two foals grab each a leg of Applejack, doing a tug of war who she belongs to.

Applejack did not like where this is going. “Yeah, um—“ before she can voice her thoughts on this uncomfortable situation, Sweetie Bell shoots an angry remark to her sister. “Or maybe she should be your sister, so she could teach you what a good sister is supposed to be!”
Rarity trots over to them, almost kneeling before her sister to show she is really serious about this, Applejack just wishes she realized what the problem is before she spoke. “But I don't need lessons on being a good sister, I-I promise! Listen! I'll show you how to cook my favorite quiche! Or, or, I'll show you the proper way to beautify your mane. Won't that be fun? Hm?” and Applejack is not one bit surprised to see an annoyed frown on Sweetie Bell’s face, less so when the foal asks Rarity. “You want me to go home with you, so we can do what you wanna do?”

Rarity did not see the problem there caused this rift between them, only that she did something wrong. “Uh… yes?” she replies although hesitant.

She can’t believe Rarity, Sweetie Bell groans loudly and trots off. “Just forget it!” She needs to get some distance from Rarity before she starts thinking everything is uncouth.

Still a bit angry, but not enough to abandon her friend when she clearly needs support. Still, just to be sure. “We’re still sisters right?” Apple Bloom asks her sister and when Applejack nods she got that right, Apple Bloom leaves to have a chat with her friend.

With both foals gone, Rarity walks over to Applejack, grumbling “Well, that apology went swimmingly.” To then asks the country pony annoyed why she made her look so bad in her apology. “Applejack, why do you have to be so good and make me look so bad?” To her bigger annoyance, both Applejack and Derpy chuckle, seeing something she cannot. “What?” She asks, turning to the young mother in form of Derpy when she says. “Oh Rarity, it’s a wonder you cannot see that you're refusing to share your virtue with your own sister.” Said curly haired unicorn raises a brow of that remark, not sure if she should feel offended that Derpy just has indirectly called out she did not embrace her Element of Harmony. “But I generous with her!”She exclaims, lifting her hoof as if preparing a fine meal. “I share my knowledge how to do a fine meal, how to stay out of trouble, I- I was trying to teach her how to do her hair correctly.”

Applejack rolls her eyes, somewhat amused by Rarity shortsightedness. “But you never allow others show their generous nature.” She taps her friend lightly on the chest. “You are so busy seeing the world your way that you do not see the beauty the others try to make.”
Rarity blinks, still not really getting it, so Applejack tries a different approach. “Being sisters is like… apple pie!”

“Or a good muffin.” Derpy giggles.

“That too.” Applejack nods, returning back to the now really confused Rarity, she smiles weakly to the unicorn. “Stick with us sugar cube. See sisters as an apple pie, you are the apples, amazing with everything there can be made out from them if just a bit creative and Sweetie Bell is the crust, it is a bit messy but taste amazing. Both good separate but you can only have a perfect apple pie together.”

Rarity has to think about it to understand what Applejack is trying to tell her, yes both things are good on their own but apple pie apples are a mashed mess and the crust without the apples is just a crumbly mess. She gasps, finally getting it. “I know what I need to do! I just hope it isn't too late...” She adds to the two mares, both which is giving her a weak smile but does promise they will help with whatever she is planning.

*next day*

“Don’t take this the wrong way my dear friend, but…” Time-Turner winches slightly of the mere thought of what he dealt with yesterday. “Your partner is— how best to describe him? Brutish effective perhaps?”

Derpy smiles weakly, she does feel a bit sorry for her friend, for when she found him, Soldier was forcing poor Time-Turner to do pushups. “His father was a soldier.” At least that what she got when he started on monologing why he was a soldier in heart.

“Ah, then that explains everything.” Time-Turner muses, more so why that brute’s father called him Soldier, sure suits him. The attitude from Soldier does worry him a bit though. “Are you sure Dinky Doo can take his… strong personality? I mean I couldn’t even tell him I wasn’t a warrior but a pony of science.” Derpy sends him an ensuring smile. “Don’t worry, doc, Dinky likes Soldier and he won’t cause her any harm.” Well, he trusts her words on that one, then a chime reminds him of why he is here. “Great whickering stallions! The main competition is about to start, better get moving my friend.” He urges Derpy and both trots over to the place.
They find a good spot beside a brown unicorn and a species Time-Turner cannot name. All he knows that these two are associates to his good friend Derpy.
The unicorn turns to Derpy, “Ey, heard from Solly he was competing with your kid.”
Derpy nods. “That’s right, doc helped them with the obstacle course.”
Both unicorn and other creature blink, with the other creature— if Time-Turner remembers correctly, that one’s name is Engineer. “Sorry miss, Medic’s not here” Engineer says.

Derpy giggles. “Oh, sorry I forgot you call him doc too. I mean Time-Turner.” Gesturing to her earth pony friend. “He’s a doctor too— well not medical.”

“Most know me as Doctor Whooves— No relation to miss Hooves, it is quite a funny story— anyway, I’m a doctor of scientist, so many things can be solved with the right machine.” Time-Turner smiles, he gets a delightful surprise when Engineer chuckles and says in agreement. “You got that right doc. I have built a few contraptions of my own, one of them being a teleporter.” Before Time-Turner can get more details from Engineer, Derpy stops him, declaring excitedly. “The race is about to start!” The group turns to the competition.

As the sibling pairs line up, Demo notices that Applejack is paired up with some other foal. “Hold up, why isn’t Applejack competing with Apple Bloom?”

Oh, she forgot they didn’t know about the plan. “Rarity and her younger sister Sweetie Bell got into a fight, it got so bad that Sweetie Bell doesn't want anything to do with her sister. I and Applejack helped Rarity realize what she did wrong, and now she is trying to fix it.” Derpy explains the two. Time-Turner already knows of the plan, he was the one who helped to make sure the illusion won’t be broken before time.

“And how exactly will she fix it if she’s not here?” Engineer asks frowning. The race start and the groups set off, it is a bit surprising that Soldier and Derpy’s kid did not take the lead but Soldier has never been the fastest, they aren’t the slowest either, that is Applejack and Sweetie Bell. At the first obstacle, Applejack falls into the mud, so deep, in fact, she disappears for a moment and when appearing, she is covered in mud.

“Miss Applejack should have about seven minutes of air from the breather machine.” Time-Turner muses and activates a clock just to be sure.

Engineer turns to this other doctor, a bit confused what he meant by that. “You have a machine down in the mud?”

“Oh yes, it makes sure miss Applejack doesn’t appear before the race is over… hopefully.” Time-Turner admits, he did only have a few hours to make this, he voices this to the two stallions. “Not my greatest work, but perfections requires time- time I did not have thanks to a certain military pony.”

Derpy giggles sheepishly. “Sorry about that doc.” She is after all partly at fault of her friend being trapped in doing push-ups.

Demo and Engineer exchange a look with one another, surprised that not only they are speaking to a pony there knows how to make machines, but that Applejack currently is underneath the mud. “So if Applejack is down there,” Demo points at the mud pool. “then the one competing with Sweetie Bell...”

“That’s Rarity.” Derpy confirms, turning to her friend as Time-Turner remarks thoughtful. “I’m surprised miss Rarity is taking being soiled in stride.”

Engineer laughs, he too is a bit surprised but is also happy that Rarity considers family more worth than her mane. Turning back to the competition, he must admit that it is good seeing the two work so fine together. Eyeing the other team in form of Derpy’s daughter and Soldier, those two are doing a good job as well, and it is surprising that Soldier knows how to be gentle with the foal. As he doesn’t hurl Derpy’s foal as thought up to the barrels for mashing grapes to make the juice, instead he lets her jump onto his back to reach the barrel.

“Never thought I would see the day Solly being patient.” Demo remarks, as like Engineer is baffled watching Soldier wait for Dinky to make the juice without yelling at her like he would towards them.

“You never told him that his loud voice will ruin somepony’s ear?” Derpy asks a bit confused, the two sends her a look and she explains. “I told him that and explained that if he kept ruin somepony’s ear with his yelling, someday they won’t be able to hear him- or the danger.”

“No, we haven’t.” Engineer admits and feels a bit silly about not explaining Soldier such things. Guess they all were too busy fighting in the War Games to really get to know one another. It is perhaps a good thing they came here, Engineer sure heck has learned a lot of new things about his fellow teammates in their time here. “You told him that straight out?”

Derpy nods. “I have to, Soldier is literal.”

“Well, that explains a lot.” Demo muses to Engineer there nods in agreement, both feeling silly they haven’t realized that before someone told them.
After that small revelation, the two return back to the competition. Neither Soldier’s or Rarity’s team won, that is Berry Punch and her younger sister there did. Demo smirks proudly seeing that.
“Times up.” Time-Turner declares and leaves his seat. “Better make sure Applejack get out from the mud.” The others head down to Rarity and Sweetie Bell, the filly has just realized that the one she competed with is not the one she thought it would.

Confused, Sweetie Bell looks around for the orange earth pony. “Wait, where's Applejack?”
Turning to the first obstacle she sees Applejack reappear with a loud gasp for air, and after having returned Time-Turner his machine, Applejack trots over to the others.
Sweetie Bell is very confused. “I don't get it.”

Demo chuckles down to her. “You wouldn’t be the only one if Miss Hooves didn’t explain us beforehand.”

Applejack chuckles as well of this brilliant plan is successful thanks to a friend of their friend. “We switched places over at the very first mudhole.” And is very thankful Dr. Hooves gave her that breather machine, for no way she could’ve held her breathe for that long to keep the illusion. She notes herself to thank him somehow.

Still dumbfounded, Sweetie Bell turns to her sister, asking. “So, we did the whole competition... together?” and Rarity replies smiling. “That we did, little sister. Well, except for the start line.” She points out. Apple Bloom jumps in between them, declaring proudly. “But you finished together!” Wait, Apple Bloom knew?
“You mean... you were all in on it?” Sweetie Bell asks the Apples and her sister, looking at the others, she realizes that they all seem to have known. That is truly touching so many adults did all of this for her sake. “You did this for me?”

Rarity steps over, correcting her little sister. “Us. I did it for us.” Much to her joy, Sweetie Bell nuzzles her head against her in the sign of affection. “You see? We are apple pie!” Realizing that only Applejack and Derpy would know, she giggles weakly to the confused crowd. “Uh, I'll explain later. For now, I think we deserve a celebration!”
Everypony cheers and she proudly says the place when her sister asks. “The spa, of course.” And apparently, everypony thought it was a joke, quite the contrary. “No, I-I-I'm serious.” She tells the group, sure she did this for both her and Sweetie Bell, but she really wants the mud out from her pelt before it dries up.

“What would you like?” Engineer asks Sweetie Bell and she replies still amused by her sister. “I would like do the obstacle course again!” Alright, so what about this. “What if we all do the course together, after that; we clean up.”

“Not at that sissy spa.” Soldier grumbles, with Demo nodding in agreement. “I prefer a simple shower then.”

Rarity rolls her eyes but she guesses that’s just how stallions are, at least her sister has also learned how to compromise. “If you do the obstacle course with me again, I go to the spa with you, deal?” That she can agree on. “deal,” and the two sister runs over to the starting line.

Author's Note

been a while I last made Derpy a main in a chapter, so she got a bigger role here. helped to introduce Time-Turner Whooves, perhaps he will appear more if you like how I wrote him.

hope you liked the first chapter made after suggestions from you guys. if you have more I would like to hear, never know if I make it into a future chapter.
however, I will only take episodes up to season four.

First step into the Human World

This happens right after the last chapter and is very loosely based on the TF2 comics.

*human world*

Feeling very dizzy from that trip through the portal, it takes Twilight a moment to realize that she is hearing Spike’s voice. Opening her eyes, Twilight searches for the baby dragon, lecturing him at the same time. “You're not supposed to be–“ to then stop when a creature walking on two legs comes into her view. This creature has a messy clutch of honey-colored hair, a purple hoodie with a green shirt underneath. The green eyes do look familiar but it can't be... “W-Who are you?” She asks confused, more so when this creature replies with Spike’s voice. “It’s me, Twilight.”
Blinking, Twilight reaches her hoof out to him. “Spike?” But freezes up when she realizes she no longer have hooves, instead a limb with smaller ones gets into view. She can’t help but scream from this huge shock, she slams her hoof-none hoof over her mouth slowly removes them and wants to scream again when those small limps move weirdly around.

Spike watches Twilight doing her major freak-out calmly with his hands in his hoodie’s pockets, already gotten used to his new form as it's not much different from his drake form, the only difference that he does not have spikes, a tail, and scales. Must admit it is very weird seeing Twilight like this. He does decide to speak when she begins to hyperventilate. “Twilight, you have to get it together!” Walking over and puts his claws— except his claws are ridiculously small onto Twilight shoulders. It helps a bit on Twilight panic attack, getting onto her hooves- eh, weird claws, she asks him. “What... does the rest of me look like?”
Spike has to think hard to figure out how to say this. “Um... like you. Only not you. Your colors all wrong and.. um your muzzle's really small.”

“My colors— my muzzle?!”

Spike puts his weird none clawed claws onto her very small muzzle, asking annoyed but also worried. “Are you gonna scream again?” Twilight shakes her head and with her somewhat calm. They look around this new area they ended up in. “Where are we?” They seem to have ended in some sort of town like Dodge Junction, except being occupied by ponies, this place is filled with… whatever they have been turned into.

“I don't know.” Twilight admits, turning to the glassy memorial to this statue of a creature hiding under a horse— does that mean there does exist ponies here? She sticks her none-hoof into the glassy memorial, through it, she can see it has been turned back into a hoof. She quickly pulls it back, musing to the way calmer but just as confused Spike. “Must serve as the gateway back to Equestria.” Turning away from the portal and to the task at hoof. “We need to find my Element as soon as possible and get back there. I suggest we start searching the castle first.” Nodding to the white building that does remind her of Canterlot's castle.

Spike nods. “Works for me.” And trots after Twilight, however after a side glance, he stops Twilight there has been trotting on four legs, telling her sheepishly. “I don't think that's how the new you are supposed to–“
Twilight follows his gaze, noticing some other two-legged creature is giving her weird looks. Not wanting to embarrasses herself further, she leaps onto her hind legs, waving awkwardly at the creature there slowly walks away, all the way giving her weird looks.
Twilight tries not to cause another scene but moving on her hind leg is incredibly hard and feeling warm around her cheeks when more creatures stare at her. Feeling very embarrassing, she quickly sits down, slowly one by one, the creatures leave. Groaning, Twilight says to Spike. “Now I know how the humans felt when they came to our world…” Is that what they have become? Humans? Must be, well, that’s what she is going to call these creatures until someone corrects her.
Spike walks casually beside her, annoying Twilight that he has already got the hang on his new form. “Ugh, why does this has to be so hard~!”

“Hey, see it on the bright side, you have a whole new world to study.” Spike points out helpfully.

Twilight shoots him a small glare. “Not helping Spike...” He chuckles sheepishly. Taking a deep breath, Twilight tries to walk again, still making the humans look but this time she is determent to reach the castle. Feeling quite victorious when finishing her walk over to the castle, Twilight activates her magic to the door, but it does not open and she ends face first into it. Caressing her now hurting head, she tries again but nothing is happening and she panics once again. “My magic! It isn't working!” She cries to Spike.

He eyes her and points out calmly. “Makes sense. You don't exactly have your horn.” Quote to yet another panic attack from Twilight Spike rolls his eyes, pushes the door open. “We really need to find you a mirror.” Grabs Twilight’s small left claw and drags her inside.
Inside this castle, they find more humans, some of them makes both Spike and Twilight think about guards. Going past them, they find a bunch of trinkets protected behind glass. Twilight staggers over to them, wondering out loud. “What do you think, Spike? Other artifacts she's stolen from Equestria?” She gasps when she finally sees her new form in the reflection of the glass. She looks like the humans and Spike, except she has long dark brown hair, a blue shirt and a purple dress there has her cutie mark on. As Spike said, her muzzle is very small not to mention she no longer has her bright purple pelt, instead, she has this… pigskin like anyone else has. She turns back to Spike, must admit. “This needs some getting used to… ugh… I really wish some of our human friends were here…”

“Hey, I’m sorry sweet cheeks, if I knew it belonged to you, sure, I would’ve returned it.”

Twilight jerks her head up, hearing a familiar voice. Staggering over to where the voice came from, she finds two humans, one thin and a bit scrawny- and seems to be male is talking to a female with red, long and curly hair. The female is for some reason very angry at the male. “Don’t call me that. Thanks to your stupidity; my chance in getting what I want has turned into a fetch quest!”
There is another male, this one looks a bit like Spike except older, and is far from being as scrawny as the one talking with the female. This younger muscular male is resting up against a nearby wall, he tenses up and so does Twilight when the scrawny male steps over to the female with a smirk neither like one bit. “Ohh, a fetch quest you say? Well, what about I help you to get your little trinket?” The younger male steps away from the wall, looking ready to fight when the other one traps the female between his arms and the nearby wall. “Gives us plenty of time get to know one another.”

Twilight can’t take it anymore, this is wrong. “Hey! Step away from her!”
The aggressive flirter turns around, at first, he looks quite angry at being interrupted, then the smirks return. “Hey, you’re a cute one, not exactly gorgeous as sweet cheek here but eh, I’m not picky.” He turns back to the redhaired female when she suddenly says with a smile as if she’s actually interested in him. “You know what, you can come along.” She says, hands crossed over her black jacket.
The male grins but it does falter slightly when she voices the condition for it. “If you break up with your new crush. Cus I don’t want—” she steps over to him, whispering into his ears only by mere chance Twilight hears the word; “competition.”
Twilight is dumbfounded at what she heard. “Huh? But I— WHAT?!” She screams out in utter disbelief, is that female human for real?! “Is this the thanks I get for trying to help you?!”
The red-haired female smirks back at her. “You clearly do not know where you are.” In that very moment, Twilight recognizes the female human’s voice. That is the unicorn who stole the Element of Magic! “You!” Twilight Sparkle cries and would’ve charged at her but forgets this isn’t her pony form and instead her face greets the floor.

Sunset Shimmer laughs at Celestia’s new student blunder. When she finally gets used to walking as a human, it will be too late. “Sorry filly, but I have places to be.” She eyes the human there might be annoying as hell, but at least he can be useful from time to time. “By the command of the Sirens: dispose of her.”
The smirks vanish for just a moment as he is forced to obey the Sirens as long he can hear their song in his mind. The sign he is fully under their command fades and the cocky smirk returns. Sunset signs to Rhys he shall follow and with a goodbye wave to the just turned pony. “Have fun with Scout.” She leaves to find her treasure.

Hearing Sunset Shimmer says that name shocks Twilight and Spike to the core. “Scout?” Twilight asks, eyeing the scrawny human walk towards her, pulling out a weird object she has never seen before. “That’s really you?” This is so different from his half-changeling form, but if looking closely, Twilight can see a few similarities.
Scout smirks and points that weird object right at her head. “The one and only.”

Spike, sensing the danger, leaps into action. “Twilight!” He jumps at Scout, making him miss Twilight’s head when the object goes off with a loud bang. Fearfully he didn’t move in time, Spike turns when Twilight cries in pain. Horrified he realizes the danger of that object when Twilight’s arm starts bleeding from whatever the object fired.
Before he can run over to her, Scout punches him behind the head, hard enough to knock him out.

“Spike!” Twilight cries, the need to protect him she ignores the pain in her arm and crawls over to the unconscious hatching. She pulls Spike close but can do little to nothing against Scout who really wants to hurt them.
“Why are you doing this?” She asks him tearfully, she thought he was a friend.
“It’s the will of the Sirens.” Scout replies simply, aiming again his weapon at her. Twilight takes notices of the name he used, something clicked in her mind but that she cannot think about until way later. Right now she has bigger problems, one of them is Scout about to kill her!
“Scout please…” She begs, but her voice goes to deaf ears, at least to this Scout. Out from seemly nowhere, another Scout appears, that one knocks the other one over and swings his baseball bat hard against the one there tried to harm her and Spike. Twilight flinches of the sound something cracking, at least it didn’t kill that Scout, only made him angry.
“You pay for that!” The now bleeding around the muzzle Scout roars, shoots his weapon at the bat-wielding Scout who leaps away and the two disappears in a deadly chase.
Feeling something grabbing her, Twilight panics but almost instantly calms down when she hears Spy’s voice. “It’s okay, Twilight.”
Looking up, Twilight is a bit surprised by not seeing a royal blue changeling with golden wings or a dark blue pegasus. Instead, she sees a male human with a mask covering most of his face, the only thing showing this is Spy is the reddish eyes and he is wearing the light blue suit Rarity gave him. She lets Spy help her up. “Spy, thank goodness you’re here.” She sighs in relief.

Spy has mixed feelings about this, in one hand he is quite annoyed Twilight went to this world without him and almost got herself killed, but on the other, he is impressed she did it and relieved he and Jeremy got to her just in time. “Come, Scout can’t keep his other busy forever.” He swiftly checks the gunshot wound Twilight received, the bullet is still stuck in there but at least it is keeping her from bleeding out. “If we’re lucky, they will kill one another.”

He calls that lucky?! “We can’t let them do that!” Twilight objects horrified.

Spy stops her before she can really get started on lecturing him. “First rule in this world: I, Scout and the others turned humans will return if we get killed. The second rule: you cannot do magic.”

“I noticed.” Twilight replies sullenly.

Spy pulls her away from the scene but when she can barely walk, he lifts her up in bridle-style. She holds the unconscious kid there is probably Spike in her arms, that dragon is like a stupidly loyal puppy when it comes to Twilight. He leaves the scene before the evil Scout realizes his other is just a distraction. He puts her down into a car he finds suitable and starts it after have messed a bit with the wiring. Twilight stares at where she can hear the two Scout fighting, so he ensures her. “He will join us shortly.” and drives over to their meeting spot.
At the old fort there worked as a battlefield when RED and BLU fought one another, Spy helps Twilight inside. The now conscious Spike can, fortunately, walk on his own. “Let’s get that bullet out from you.” He says after have put Twilight down on the medical bed inside Medic’s infirmary. Finding what he needs is a bit tricky, he’s not used to playing the doctor and Medic has never let anyone but Heavy to search his infirmary for whatever the team needs.

“What was that object the evil Scout used?” Twilight asks, she has gotten very aware that object is dangerous, the wound on her arm is a clear sign of that.
Spy returns with some medical equipment, explaining. “It’s called a gun. It’s a weapon used to kill others and this world has countless of them.” He injects some anesthetic around the wound, not sure it's enough but he does not dare give her more. While waiting for it to take effect, he figures he might as well make this very clear. “Our world is not as peaceful as yours.”

Twilight was aware of that, the turned humans kept saying that when talking about the two worlds, but… “I never thought it was this dangerous.” She muses. Spy eyes her once, replying as he starts trying to get the bullet out from her. “You were very unlucky running into Scout’s worst self. Teufort is usually a dumb but peaceful place.”

“That’s not very nice.” Spike says of Spy’s choice of words towards that town.

“They allowed a plant to be a lawyer and that plant was appointed by Soldier.” Spy replies, the BLU side of him still rolls his eyes of how the mayor of that town allowed it to happen.

Twilight and Spike exchanged a look with one another, both quietly agreeing that, okay; that town is dumb.

Spy gets the bullet out, grabs a bandage and wraps it tightly around the wound, which reminds him. “I don’t want any of you getting reckless. Humans do not heal very fast, so you will be stuck with this.” Pointing at the bandaged spot. “Until we get you back or we happen to find Medic.” Twilight puts a hand on the spot, nodding slowly she understands. With that done, he tells both to stay put and heads over to the respawn area. Jeremy should be here any moment now, but in case his evil other also is coming Spy reclaims a revolver from his supply closet and ready to fire when a Scout appears.
This one proves to be the evil one for the moment Scout spots him: “Oh, so he decided to team up with you of all people?!” and charges. “This changes nothing between us!” Spy does not hesitate to put a bullet through his head, feeling the regret in doing so is a new thing, though.

About five minutes later, the good Scout appears. He scans the scene quickly, then remarks with a weak smile after having spotted his dead other. “It seems that hasn’t changed.” His father eyes him with his now reddish eyes, Scout notices the hint of pain in them, that is new but somehow quite appreciated. It is quickly gone as Spy turns away from the dead body, saying in his hash tone. “We cannot stay here.”
Scout follows him, saying mocking. “Nice to see you too.” Not sure he should've expected this cold shoulder or disappointed Spy is pretty much back to his old asshole self. Spy does stop out on the hallway, replying in a matter of fact tone. “There was a camera in there.”
Oh, well now Scout just feel stupid. “Oh um… so, happy to see me?” He asks with an awkward smile.
His father turns fully around. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Spy asks simply, and Scout can’t help but laugh at how awkward his old man is in putting a hand on his shoulder after a lot of hesitating. Appreciate the gesture though. “Man, I wish I could’ve felt your emotions there.” He chuckles.
Spy gives him a look before he leads Scout to the infirmary, in here Scout spots that same young woman sitting with that kid, the two his evil other tried to kill. “Sup.” He greets them and wonders out loud. “Why did my evil twin want to murder your lovely ass?”

“Scout, this is Twilight Sparkle and Spike.” Spy tells Scout, wanting to make him stop this needless flirting, Twilight is uncomfortable enough as it is without having to deal with him trying to score a date.
Scout eyes wide in surprise hearing this, staring at them for a few seconds, he gives Twilight an embarrassed smile. “Oh man, sorry about that… I didn’t recognize you there Twilight, you’re not… purple anymore. Gotta admit you do look— ”

“Please don’t try and flirt with me.” Twilight interrupts him, it’s weird and she is dealing with enough already to think about this too.
Scout does, fortunately, drop the flirting and they all head to the car Spy used to get them here. Back on the road again. Scout asks. “So… what do you think about being a human?” Where to start? Twilight has no idea, but she has now a way bigger understanding why these guys had so much trouble using their hooves. She tells that to Scout, asking while waving these strange front limp. “What are these?”

Scout chuckles. “They are called hands and these fingers; we use them to do stuff” He takes out a can, opens it with his fingers. “See, it’s easy when you get the hang of it— you want one?”

Twilight takes the offered can, letting out a small sigh for the small vacation of seeing this place has been replaced with a chase there has a time limit. “I’m not sure I’ll have the time getting the hang of having hands…” She eyes the two humans. “Somepony with the name of Sunset Shimmer stole the Element of Magic and brought it here. She was the one who made the evil Scout hurt me and Spike.”

Scout almost spit out his soda, Spy is quite happy he didn’t. The speedster eyes the turned pony, startled of what she has just told them. “Wait, one of the Elements are back here? And it is the most powerful of all of them? Holy crap! And here I thought we had enough shit to deal with.” He points out, for these six months has been hard.

Twilight leans forward in her seat, asking worriedly. “What has happened?” Spy too sends Scout a worried glance of what has been going on this side of the portal.

Taking a sip of his soda, Scout explains. “Things were fine at first when we returned. We returned back to base while Miss Pauling went back to the bi— I mean the Administrator- that's our boss.” He explains for Twilight’s sake, he starts shifting the can around in his hands. “That’s where shit started to happen. Our counterparts attacked with no warning, they didn’t care about the Intelligent or team colors. All they wanted was murder our asses. We managed to hold them off, but only because their teamwork sucked and spend just as much time killing one another as they did with us.”

“What did the Administrator say to this?” Spy asks, pondering about her reaction that part of the team was out for blood. Perhaps she would use it to her advantage? Wouldn’t surprise him, really.

“Nothing.” Scout replies, Spy gives him a quick glance at what he guesses is surprise. Man, he wishes he could sense emotions right now. Anyway, “Miss Pauling told us the Administrator is gone before she told us to disband.”

“I figure you did.” Spy remarks.

“Not at first, we stuck together even though there was no need. We only disbanded when the robots began aiding our evil others and some sort of song messed with our heads.” Scout explains, very happy that mind-bending song is out from his head. It was creepy how much it felt being in chains by just hearing a song. Made him paranoid to turn on any radio. Emptying his soda can. “I think the only thing there saved our asses from ending up as the others were because Demo and Pyro were somehow more resistance. They got the rest of us out, except Heavy, he refused to leave his boyfr— I mean Medic behind.” Checking his father, Scout realizes that he too is aware of how close Heavy and Medic truly are, figures, since he too would’ve felt the love those two gave out around one another thanks being a changeling.
It’s quite funny really; if he knew about this before Equestria, Scout would’ve flipped. Called it gross, wrong and probably bullied the two about it, but when he realized it, well he just shrugged and went with it. Must be because he found his old man dating a sentient zebra weirder than this. “Don’t know what happen to him, though.” Scout continues on the story. “I wanted to go home, but I… you saw how my other half was.” He points out to the three. “I know I am not immune against that song. So what if I hear it when around ma and my brothers?” That mere thought is terrifying enough to make him stay as far away as possible. Instead, he has been trying to beat the evil out from his other… it hasn’t helped but at least it gave him something to do.

“Your evil other said something about the Sirens.” Twilight says, something about that does ring a bell but she just can’t figure out where she read about this name. So until she returns home and read up about it, she can only guess. “I figure they are the ones controlling him.”

Scout nods. “You got that right.”

“We can’t think about the Sirens at the moment.” Spy tells them, they can deal with them when they aren’t under a time limit. “We have to focus on the Element of Magic and return it back to Equestria. To do that, we have to find this Sunset Shimmer.”

“She seemed to be working for the Sirens.” Twilight points out with Scout adding of what he and the others have learned. “And those works for the man throwing the robots at us.”

“Grey Mann.” Spy grumbles, this is going to get hard and as much as he hates it, they are going to need the resources from Mann Co and in order to get those: “We need to find Miss Pauling.” He tells the three, not really dreading her reaction finding out he is alive but that the Administrator will force him back to her control. Who knows what the evil others have revealed? It was clear Scout’s other know what he was to him which means he really needs the protection of the others; Scout more so. “She will have the information we need to find the place Grey has the Element. That and she knows where the others are located.”

Author's Note

as you clearly can see, the human world is in the TF2 universe, so no high school plot. maybe Twilight would've preferred that for in that setting she wouldn't be dealing with the threat of dying all the time.

I admit that I was at first planning writing what Scout told into a chapter but I just couldn't make a legit story so I scrapped it and instead made Scout explain what happened.

Under Our Spell.

Note: This happens two days after the last chapter. A small part of it is based from the TF2 comic "Old Wounds"

A lone scout-bot runs into the noman land, it did not get far though and before reaching the building, Pyro has completely torched it. She did title her head in wonder when it keeps talking, and since this talking is not Scout’s usual taunting the robot is spewing out. She decides to bring the burned robot back to the base.

Both team Vanguard and Fortress are gathered around this robot, listing to the next command from Grey: “Bring Australium to the coordinates inside this robot, disobey and the prisoners will die. You have three days.”
Chio easily finds the coordinates inside the robot’s mainframe but like the others, she does not fancy the thought of bringing Grey the rocks that will extend his life. But for another engineer, he does not have a choice than to obey. “If I don’t arrive with Australium, my son will die.” Dell tells both his team and the other one. “I can’t take that risk.”

Not all understand how strong a parent’s instinct is to protect their offspring, those who do. Well, they know exactly what Dell is going through. Antoine is one of them and unlike Dell, if he meets up with Grey while the man has a leash on him, Australium will be least of their problems.
The Vanguard team is aware of this thanks to two of their members have more or less contact to a certain master spy and know from the info they have gathered that letting Grey get that Intel will spell disaster. Although leaving the two prisoners to die will be easier, they all sort of know that is not really an option.

Francis lowers his head so the hat hides his face. He won’t deny he still does not like these other mercs, but he can put that aside for the sake of those imprisoned. “A parent should never bury their own child.” He muses softly, he did not see Sophia drops her gaze slightly by his words. He turns to Jack, no further words needed for what the man is asking of the team leader.

Jack nods and tells the other team. “We will help you on this rescue mission.” Much to the surprise and relief of Team Fortress. Jack does however still not fully trust these men and makes that pretty clear. “But that does not mean I trust you keeping my back safe. When this is over, you people owe us big time.” They all either voice or simply nod that they understand. “Alright, time is short and Grey gave us very little time to plan out a legit rescue mission. First thing first, we should get a hold on some Australium.”

“There is still some left in a mine we protected about two months past.” Lawrence tells this scout, much to Jack’s surprise. And is sort of happy that at least one from his team know about this little fact. “Oh right, Australians can hear Australium.” Rune explains. Lawrence nods that he indeed can hear it but… he’s not exactly an Australian…

Well, that makes the search a whole lot easier. “Then you will be on the search team.” Jack tells him, this ability to hear Australium will come in handy and spare them hours of searching. “My team heavy, Wei will go with you. Is there anyone you wish to join this search/dig party?”

“Anyone who is good at digging.” Lawrence replies and is not sure how to really react when the medic of Jack’s team volunteer. “I should be good at this task.” He frowns and can’t stop a remark. “This isn’t like digging in a human body doc.”
Tristan rolls his eyes. “How observant of you, if you are done joking around. Let’s get a move on before my special power dissipates.” and with that, he starts heading out.
Lawrence must admit that he sort of like this all business attitude this doctor has going, makes it easier to know where he has the man. “Right.” He, along with the quiet heavy follows the doctor to find Australium.

Leaving the rest to figure out how to best get the prisoner out without them ending up dead. “A frontal assault won’t do it; if Grey gets a whiff we are on the offensive they will die.” Marcos points out and explains the two spy siblings. “And sneaking inside by cloak is a no go. Lastest report says that Grey has sat up cameras that can detect us.”

Chio snorts, clearly annoyed by this. “Bastard stole my invention!” That’s not the only thing he stole while they were under the Sirens control.

“That’s not all," Marcos speaks again. "Grey still has control over Mann Co, which means he can equip Team Mirage and the robots with the newest weapons. Not to mention he has created something called a Sentry Buster, a robot solely built to seek out an engineer’s building and destroy them."

"Trust me I had the honor to meet that thing up close and personal.” Chio snorts of the mere thought of that encounter.

“Will be very troublesome.” Mikhail admits and is quite annoyed they can’t just attack head-on like they're used to. “All of this is no problem if not for Scout and Dell’s son.”

That everyone agrees on, sure the stronger enemy will be tough to fight, not something they can’t overcome with respawn on their side but with Grey having two prisoners, they will pretty much be fighting with their hands cut off. “We have to get those two out of the way, and that’s the tricky part.” Jack admits.

“Oh, how easy it would to just throw a teleporter in front of them.” Francis chuckles dryly from his spot, that would get them out of the way and if anyone follows, then there can be someone ready to shoot them on the other side. Too bad Grey’s spy detection system also can catch Marcos invisibility power.

That remark does make Antoine ponder about something. “Say Ignis.” The alicorn who has been listening quietly turns to him. “Back when I was brought to Equestria the first time. You were still under that dark spell, care to explain how that happened?”

Ignis has to ponder about it for a moment, this is not something he has done while fully aware of who he is. “Hmmm… I am unsure, but maybe part of me reacted on the Element in you. What did you do around me before you got teleported?”

“I tried to kill you when your alter ego pressed on my personal life.” Antoine replies flatly, nodding to Jane. “And he showed you... his collection of heads.”

“He has a collection of heads?” Ignis asks disturbed but Soldier is quite happy about this fact: “Yes! They are from my greatest enemies! Some of them disappear but those that stay I show off with pride!” Ignis stares at the man for a moment before he decides just to ignore him and tells Spy. “What you said, I think that a small part of me was untainted and took notice of the Elements residing inside of you and… the stress you put tainted me through activated my magic.”

“And fire did the rest.” Antoine muses, everyone who got teleported by this accidental magic all disappeared in a ball of fire. Figures since Ignis is specialized in fire. This could be their way out of the prisoner problem as it can be activated after a long period of time. “Can you do it again?” With it Dell can simply light a fire and then teleport himself and his boy to Equestria, sure they will lose him but Antoine is sure they can survive now they have allied themselves with Team Vanguard.

Ignis crosses his arms with a big frown of doubt in his purple eyes. “… I am not sure if I can. Never been good at passive magic.”

“Try.” Dell says, the alicorn nods and activates his magic, at first a strong fire appears around his hands but after a minute, he dismisses the fire and put the purple glowing hand on Dell’s shoulder. He does not feel anything so they have no idea of knowing if this worked or not. He voices this to the others and will say this straight out: “I am not testing if it works with my boy’s life on the line.”

What better way to test this than on him? He can’t risk going on this rescue mission in case Grey wants to force out the info he knows– plus he really misses his family. “Test it on me.” Antoine volunteers, eyes his sister briefly, kinda sad he has to cut this short but he has found peace in simple knowing she is alive and has people who care about her. Sophia sends him a weak smile, a goodbye, and he turns to his team’s doctor.
“You still have the journal that gets what Twilight is writing?” He asks Josef.

“That’s a weird name.” Amadi remarks.

Josef indeed still has it, that book has come in handy a few times, plus… well, he and Twilight have sort of become penpals. “You have no idea.” He tells the young demo before he turns to their spy. “I have it.” Already knowing how Antoine will reveal if this worked or if he just is going through the respawn.

With that said, Ignis does the magic on Antoine who first tries to see if a simple lighter will do it. Didn’t work, so Jane– who have only realized that their spy tried to burn himself to death, takes out one of his grenades and hurls it at the man, one explosion later which almost took out several others of the two teams thanks to the large flames.

“So… did it work?” Rune asks after have recovered from almost getting his face burned off. The others didn’t know, so they waited.

***

*Equestria*

When the flames disappear, Spy yelps when he finds himself falling. It takes him a moment but he gets his wings working and land safely onto the tree top on one of Everfree Forest large trees. Spy is more than happy to know that the plan worked and will inform this to the others back in the human world– after he has declared his return to his family. He flies over to Zecora’s hut, finding his beloved tend some herbs while Sauda and Lavernia are frolicking around.
Lavernia is the first to notices him, seconds later her sister does as well, the two stand stiff like a deer caught in the headlight but only for a moment and the two foals run over to him. Spy trots over and greets his two girls with the best hug he can make, they did not notice his awkwardness, his emotions of joy and love is what really matters to them.

At first, confused what made the girls run off like that, but quickly realizes to why when Zecora checks, her world stop for a moment. Times does seem to flow normally again when her beloved meet her eyes, she smiles and walks over to him. “I should have known you would find a way home.” She muses in her great relief that they did not have to be apart for ten years.
Spy nuzzles his head against hers, she might not sense emotions like him nor the girls but she can see how glad he is to be back.

“It’s good to be back mon cheri.” Spy whispers into her ear and kisses her soft, sweet muzzle. He does forget time for a while, being with Zecora does that but it was so much worth it.
Resting his head on her back, Spy watches Lavernia follow at a butterfly as a kitten would. “I need to inform the others I am here.” He muses but has trouble to get up and actually do it.
Zecora is not really helping, in fact, she is making it worse by stroking her muzzle over his head. It is so nice being able to relax for once, in the human world he was always so tense, so ready for an ambush, wary who he can trust. Here he can sense if someone is out to harm him, does come in handy being able to sense emotions. So yeah… it’s really good to be back. Too bad he still has a job to do. “I have to go.” and has to force himself to get up.
Zecora watches him calmly, there is a hint of worry but the trust is greater. “Go and tell your team you are here, be sure to return this time my dear.” He smiles and after has kissed her, he promises her. “As you wish mon cheri.” With that he gallops off, knowing the sooner he gets this over with, the sooner he can return.

**Human world.**

Since Antoine didn’t return ten minutes after he got blown up, the mercs now all waited for him to write in the book. That only happens a full hour later. Josef is not really interested in what their spy said– not that he has much to say– all that matters that it worked. “It worked.” He tells the others, all waiting somewhat impatiently for this reply.

“About time.” Jack grumbles, but at least now they have a way of saving the prisoners. “Alright, with this trick, we should be able to save the kid and your scout.”

“True but someone has to be close to them.” Garry points out, that’s how this work if he understands it correctly. “Dell will at some point get close to his boy, but how do we get close to the scout?”

Soldier gets as a good idea he can get. “We will storm into the place and burst scout out from there! And if it does not work I am more than happy to kill the both of us if it means none of us will be in the enemy’s clutches!”

“Oh for the love of— haven’t you been listening?!” Jack snaps at this so thickheaded moron, his temper tantrum is however stopped before he can get started when Miss Pauling points out. “You know what? This might work. Won’t be the first time Jane’s- uh way of thoughts have thwarted Grey.”
Not sure what is worse: to make this stupid plan into reality or that it actually might work. Whatever the case, Jack is happy he and his team will mostly be on the sideline with this. “Oh, this outta be good…” He muses dryly but does listen to what Helen’s former assistant has to say.

The plan was simple: Jane will cause a mess to get Grey’s attention and let himself get caught. He might have to endure some torture– which Jane was more than okay with, and the moment he got into close proximity to Scout, He would use the hidden grenade and blow them both up, transporting them to Equestria. Dell will do the same but play the willing slave a bit more, so they are forced to bring Grey the Australium. “But it is a prize we have to pay.” Miss Pauling tells the mercs. “We can always kill him some other day.” When they don’t have to deal with prisoners.

“Better than nothing.” Francis voices from his spot. “It’s the best we can do with so little time.“

Jack nods. “Right, and from how he spoke from that scout-bot of his. It sounds like Grey expect Team Vanguard to be dead.” Which he thinks they should let the man believe. Turning to the remaining of Team Fortress. “What I understand, Dell, Jane, and your scout soon will be in this Equestria. Meaning you won’t have much firepower if Grey decides to attack you again. If you agree on our chain of command, then I will allow you to stay with us.”

At first none of the remaining speaks as for Team Fortress, no clear leader has ever been chosen. Jane thought he was but the others rarely took his commands seriously. Some might say Josef and Dell have command over the team but they only come up with plans and let the others figure the rest on their own.
Miss Pauling thinks she has the command but even she will listen when one certain man begins to speak.
“We will fight with you, not as prisoner but comrades.” Mikhail tells Jack hard and the others quietly agree with his condition.

Seems legit, Jack nods. “Deal. Now,” he speaks to his own team. “let’s get to work and make sure this rescue mission won’t end with causalities.”

**Three days later**

Things have not gone exactly as planned. Sure Jane got captured and Grey suspected nothing but only because the American got caught by the Sirens and their song forced him under their control once again. That’s why Zhanna ‘persuaded’ Dell to come along– she would’ve broken his arm twice if he hasn't said yes, something Dell rather not go through. “Remember, you can’t attack any of them like you and Jane usually does.” Dell points out to the woman as he drives to the location Grey wanted them. “We need to stick to the cover.”

Zhanna is a bit annoyed she can’t just split those men’s head open in revenge they took her future husband away but she promised her brother to listen to Dell at least until they get to… whatever he means with the world populated by ponies. Guess only time will tell about that part. “I do not like this plan, but I promise not kill enemy before you give go ahead.” She replies and after a moment of silence she asks. “What if I get close to boy first?”

“Then activate the flames— but please tell Logan to close his eyes first.” Dell replies as he is pretty sure his son is more than a little traumatized, so he does not need further nightmares by getting burned by flames. “You will have enough trouble explaining him the situation when you arrive to Equestria.”

“The place where people is pony.”

Dell nods, that is the best way explaining that world in short words. “Yeup, and you remember who you should ask for if we get separated in Equestria?”

Zhanna nods but still finds the mere description of this pony silly. “Ask after Twilight Sparkle. She is purple and live in library tree.”

“Good.” That will at least get her to someone who can help her if they get separated. Dell spots the abandoned smeltery which is the meeting spot with Grey’s men. “We’re here.” Zhanna puts on the handcuffs and he grabs the small crate with Australium which he hands to her after they have left the car. After about a half hour of waiting, a larger and armored truck appears. Out from it, three mercs step out and they are all some old timers. Dell feels a cold shiver runs down his spine when hit by a thought: could the men that murdered his father be his old team? That thought is sort of a reality check, his own team and Vanguard are the exceptions to how most mercenaries groups would be. This team going by the name of Mirage might’ve been his father’s former team but them fighting together didn’t stop them murdering him. He cannot trust them and that scares Dell as he cannot be sure if they have kept his son alive.
“Do you have the package?” The man Dell thinks is the soldier of this team asks. He nods to Zhanna and the big man– the heavy no doubt about it– removes the lit. A large grin appears on his face from the sight of the several hand-sized golden rocks. “Nice, good to see you know how to work with us Mr. Conagher.” He puts the lit on again and goes to grab Zhanna around the jaw. “And who is this pretty thing?” Dell is pretty sure she would’ve used the crate as her weapon if not for the plan. “Our heavy’s sister.” He replies and sure hopes this reveal will save her from getting shot on the spot. Mikhail did not like revealing this fact one bit but he was smart enough to know it was a calculated risk they needed to take.

This day seems to get better by the minute, now they can blackmail that big dumb brute. “She will prove useful.” Paul smiles but is suspicious of why this man would do this to his own team. “Why did you bring her?”

This better work. “Her in exchange for my son’s safety.” Dell tells the man and as hoped, they do not put a bullet through her head, which is fortunate for even though Zhanna is connected to respawn she is still sort on a trial with the machine and one of these deaths can very well be her final. So it’s best not to test fate. Team Mirage mercs take them both and after have blindfolded them, brings them to Grey’s base. Unlike the last one which was on a tropical island, this one is out in the middle of a scrub desert.
The pyro and soldier take Zhanna to the cells while the heavy takes Dell to Grey.
The old man is very pleased to get his hands on Australium, Dell notices the reason to why as he suddenly can decode how his Australian machine works as if he’s looking at the blueprints instead of a built machine. Grey is running dangerously low on Australium– hold up, is this his power? He did touch the tree before he left, but haven’t been able to figure out what it gave him.

“It’s too bad you won’t work for me without your son held hostage.”

Dell blinks a few times and is very glad he has his eyes covered by the welding goggles, this new ability of his really took him off guard. Not that it mattered much for Grey, the man did not expect him to reply.

“No matter, you will do as I tell you as long your son’s life is on the line.” Grey points out and commands the heavy to bring Conagher to his new home, adding: “Don’t let him near Sonata, Aria and Adagio.” Last time the man became straight out impossible to work with, plus if the Sirens gets hold on him, the threat of his son’s life won’t work, so it’s best to keep his mind clean.
The heavy leaves with Conagher and barely ten minutes later, Adagio walks into the room, demanding: “Why can’t we get your new prisoner? He has Equestrian magic!”
Grey can see why the Sirens want him, this new discovery of magic in some of the mercs have made them stronger which comes to his advantages but Grey is not letting them have this one. “That engineer belongs to me. The rest is yours for the taking.” He tells her as the rest of the mercs have no use for him. Still, he is a bit troubled what this magic the Sirens wants so much will make them able. Even in their weakened state; they are still powerful enough to turn a whole crowd of people against one another, yet only able to keep the control for as long they are singing.
Adagio anger fades slightly, somewhat satisfied with this trade. “That’s what I want to hear.” and begins this flirting persona she and the other Sirens always do when they feel they are in control. “With their magic we will be able to gain energy from the normal humans, and then;” she touches his chin with a smug yet sweet smile. “We will take down Ignis, once and for all.” Grey is not really amused by her current behavior, less so when he knows this flirting is their way showing dominance. “Hm, yes, he has proven quite the nuisance for you hasn’t he?” He remarks and removes her hand from his face. “Why you haven’t taken his magic is beyond me.” Would've saved them all for the trouble.

Adagio snorts, she admits this is really irritating as well but that’s the rule. “Celestial alicorns are children of Harmony, if he knew how, he could’ve stolen someone else's core magic but like we: he can’t do that against us as we are children of Disharmony.”

“Why would these two… beings make such a stupid rule?” Grey asks. He has heard the Sirens speak of this Disharmony as if it’s a living being.

Adagio cannot answer that. “I don’t know. I simply know we cannot steal a Celestial alicorn’s magic.” She wishes they could though, but they cannot go against the creator’s rule. One of these rules are not to harm those Disharmony chose to spread chaos, so Grey is off limit too. Not that she and the two others would hurt him, the little old man has been quite useful so they will help him on this world-dominating plan of his. “I see you got more of your lifeblood.” She remarks and eyes the crate filled with chunks of the golden rocks. “How many years will it give you?”

If this has been anyone else asking, he wouldn’t have answered but since it’s Adagio; an immortal being, and thus have no interest in Australium’s ability to prolong someone’s life, he sees no harm in telling her. “Depending on its purity, I say this cache will keep me alive at least fifteen years.”
Adagio lets out a small giggle and does speak of what amused her so much. “It’s quite funny watching creatures such as you cling to life.”
“Yes, I am sure it’s a foreign thing for an immortal being such as you.” Grey remarks dryly. She smiles but the gleam in her eyes does reveal that he is indeed correct, he figures that she cannot comprehend mortality as a blind can’t with colors.
The leader of his new mercenary team returns and much to Grey’s annoyance, this brute starts talking.

“You know, I never understood you world domination guys.”

Didn’t make it better that Adagio giggles at what she clearly consider a mockery, ah yes, she is a being solely created on causing havoc, so she must find it amusing a mere mortal is trying to take over the world.
The brute is not done talking what little thoughts he has in his brain, though.

“Too much work. I mean— when are you gonna get to enjoy it? You’ll be a hundred goddamn years old before you take over the world at this rate.”

Grey hums but does correct the merc. “Closer to a hundred and fifty goddamn years old by my estimate.” But with the discovery of a chance to strengthen his best allies in form of the Sirens, then he will have the world domination in the age of 120.

That remark catches Paul’s curiosity and full attention. “One hundred and fifty, huh? How did you manage that?” But his current boss deflects the question and tells him to obey orders like a good merc. “That’s the case full of money is for and if you are unsatisfied with that arrangement; I can always find other people to do my dirty work.”
But Paul here is still interested in the money. “Nah, the money’s good.” But he can’t deny either that Grey’s huge fascination with these golden rocks is making him wonder what they are really for. “I’m just starting to wonder about those rocks.” Nodding to the small crate Frank’s son brought the boss.

“Yes, that’s quite the mystery.” Grey mocks the old merc, it’s quite incredible that this man hasn’t realized that these golden rocks are Australium as he did send the Team Mirage to Australia to raid a mine and surely the workers would’ve told them what it was. “Perhaps once you retire with the money, you can start an amateur detective agency.” Grey walks over to the large window, watching the desert surrounding this secret base. “But for now, all I need is your muscles. I’m the brains.”

Yeah about that, Paul puts a hand on the midget’s shoulder, ignoring the disgusted face the man makes. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind be just the brawn but well… the boys and I—” He grabs Grey around the throat as he points out: “We aren’t getting any younger.” He pulls out his gun and aims at that hot chick Grey has around. “No sudden moves missy, I’m not much in shooting hot clerks but I will if you do any funny things.”

Adagio laughs at how this human thinks he is in control of the situation, she glides gracefully off the table. “And what fun things are you thinking about?” She asks teasingly, swaying her hips as she approaches the gun-wielding man. “The only weapons I have is what you see right here.” She strokes her hands down her body, drawing his attention to her curves. As expected he has trouble removing his eyes from her, but she must give him credit in trying to keep control over her.
“I never got what you saw in this midget.” He nods to the gasping for air Grey. “What about you be a nice kitty and play on my side?” He steps closer and strokes the gun over her chest, it’s quite amusing he is looking down instead of meeting her eyes. “I’m sure you can put your talent to better use than what you have now.”
Adagio hums as if she is considering his request of shifting side. “Oh you know exactly how to make a woman feel.” Ignoring the gun, she walks around him, humming a melody before she starts singing.

“Oh whoa ho, oh whoa
you didn’t know that you fell
oh whoa ho, oh whoa”

The magic swiftly grabs his mind and when she steps into his line of sight, he has no choice than to obey.

“now that you’re under my spell”

Paul wasn’t aware of the magic in her voice, not even when it started to chain his mind. So he stands there and listens to the Sirens song.

“blindsided by the beat”

Adagio touches the hand holding Grey.

“clapping your hands, stomping you feet.
you didn’t know that you fell”

Paul lets go of Grey, way more interested in hearing this beautiful woman’s voice.

“now that you have fallen under my spell”

Adagio whispers into his ears, the smirk widens when her fellow Sirens start singing from their location in this base.

“we’ve got the music, makes you move it
got the song that makes you loose it”

Every human in the base stops to listen, except Dell who quickly blocks his ears in fright.

“we say jump, you say how high?
puts your hands up to the sky”

Adagio, the leader Siren dance hypnotic around the enthralled man.

“we’ve got the music, makes you move it
got the song that makes you loose it."

In her flirting manner, she signs Paul to follow her and he does.

“we say jump, you say how high?
puts your hands up to the sky”

He follows her out to the balcony.

“oh whoa ho, oh whoa
you didn’t know that you fell
oh whoa ho, oh whoa
now that you are under our spell”

Out there Adagio learns up against the railing.

“listen to the sound of my voice”

The two others hum of the melody echo through the whole area.
Adagio gestures for the big man to get closer to the railing, he does without a moment hesitating. Only stops at the edge, inches from a free fall

“soon you’ll find you don’t have a choice”

She releases his mind just enough to know what is going on, and the human freaks out, but he cannot move.

“captured in the web of my song”

Adagio strokes her fingers flirting over his tighten jaw from being mere inches in falling to his death.
The two other sirens appear at each their windows further down, keeping him trapped with their mere humming to the melody.

“soon you’ll all be singing along”

She sings, forces the trapped man to meet her eyes and know he has no power in this game. Oh, the joy watching the fear in this arrogant man’s eyes. “So be a good dog and play along.” she tells him softly and leaves him hanging at the railing, one wrong move and he will fall.
Adagio walks back inside to Grey who is still recovering from having been man-held like that. “He shouldn’t be a problem anymore.” She ensures him and there is no need reminding him that the only reason why their song is not affecting him is because he made a deal with the Shadows of Disharmony.

Now Grey is really glad he made a deal with the devil for his succubus have just saved years of work and possibly his life as well, so he will be wise in making sure they stay his side.

Author's Note

Hopefully this rescue mission won't go wrong for the prisoners. can't have Dell loses his only son.

Acts made of Love

Note: This happens the day after the last chapter.
The fansong's "Nightmare Night" belongs to WoodenToaster and Mic The Microphone.

**Ponyville**

The residents of the town are enjoying the spooky festivities, many of them stop in whatever they are doing when they hear music and a subtle light show coming from the large stage, curious, a lot of the foals run over to check, closely followed by the adults. Many ponies gather around the stage where a dark brown and bit strange looking young stallion stand in the mist made by a nearby machine built by Engineer. Scout raises slowly his head, having a smirk that he's up to no good, he turns his head to Pinkie Pie who appears right beside him and is for once dressed to look scary. She is dressed to look like a witch and has a single fake spider attached to her hat. The two nods to one another and that's the queue for Vinyl Scratch; she replaces the soft piano music with a more rock styled melody, the whole stage lights up and follows the music's beat. Those few from the crowd there were still talking stop and have their full attention on the show, some of the foals seek cover behind their parent of the sudden change of scenery.
Scout smirks down to the crowd, steers with spreads out wings and Pinkie Pie really sets the mood when she throws down some of Zecora's magical powder that surrounds the stage in a scary purple mist. "Yeah, watchu know 'bout Nightmare Night son?" Scout calls down to the crowd and jumps down from the stage. "Welcome Fillies and Gentlecolts; No reason to scream.
Your favorite Princess is back; She's walkin' up on the scene"

Luna appears out from the smoke, watching the scared children in a stoic manner.
"She has been stuck on the moon but that's no reason to fret
She's not a Nightmare no more so buckle down and get set"
Scout walks among the crowd, showing his canine teeth in his grin.

"She's comin gracin' her subjects; She ain't leavin' no choice
She's gonna blow you all back with her Equestrian voice"
A lightning strike outside town, startling the children to seek cover behind their parents. Scout approaches one of the nearby foals.

"So cover all of your fears and stow away all your fright
The Lunar Princess is back to bring the Nightmares tonight

Pinkie Pie walks out from the green smoke on the stage, her head down and the witch hat hiding most of her face, she looks up and shows she has the same evil grin her partner has. She nods to Vinyl Scratch and the unicorn shoots a beam at her throat, changing her voice to suit better this show. Pinkie walks up right up beside Luna.

"She's living in the past
So you won't last
Without the proper care"

Luna disappears in the smoke
"With a royal farewell
And an animate spell
You won't have long to prepare"
She appears as Nightmare Moon right on top of the scene, scaring pretty much everyone in the crowd.
Vinyl Scratch plays her remix as the foals are running in fear around the area, some of the adults did also take the run for it when the special effects in form of ghosts start to fly around the ominously standing Luna.

Out from seemly nowhere, Scout appears right behind the freaked out Cutiemark Crusaders.

"Now little fillies this is Nightmare Night
Your ruler Nightmare Moon is back;
To come and fill you with fright
So Hurry"

The three girls and single boy jump away but do not run, allowing him to sing down to them.

"Now get your goodies and fill up all your bags
And go and leave a candy offering for that big ol' hag
Get running"

Another lightning strike and the three girls grab their bags and takes the run for it, Logan hides behind his amused father.

"And pray above that she's not coming back
To come and take away your soul and eat you up for a snack"

Luna horns light up and the ghosts disappear.

"So run away and go hide just keep your head out of sight
The darkness is rising again cause this is Nightmare Night"

And the alicorn of the night disappears in a flash of light, in her place stands Pinkie.

"She's living in the past
So you won't last
Without the proper care"

Luna as Nightmare Moon appears on the stage, her wings spread out and her dark magical hair surrounds her like dark clouds.

"With a royal farewell
And an animate spell"

Luna flies up in the air, right so her siloette appears before the full moon.

" You won't have long to prepare"

She lands again on the stage, right before Scout and Pinkie Pie, both standing as if they are ready to fight her, they do a small pretend fight, ending with Luna winning and she lets out a rather good evil laugher before Vinyl Scratch turns off all the light, obscuring them from the crowd. On purpose, they leave the stage dark for a while and when the lights get on again, the three stay on the stage, smiling normally- Pinkie joyfully down to the crowd. Takes the watching ponies a moment, then they burst out in applause.

While Luna is talking to the thrilled children, Spy, still disguised as Scout exchanges a look with Pinkie, she beams, which he returns with a nod before he draws away from the crowd now that his job is done.

Pinkie Pie is quite happy they did the show and made everyone happy, only regret she hadn't done it with her partner but does cheer herself up there is always next year.

**Human world**

Halloween for the Fortress mercs always seems like they do battle while whacky things happen, this year they are however not fighting against a pissed off wizard or a hoard of robots, this time they are up against a more normal army that is quite set on eliminating them.
So far all the UUSR got from picking a fight with the mercs is them losing men and the somewhat immortal mercs to get annoyed as this army of the UUSR had chosen to change tactic by bombing the whole place and send more of those acid birds at them.

The Vanguard Pyro, determent to catch and investigate one of the birds in order to give them a better fighting chance against their poison that causes such an extreme rotting effect. Getting his hands on one is rather easy, but grabbing it without losing his hands is another story. So learning how this corrosive acid of the birds' works has been going slow as he has been forced to kill them and touching one is a no go. Can't even touch the darn thing with tools for that their acid eats that up too.
He has however discovered the birds are extremely sensitive to fire, so he and the Fortress Pyro have been the offensive line every time the Zhenniao comes at them.

Since there aren't any ceasefire against this army, the mercs have been forced to do battle one shifts, Demo's time of battle is over and he gets replaced with Vanguard's demo while he gets something to eat and sleep. The sound of battle makes the latter hard, so the remaining medic has to give them all pills that will knock them out for a few hours.
After has put down the Eyelander, Demo grabs something to eat and a bottle of beer, not his choice of drink but that fucking army is trying to starve them out. Not working though, Black Spy has been able to smuggle food into the base but only enough to keep them going, and this kind of cheap beer is all the spy can bring.
"Wish these morons soon would get the hint and bugger off." Demo grumbles. Fighting the army was fun the first week but now it's just getting tedious as the army refuses to get in close after a fun stunt involving him, Vanguard Demo and Pyro lighting their tank like a bonfire, and without their big gun, the army keeps shooting them behind a protective wall they made not long ago, sending in those stupid acid birds and have set up a machine pistol line, making it impossible to get in close without been torn to shreds.
Drinking some of the beer, he remarks to Eyelander. "I had brawls funnier than this." and that's saying a lot.

Eyelander would've shrugged if it could, it's not bored yet even if it hasn't been used in battle for a while now. "At least there's entertainment in here." It remarks, then remembers its current owner cannot see it. "Oh, I forgot you can't see what's going on in the realm of between."

This catches Demo's interest. "What's going on there?"

"One hell of a sweet battle about life and death." Eyelander replies and must say it's impressed that this dead guy refuses to give up on his personal life. Won't stop the personal hell to give him one big ass-kicking; would've been easier if this guy just went and possessed something or chose to haunt the place instead of trying return to his body. It's a stubborn one alright.

Demo wonders if this person his ghost sword can see happens to be the doc? "Is it Medic?"
Vanguard medic did mention that Medic is showing signs of awareness but keeps falling back into the deep coma, so all Vanguard medic can do is keep him alive and hope Medic will soon wake up for real.

"The hell if I know." Eyelander replies. "You alive people all look the same to me. All I need is knowing where that sweet head of yours is so I can chop it off and add it to the collection." It cackles gleefully at the mere thought of taking someone's head off with a clean swing.

"How the bloody hell do you know who I am, then?" Demo wonders out loud as the sword clearly knows the difference between him and the other mercs and Eyelander replies with a hint of annoyance. "Have been in your possession for so long, you have absorbed part of my spirit. Do you think your eye glow is only for show?"
Demo shrugs, must admit he never did much thought about it other: "I thought it was you possessing me."

"Of course, I'm possessing you moron!" The sword snaps irritated back. "But you for some fucking reason is resistance against my powers! It's fucking annoying!"

Demo blinks at this, he wasn't aware he has resistance against Eyelander's powers and before he can ask though, the sword answers his question with its complaining. "It's like you have sold a part of yourself in exchange for this resistance… as if it wasn't bad enough you coat me in that irritating aura of truth." Welp, at least one good thing came out from that sentient magic book did to him. It seems that bombinomicon gave him a weak link to it and thus allowing him some resistance to other dark powers. That does come in handy. "You can thank a book called bombinomicon for that." He remarks to the sword.

"I will thank it by slicing it to pieces."

Demo chuckles roll his eye at the sword remark and return back to his dinner, does look up when Vanguard's pyro walks past him with the heavy, it seems their shift is over too. He watches them and is curious what kind of game they are doing, more so what they are talking about. He decides to socialize a bit with them and asks Rune. "What you two chatting about?"

Rune jumps startled, he's still high on adrenaline from the battle they have just left. Turning he smiles weakly to the fortress Demoman. "Oh, didn't see you there. Well, Wei here was explaining that the acid birds— Zhenniao: they are birds of Japanese legend and supposedly their poison has been used throughout history to assassinate important people." The Demoman blinks in surprise of this, like him, surprised that the legend of the bird is real. "Yeah, it's quite scary to think about such a creature is real. Makes one wonder: are other legends true too? The War Women- or the Sirens are part of a Greek legend, their song can sway any man who hears it." Rune explains.

Does makes Tavish wonder what else is out there, he wouldn't mind to find the Loch Ness Monster and claim he's the one who blew it up. What about dragons? Oh, wait, Ignis said they do not exist, if they did the alicorn would've returned to Equestria a long time ago.
His train of thoughts gets interrupted from Wei speaking, he didn't understand what the Vanguard heavy said though. Fortunately, Rune can and translates. "Wei asks if you would be interested in learning the game we are playing?"
Tavish shrugs. "Why the hell not?" Who knows, he might enjoy it and it will kill the boredom. He takes a seat and allows the two explain to him how the game is played.

Meanwhile, inside the infirmary, Tristan is happy he can for once work as one person now he got his own soul split issue settled. And the Fortress medic's immune system is recovering, although it's going agonizingly slow. A common cold can still kill the man but he can at least now go back and forward without worrying a single bacteria will finish him off.
He does a quick checkup on Josef and sighs as he once again has to give the man another dose of calmative in his drop. It is good the German is showing sign of awareness such as dreams. If those dreams were good, which they aren't. The man is dealing with sincere night terrors, probably from the war, Sophia is dealing with something similar so he's not that surprised. At least this will help Josef get proper sleep and not delay the recovery. With that done, he leaves the German to rest.

Outside, Scout dodges the waves of bullets fired at them by their enemy and much to his annoyance, he does not have a weapon that can return the favor but that should soon change. Leaping over the wall keeping Cowboy safe, he lands beside the male engineer. "How's the teleporter going?"
Smirking Cowboy shows him the large teleporter he has been building, one big enough to bring the whole team and even a nice sized bomb right behind the enemy line. "A few more hours and bye-bye army." Cowboy says.
Jack smirks in return. "Good, at that time, Kreel should have put the other teleporter near the—"

"I wouldn't count on that if I were you." A distorted voice speaks right above them.

"What?!" Jack snaps his head up, eyes meeting a mass of black smoke, form hard to make out, all he is sure of is the glowing white eyes. Before he can aim his pistol at it, the smoke creature leaps from the wall and easily catches him in a choke hold, he gags but tries to get free from its iron grip but all it does it letting the darkness of unconscious approach him quicker.

"Scout!" Cowboy calls horrified that not only a being that should only belong to one's nightmares has caught their team leader but currently chocking the life out from him. Fearing using a gun will compromise Jack's life, Cowboy instead grabs the closet melee weapon which is his wrench and swings it at the monster. It jumps away from the attack but does let go of Jack. The creature dissolves for a moment as it gets onto one of the crates, then it takes form as a sort of equine. It is small, head and tail look to be on fire or maybe it's just the smoke effect it has going but on its forehead is what he presumes is a branch sticking out. Cowboy stares confused at this form the monster decided to take, it doesn't even look scary. "Is that suppose to scare me?" He asks the creature and pulls out a revolver he built.
The creature laughs. "Fear is not what we want from you. Cowboy eyes wide in horror, fearing what it might be hinting at, no, that's impossible, it can't be able to make him summon the flames of rage.
But he has no wish in finding out and shoots at the creature, but his shots don't even seem to hurt this thing one bit. It laughs again, and ready itself. "My turn.

**Ten minutes later.**

"Nice try, you might figure it out someday." Rune laughs when the Fortress demo finally calls quit after have lost the game several times. He does not blame the man, this game is tricky to get the hang of but is quite fun when one does.
He turns to Wei. "Right?" But his smile fades from the deep frown his friend has. "Wei?" and follow Wei's gaze. Francis is standing at the door, that's partly a surprise as his shift isn't over, what's straight out startling is that Francis's arms and shoulders are on fire. What made their male engineer angry? "Francis?" He calls fearfully over to the man, he would've walked over to hear what got Francis all upset but an arm from Wei stops him.

"/Something is not right./" Wei tells his small friend, he can't explain it, but he always got this sixth sense about danger and right now Francis is setting off all the red flags.
His instincts are proven correct once again when Francis, without warning slams his hands onto the ground and a wall of fire races over the floor and the walls. Barely the flames have disappeared before the ceiling begins to fall down, Wei is quick to action, he crushes his crystal and grabs the two others. Thanks to his increased sense of danger and find a safe path, he can dodge the falling ceiling and pull the two others out from danger, only let's go when they are safe in what should've been Jack's sleeping quarters.
He quickly scans Rune for wounds, when sure his small partner is alright, he turns his gaze to Francis. The man is heading to this place's respawn and infirmary is located. His increased danger instincts do tell him where the man is going. "/He is heading to the infirmary./" Rune gasps and tells him horrified. "/Even if he had his powers; Tristan doesn't stand a chance against Francis!/" He nods in agreement, in fact when Francis first decides to go on the attack… no one can stop him. The man might not appear like it but Francis is incredibly dangerous when he first goes on the attack.

Inside the infirmary, Tristan swiftly gets up from his chair of the sound of destruction. He fears the enemy has managed to get past the others- he can't let them get the respawn! He grabs his crossbow and runs to the door, does stop when a Francis on fire is blocking his way. "Cowboy? What's going on?" He demands the man. "Where's the… wait" He realizes Francis shouldn't be on fire, he has used both his power gems!
Tristan aims his crossbow at the man. "Who are you?! What have you done to the real Cowboy?!" He demands but all he gets is a laugher and what he thinks is an imposter tells him.

"You cannot stop it." The shadow that possessed Cowboy speaks through the man before it lets him back in control, by its power, Cowboy has become blind of this amplified rage. He does not see a friend before him, only a man who dared to harm his child. Cowboy lets out a roar and charges at the man and the flames not only forces the man to let go of his weapon but fall on his knees of the rage Cowboy feels from constantly seeing that small body on the floor, bathed in her own blood.
The man tries to do one desperate attack, but even in his blind rage; Cowboy remembers his own special training and with the strength from having done hard work most of his life, he deflects the attack and hit the arm hard enough to break it. The man yelps in pain but he's not done with his daughter's murder, far from it. Grabbing the lasso, he straps it around the man's neck and stomps on it, forcing the soldier to the floor. He watches the man gag for air several seconds. Then, through the rage the Shadow Pony amplifies in him, he sees Tristan, slowly suffocating by his hand. Francis wants to stop, he has no wish in harming his comrade but the Shadow Pony has too strong of a hold on him so all he can do for the medic is give him the mercy of a quick death. With a single hard pull, the neck snaps and the man falls limp to the floor.
By the dark whispers of the shadow pony inside his head, Cowboy walks into the infirmary, right to where the second man he wanted to kill lies.
Part of him remembers there is not really a need to murder the German, the man proved his worth by saving his wife and Rune life, but that part of his thoughts are easily whisked away by the dark being controlling him. Unlike Tristan who he cares about, Cowboy does not care enough about the German to find a cause to put up a fight against the Shadow Pony.
He destroys the plastic wall that protects Josef against bacterias, through the burning plastic, he approaches the completely defenseless man.
He grabs Josef around the throat and lifts the man up from the bed, stands like this for a moment, watching almost curiously the seemly sleeping man.
"So much power once, now reduced to a sampling husk. Killing you will be considered mercy." Cowboy speaks, partly himself and partly the Shadow Pony holding him hostage.
Slowly Josef opens his eyes, they are unfocused and the chance he's not aware of the situation is great. Cowboy tighten the grip around the throat, and the doctor didn't react but before the air gets completely blocked, Cowboy's grip loosens and he gasps both in surprise and pain from the scalpel now embedded into his neck.

A small smirk crawls on Medic's face, and although he cannot see who the attacker is, he knows he got them good. The attacker lets go of his throat and he drops back onto the bed, the time has greatly weakened his body, so if this does not kill the attacker then he's done for it as he used practically all his strength on that single strike. The attacker staggers back and the scalpel leaves the neck, by the sound of how the man is struggling to breathe it looks like he got the air pipe. Now he really would like to know where his glasses are, he does wonder how fast before the body suffocate from a ruined windpipe, sadly all he can do is listen to the attacker struggling to keep breathing and staggers to stay on his feet.
Must give the man credit though, even without air, the attacker tries to finish the job, from how the man is standing it looks like he has a gun. Now he really would like to move.

Letting out a battle scream, Demo charges at Cowboy who is not on fire anymore from that fine deep cut over his throat. He is not sure who gave it to him, only he has to save the doc as he does not want to test if respawn now works on him nor face Heavy's anger that he didn't protect their team healer. He swings Eyelander and the man's head flies off in a nice arc, dropping to the floor right beside his feet and after a second of delay, the headless body drops to the floor as well; soaking it in the man's blood.
Demo watches the dead engineer for a moment, then turns his gaze to where Medic lies. He's quite surprised to see the doc's eyes are open, not aiming at him though. "You awake doc?" He asks.
Slowly Medic nods, his mouth open and closes a few times as if he's having trouble to speak, then with a very croaked voice; the German asks "Wh…Where are… are my… glasses?" Demo stares dumbfounded at him for several seconds, then he burst out laughing.
Of all questions; that was his first, typical Medic.
Still laughing, Demo walks past the burned plastic wall and checks the table standing beside doc's bed. "Nice see you didn't kick the bucket, doc." He says to Medic. "Seriously thought you were a goner." He finds the spectacle and hands them to Medic, the German puts them on and stares almost emptily at the body of Cowboy, after a moment of silence. Medic speaks. "…Why… Why did….he…?"
Before he can finish the sentence the whole place gets blasted with a siren coming from the respawn room. Demo jumps startled and runs over to the door, calling out for the female engineer who has just run past. "Ey, what's going on?!"

Engie stops and tells the Fortress Demoman the situation. "The respawn power is being reverted— all of them are and I can't stop it!" She shouts back the noise of the sirens.

What the hell? He has never heard of that happen, "Where is the power going?!" He calls back and does hope Cowboy will be able to respawn. He really does not want to get on Kreel's bad side.
Much to his relief, Francis leaves the respawn room, he looks quite beaten up but alive. "To the alpha respawn." Francis explains and turns off the alarm, he then strokes his fingers over his neck. "Not sure why though— how's your medic doing?" He suddenly asks.
"Alive." Demo replies simply.
Cowboy nods and turns to the respawn room, calling inside. "I think I sat the decontamination wall on fire, is that a problem?" and the Vanguard medic appears, he looks grumpier than usual. "I wouldn't have set it up if he hadn't needed it. Let's hope no one with bacteria filled hands has touched him."
Demo feels quite awkward about that remark and Tristan must've noticed it as the doctor sighs. "Wonderful…" and leaves to check on Medic.

"Status report!" Scout commands and runs over to the two engineers. Engie is the one who explains the situation. "For some reason, the alpha respawn is drawing all the power from the others around the world, including this one." and both turn to the nearest computer showing the data of the respawn. The report of the one they have here is losing power has started to glitch out and after a few seconds, new words appear.
'Alpha respawn shield: 96%'
Jack stares in horror at the sign, the alpha respawn is protecting itself but it's only a matter of time before it runs out of power. They can't risk that.
He activates the intercom to the whole base. "The alpha respawn is under attack! Return to base and gear up!" He commands them and follows his own command by running over and grab his gear. Right as he reaches out for his scattergun, he notices that his shadow against the wall but it should be on the floor… Scout stares when his wall shadow suddenly 'turns' to him and smiles, he jumps away right that second and dodges a humanoid— thing leap out from the wall and this black smoke with white glowing eyes lands on all four before him. The shape is different but there's no doubt this is the same thing that knocked him out outside. Scout aims his gun at this freaky thing but he never pulls the trigger for right there it has turned fully human, side blown up, face bloodied from shrapnel yet still he recognizes the face. Scout stares in horror at the face of his closet friend, one he watched die on the beach of Omaha, he knows this is not Pete, he knows this is just a trick but he… he can't shoot. The trigger of terror of being on that living hell of a beach again has him frozen up. 'Pete' ruined face twist unnaturally and once again a black being, the monster jumps at him. Jack is too traumatized to fight back this time, he doesn't even hear Engie's voice cry for him.

"Get away from him!" Demo roars and swings the orange glowing Eyelander and the humanoid Shadow Pony, the creature jerks away from Jack and saves the Vanguard scout from being possessed. The shadow creature jumps onto the wall, now looking more like a freaky animal. It twists its head unnaturally and with a wide grin, it leaps at him. So quick and hard that it managed to knock Eyelander out from his hand and he is so happy he wears the silver necklace of the element, probably the only thing saving him from experience a possession which he hears is excruciatingly painful. He punches the shadow being in what he thinks is the face, grabs Eyelander and right at it moves to jump at him again, he jags the sword into it and hard into the floor, skewing it in place. The shadowy human sneers and hisses like a ferociously animal, trying to get free but the power of the element is keeping it in place.
Demo glares down to the trapped Shadow Pony and is more than surprised that he succeed in trapping it.

The others run into the supply room, all stop in the scene of Chio comforting a deeply traumatized Jack and not far off, Tavish pushing his orange glowing sword into a thing that looks like a black ghost. That until it decides to take a more human form.
Heavy eyes wide in recognition of the form the Shadow Pony took, it's the form of a past Sniper. One he fought against and remembers was the one who had the habit of shooting one in the legs or stomach, his way to slow one down and preferred letting others do the kill for him.

"W-What is that?" Amadi asks, freaked out of what that thing did right before their eyes. Now it looks like some a man with a sword plunged through his stomach. His fellow Demoman answers his question. "It's a Shadow Pony. They are like the devil himself." the 'Shadow Pony' smirks in response to that. Amadi is not a fearful man, but that thing scares him. "Can you- can you kill it?"

Tavish eyes the trapped thing, other than being trapped, it does not look that bothered by having a sword through its gut. He does try to see if he can put enough power of the element through Eyelander and kill the thing.
The Shadow Pony looks up to him. "You don't have the full power to banish me. Your connection to the power is fading."
"What the bloody hell are you blabbering on about?" Demo demands.

"The destruction of the machine and the connection is broken." The man speaks, eyeing the orange glowing sword. "and the force of Honesty will no longer trap me."

So he can force it to speak the truth, that might give them answers as it's clear this is the Shadow Ponies doing. "How many of you is there at the alpha respawn?"

"I am the only one in this realm, thrown by one who thought he was the Conduit. Thought banishment would save his realm but all it did was cause trouble for yours."

At least it did give some information, even if it was obscure as shit. Then to his horror, the Shadow Pony says still with that smug look on its face.

"Harmony calls for your aid, but that will be so unfair. Even the odds, a wizard of Night and a blind, death by the sword of Truth. If their lives are not worth your prolonged youth, go forth and leave them to die in despair."

"You bloody motherfucking devil— leave my mom out from this!" Tavish roars down to it but before he can try and cut its head off, the shadow pony somehow gets free and he gets flung into the others.
The disguised Shadow Pony grabs Eyelander and the orange glow fades. It stares in a strange wonder at the sword, then smirks. "Ah, a spectral of a once strong warrior, forced to live as a mere tool for the living. Sword of a Long Dead, cut the ties to the man thinking he's your master, serve us and you will be paired up with a worthy warrior."
Demo feels very offended by this, does this shadow devil think he's not worthy of Eyelander's might? He and the ghost inside the sword have been fighting side by side for so long now, can even say they have become friends. But… he knows how much Eyelander loves to chop people's head off and more than once has proven not to really care about his mother. "Eyelander, don't do it!" He calls for the sword, desperately hoping Eyelander hold just a tiny bit of loyalty to him.

Eyelander is quiet for a painfully long time, the offer this being made is really tempting, it admits that but… never going to say it out loud, but it has come to like Tavish, they have been through a lot of good killing sprees and has an understanding it rarely got from its wielders. "I may be malicious but no fucking way I'll help with that!" It replies the dark being. "He might be a drunkard and too soft at some points but I belong to this guy. I won't help you." and really wish it has hands or legs right now as it does not like what this dark being says. "Oh you will help us; after a few improvements." It has no choice than to be taken by this being.

So much of this Halloween being boring, but he would take boring over the threat of his mother's life any day. Demo jumps on his feet, take his weapons and quickly runs off to reach his home.
"Demo!" Heavy calls for him. Demo only stops to say this to the big guy. "You'll have to take care of the respawn without me!" Before he starts running again. He does not expect the remaining of his team to give up the ability to respawn for his old mother and Merasmus safety. Jane might've gone with him, he is friends with the crazy wizard but he's not here so Demo is alone on this.

For a few seconds no one moves, then Garry's voice cuts through the silence. "Gear up people." and team Vanguard does.

Pyro shift on her feet, not sure what to do.

Heavy eyes her, quietly agreeing that he too is not sure if he should leave Demo behind for the sake of respawn. Yes, protecting respawn is really important and they might need all the firepower they can use, but Heavy also knows the feeling of wanting to keep his family safe. Pyro looks up to him, he might not be able to see her eyes or face because of the gas mask but the sense she is asking him for what they should do is very transparent. He lets out a sigh, well it seems everyone but him sees him as the team leader, so he might as well act like one. "We will not go." He speaks to the other team.
Jack, who has recovered from his encounter with the Shadow Pony eyes him perplexed. "We are going to need all the firepower we can get."

Heavy knows that but leaving that Shadow Pony to roam around is a really bad idea too. "You protect respawn. We kill shadow man. He big threat."

Jack opens his mouth to argue but Francis speaks before he can. "I shot that thing several times and it didn't do squat. Do you have any weapon that can hurt it?" Now that Francis said it, he realizes that none of their weapons could harm that thing, except Tavish sword.

Mikhail nods. "Yes, we have weapons for shadow man." The Russian nods to Pyro and she trots over to get their weapons, He then turns back to Jack. "You defend respawn." Jack nods slowly and knowing they will need the firepower, Heavy tells Ignis. "You help them." The alicorn simply nods, quite a surprise really, he thought Ignis wouldn't obey a mere man like him. Not going to question it though. Heavy grabs his own weapons and trots over to get Medic.

"Mikhail!" Jack calls after the big Russian, the man stops and has a look of surprise when Jack tells him. "Keep the radio code, in case we need another team-up in the future." Mikhail hesitates, then nods and after have told their pyro something, he walks down to get their team medic.

Garry smiles weakly and he grabs his weapon, glad that even with everything, the two teams separate on good terms with one another.

"Josef." Heavy calls softly as he removes the monitors from the German, he wasn't really expecting a reaction, so he got quite the surprise when Josef opens his eyes and slowly turns around to him. "What's going on?" He asks hoarsely. Heavy stares a few seconds, to then breaks it with a smile and hugs him, carefully though. "Thought I lost you…" He whispers and so glad he did not have to bring a comatose man with them. "We leave, Demoman need us." Josef simply nods and lets Heavy pick him up. On the way out, Josef speaks in his weakened voice. "…Not ready… to die just yet…" Heavy eyes him, a first a bit confused, then he smiles in a joy that Josef has found a reason to live. "Good, not ready let go either." He replies as he carries the doctor outside and is glad Pyro managed to stop Demo from driving off alone.

"Thanks, mate." Demo thanks Heavy. From what Pyro told him, the big guy was the one who chose to help him instead of protecting the alpha respawn. Heavy simply nods, helps Medic inside Sniper's camper. "You know way?" He asks and Demo replies. "Ay." He knows this area enough to know where he should go and what route they should take to avoid that stupid army.

"You drive." Heavy simply says and jumps into the back as well, at first he lets Josef walk but it soon gets clear the doctor does not have the strength for it, so he gently grab Josef and lifts him over to the small couch built inside the camper. He sits down beside him and wraps his arm over him. He notices Josef tense up from this move, about to ask if he's in pain but forgets all about it when Miss Pauling voice suddenly asks. "Room for one more?" and she takes a seat on the couch before them.
On reflex Heavy removes his arm from Medic, he tenses up but his voice does not show it as he asks her. "Why come?" and notices it is only one of the Miss Paulings. "Where is other you?"

"She's staying behind, thought it would be best." and she admits sheepishly, mostly because she did not want to pick another catfight with her other. "And well… I've gotten used to you guys." Sure team Vanguard wouldn't mind having her around and she knows they will take good care of her other, until the day she figures out what makes her attack herself but she thinks she prefers Fortress and their crazy shenanigans over Vanguards careful but deadly strategy. She does notice Heavy is tense and it's pretty clear why but here she has good news to him. "You're not the first couple I have dealt with in Mann Co, you two have however been the only ones that used your relationship in the war." Medic struggles to sit up straight and he remarks grinning to her. "…All is fair… in love and war… frauline.." This makes Heavy chuckles, which sounds like rumbling of thunder. Miss Pauling laughs softly too. "That we can agree on— uh guys." She stops herself in a surprise of what her eyes caught on Sniper bunk bed. "We have a store away."

Heavy turns around and blinks when his eyes meet a white hare lying on the bed, the same one they saw in Poland when he noticed the collar around its neck as the hare gets on its feet.
Miss Pauling gets up and reaches out for the hare, noticing the same collar and asks his thoughts. "Hey, isn't this the hare from Warsaw?" She picks up the tame hare and carries it over to the table where the animal takes another nap, completely unfazed by them staring dumbfounded at it.
"It is." Heavy replies and do wonder how the animal got here, but it's not like the hare can answer him.

Author's Note

man this is a long one, and sorry it took this long but it has been really busy for me.

if anyone either wants to make a drawing or have suggestions for me to make one, feel free to either.