Destination Equis

Human settlement.
Hangar N-3.

0300 Hours.

The crisp, sharp air of winter bore down on the settlement of wooden structures. Thick plumes of smoke poured out of the structures cobblestone chimneys as the occupants inside struggled to keep their buildings warm. The muddy quagmire that the streets had once been have since frozen over into an uneven bumpy mess. Window shutters were closed and locked, the only light from inside the buildings visible from the streets being the faint amber glow of oil lamps.

The only life not indoors at this point being the rare patrol of unfortunate souls whom hadn't managed to evade the council during the roster roundup. Despite being in their winter gear. This consisting of a thick leather trench-coat with interior wool and fur linings. Gloves. Ski-mask. A beanie. Ski-goggles. And their standard steel helmets, the patrols still shivered. The Royal guards in the group wore their traditional armour over thick woolen clothing. The patrols mage's in a constant battle with the bitter cold, casting and maintaining a small fireball spell to ward off the snap freeze that his the settlement during the sunset.

The patrols stood out while on duty, sticking out like sore thumbs. This in part to the Humans winter clothing being mostly pure white with olive green splotches. And the royal guards knitted clothing being practically every colour available in wool dye, As well as having their gold armour reflect any light that shone against it.

Not all was frigid though. For the humans and royal guards ponies seemed to finally be thawing out a relationship with each other. The patrols chatted quietly during their rounds so as to not disturb anyone sleeping, exchanging stories, news, questions, jokes. Pretty much everything a conversation could drift to.

The only thing keeping the guards on edge in the pristine quiet of the settlement was the way the humans seem to always have a hand on a weapon at all times. To Captain Shining armours utter shock and amazement. He found out today that Dimitri sleeps with his PPSH under the blankets, how he found this out. Shining made the mistake of waking the twitchy Russian from his slumber early in the morning.

Dimitri pretty much leaped from his sleeping bag, kicking his blankets off and brandishing his sub-machine gun like it was his last stand. After Dimitri learned it was shining armour he immediately apologized, showing the freaked out captain that he was using paint bullets, and explaining that, after the events in The Everfree forest, He found it next to impossible to sleep unless he had his SMG within very close reach.

Rumors of this event traveled around the camp throughout the day, information or events often getting muttled or mistaken entirely. By the end of the day at dinner, everyone sat around the many fires eating proper meals, the menu being, fire roasted veggies (Provided by the ponies, freshly harvested from the Equestrian soil), and the last of the freeze dried chicken. During the first conversations of the evening meal, everyone found out very quickly that they'd all been subject to an unplanned game of broken telephone. Very quickly, the event was dropped when no one could agree on the actual events that occurred. Much to the relief of both Dimitri and Shining armour.

Now, a patrol of four humans and five ponies makes its way through the frozen streets. Both the former and the latter occasionally slipping on the transparent ice coating the road in places.

"Woah-Nellie...Ok-ie-ie-YE" With a spreading of legs, a recovery, a second recovery, and a third. A human thought he was in the clear for slipping and falling onto his rear, And he was right... Until he took another step. With a comically wide slip on his right foot, He found himself lying on his back in the center of the road. With the rest of his patrol laughing at him, as well as with him. Accepting a hand from his female comrade, hes pulled back to his feet. "Bloody hell. Just like home, only without snow." The chuckling teen said as the group continued to move.

An earth pony with a spoke with a merry tone. "Well don't fret. Snow will be falling by tomorrow evening at the latest. If anything is more punctual than our weather ponies. Then its in for quite the challenge for that title."

The blond haired girl started to skip ahead of the group before turning to face them all. "OOOOOOooooooo! I cant wait! This'll be the first time i see snow!" She stopped once she noticed the group staring at her in utter shock, their mouths agape. Crossing her arms she states flatly. "Australia. If you couldn't guess by my accent. I'm from, Australia." The three Canadians just nodded their acknowledgement. The guards ponies, just stood there confused. "Australia! the country thats mostly mountains and desert and crippled by drought far a large portion of the year, and flooded the rest." The ponies just nodded. Their confusion still evident, but they understood why snow wouldn't be a regular event in a place with such weather.

The groups mage spoke with a slightly strained voice whilst her spell fought off some of the cold. "Well, You'll love the snow Jessie. Its really pretty, and its so much fun to throw snowballs at everypony."

The Aussies smile returned once more upon hearing that statement. And the group continued on down the street, passing many dark spaces that spanned between the closely placed timber structures of the settlement. As the patrol passes one such darkened gap, a metallic crunch catches Jessie's attention, Causing her to instantly tap her closest squad mates on the shoulder and raise her Enfield .303 to the shadows.

The unicorn stop and looks back to the humans, whom where aiming their guns into the dark shadows as the sound of shattering ceramic echoes into the street from the space. "It's just a roofing tile." The humans don't change their stance, nor even batt an eye away from the location of the sound. Rolling her eyes she drops the fireball spell she'd been holding. Breathing a sigh of relief before shuddering from the bite of the cold. Her horn baths the street in a nearly unnoticeable orange hue, and the shattered remnants of two terracotta roofing tiles levitate from the darkness.

"..." The four humans stood their ground against the darkness, keeping their weapons raised to the darkness.

After a few moments, One human lowered his rifle. Followed by his two comrades shortly after, But something didn't sit right with Jessie, Keeping her rifle raised, she took a cautious step towards the darkness. The three Canadians raised their weapons once more upon seeing their squad mate moving towards the pitch black space.

Jessie takes yet another step forward. Several of the guards ponies began to slowly reach for their weapons, whilst moving into positions to defensively flank the humans should something go awry. Jessie was now no more than four feet from the darkness now, she had begun to slowly push the muzzle of her rifle into the darkness.

She suddenly jumps when the screech of static erupted from the radio being carried by a guards pony. The tinny voice crackled through the shortwave. " 'Union Bears', Where are you. Your patrol should have ended half an hour ago. Stop frolicking through the town and get back here, before we have to thaw your arses out and treat frostbite." The squad looked to each other, before the ponies returned their weapons to their scabbards and turned to leave. The Canadians shrugged and turned to follow, only pausing to see Jessie's reaction. As the mage walked further and further down the street the colder the air got around them. After several moments of glaring into the shadows, Jessie turned and left with her fellow humans to return to the warmth of the council building to write their report.

The exact same moment...
But a few seconds later...

In the shadows to the left...

The well seasoned voice whispered in the darkness to his compatriots. His voice coarse from a lifetime of drinking spirits. "Is she gone?" After several seconds pass, a shadow lowers itself down from its hiding place just below the roofs overhang. The little light cast by the moon catching the blade of the short dagger and its returned to its sheath.

The shadow whispers, Its feminine tone giving away its owner to those whom wait in the shadows for the patrol to be out of earshot. "Yes, This patrol left. Good thing too. We wouldn't have been able to silence them without blowing the mission. The blood would of froze into the street." Her talons finally reaching the frozen ground, she tucks her wings in, Mostly in her effort to warm up. "I don't like this place... Its way colder than back home. Even during the winter hunt..."

A Younger male in the four strong party spoke from the shadows. "A daughter of the high duke of Falcor, who loves hunting wild boar during the winter celebration... I'm Definitely wedding you when we return home." He said in admiration.

She chuckles to herself as she turns to face him. "Hah. Not in your wildest dreams, 'down for brains' ".

Both of them are hushed silent by their leader. His tall form standing at the edge of their hiding place for the time being. "Bear in mind, We're currently being hunted by the Equestrian Royal Guard. If you chicks keep on tweeting. Then we're going to be given away. And i'll be throwing you both at the guard as i make my escape!" He hissed back at them. The two shrank under his glare once the moonlight caught his white eye.

The Final member of the group finally spoke up, his hushed tone bearing that of sophistication, the kind bought in tutoring paid for in gold bullion. "Plea~se tell me that you haven't broken the devise Ermin?"

After a short check into the hessian sack on the floor she nods confidently whilst lifting over her shoulder.

A Shadow darts over the group, and they immediately quieten down as they look up. After a few moments, the outline of a Pegasus dashes across the dark sky, leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake.

The coarse, gravelly voice of the groups leader curses vividly at the sight. "Now we have to deal with those Cretans!" He hisses in a quiet rage. Turning to the group he addresses them. "Make sure you have all your personal effects accounted for. We complete our mission tonight! With the heroes of Equestria here, We risk being discovered if we stay any longer!" He states with quiet urgency.

With that, the group begins to move. Their target in sight.