Two Hooves

I had to leave some things out of this book. I couldn’t write everything which happened when the ponies came to Mohs looking for the Conspiracy. The campaign transpired years ago and many of the witnesses have since died. Many of the key locations in this story are gone now. I couldn’t even research the backgrounds of every pony soldier from Gale Force Company. I will find their names and stories, perhaps not now, but I will.

Render’s meat farm is abandoned as of the writing of this book. Per the FFS, a splinter group of the Wraiths occasionally operates from the farm’s tunnels. Geode was purchased by The Anthro Corporation a few months after the death of Lambchop. The town was repurposed into a commune for Anthro’s researchers. Lambchop’s café had closed only a few weeks after his disappearance. I ask anyone who knows the whereabouts of Katia, Lambchop’s wife, to please contact me at my office in the Academy of Advanced Magic. Few things pained my research more than not knowing what became of all of the people in the story of Two Hooves.

According to Luna, the next step in the investigation was killing whoever was responsible for the attack on the base. Forty more UATs arrived and Recon gained neighbors in their barracks. After them came some of Fo’s superiors. They descended from the summit of the mountain in a jeep and let themselves into the Gmales’ barracks.

Only Fo and Natick had survived the attack.

The FFS reprimanded Fo for his inability to maintain peace. After two shootings in his jurisdiction in such a short period, they informed him he was treading on thin ice.

Blackout was the first pony to cross the compound and help Fo move the bodies of his comrades from out of the barracks. Fo said nothing as they carried the corpses out of the building. He said nothing as the bodies were driven out of the base in a FFS cargo van.

In perhaps the only bit of sympathy Luna displayed, she offered Fo and Natick positions as translator and mediator for the UATs. Fo and Natick joined Luna in the officers’ quarters, leaving the Gmales’ barracks vacant.

Unfortunately for Luna's bloodlust, the path of the changeling had gone cold and Luna decided the Asymmetric Warfare Department had perhaps made a mistake in their assessment in which no other dogs in the entire country knew of a changeling. The investigation paused as Gale Force Company awaited more information.

Luna immediately gave the order to assault the farm and capture or kill whoever had attempted to rescue Render. Despite his wounds, Fo demanded a place in the retaliation and promised to downplay any reports of their vengeance for his superiors. Luna thought this a superb plan.

No one trusted Luna.

Word spread through the UATs of her cold blooded executions and Luna's reversion to a well-mannered Princess only deepened their mistrust. Bombs Away read the report of Luna’s execution, given by Recon team. He flew out to the base and took up residence in the officers’ quarters.
Yet Bombs Away approved the Princess' retaliation and Red Field wondered if she had somehow solidified her position in his eyes.

The only issue arising between Bombs Away and the Princess, was the matter of base security. Bombs Away ordered patrols to begin around the perimeter, guard towers to be erected, and the cliff overlooking the base to be cleared of cover and concealment.

Luna wanted mines. More accurately, Luna wanted to activate the mines. Apparently, the untactical and vulnerable positioning of the base had not been lost on her; she’d planned for a defense in the initial construction of the facility years before. Luna had ordered the placement of one thousand antipersonnel mines around the base. They’d been deactivated during the base’s period of dereliction, but now Luna wanted them armed. Bombs Away and the FFS did not want mines, mostly because mines were illegal and not a replacement for actual patrols. Nopony knew the exact exchange that took place between the Princess and the commander, but the buried explosives stayed inert.

One day after the attack, at eleven-hundred, two Urban Assault Teams departed to neutralize whoever remained on the meat farm.

Recon was the first of the two teams.

They flew low and fast, the wheels of the chariots just skimming over the tips of the trees. Nopony spoke on the trip.

Recon would enter the farm since they had the most familiarity with its layout. Their assumed target was the grandfather dog who owned the farm. He was the only dog on capture orders. The rest were expendable.

According to Fo, a meat farm had about the correct revenue to arm the mediocre force which had attacked them. Fo had given them a few more assurances about the identity of the attackers, but no one questioned the plan. Red Field could still see Render and Lambchop's bodies in his head. If the meat farmers hadn't escalated the confrontation, both dogs would still be alive, along with the Gmales. Recon was perhaps in the wrong for kidnapping the two, but Mohs was in the wrong for what happened afterward.

Many of the dogs and ponies I have interviewed about the attack voiced criticism about the expediency with which the ponies launched an attack against a business which attempted to recover one of its owners from a kidnapping. I don’t attempt to defend Gale Force Company’s actions. Likely the unsettling idea of a “meat farm” and a personal disdain for canines allowed Bombs Away to approve Luna’s attack.

“You three stay outside.” Locked Breech pointed at Fo and Natick as they approached the farm. “You pull security with Red and Full. Cat, radio in that we’re on final descent. What’s the status inside the fence?”

The trees beneath them gave way to the field and Wildcat radioed the second chariot, which was already hovering over the target.

“Grounds are clear, nobody in the yard. They say there’s movement in the house though.”

“Copy that, let’em know we’re twenty seconds out.” Locked Breech looked over his shoulder at the ponies behind him. “Get ready to rope.” They flew over the farmhouse. The team got to their hooves and bisected to either side of the aircraft. Red Field had trouble getting ahold of the rope while wearing his thick combat horseshoes and Fo picked it up for him. Red Field was thanking him when the order to jump came.

Red Field didn’t even think about how nervous fast roping made him as he slid down. He forgot to control his descent and he hit the ground with a thump which sent a sting through his legs. The other ponies landed around him. Locked Breech gestured to the door on the side of the house. Everypony besides Red Field and Full Wing followed him. Fo roped to the ground just as Locked Breech kicked in the door. The pair scurried to the wall as the first gunshots broke out of the house.

“Full, watch our back.” Red Field pressed up close to the wall and watched the corner of the building. To his left was the porch. He trained his rifle just past the front door. Barking coincided with each splintering crash as the doors of the home were systematically kicked down by the advancing ponies. Gunshots finished the pattern, and a pause of a few seconds filled the gap as the ponies moved through the room. Fo’s furry body arched over Red Field as he also waited for one of the occupants to flee the building. The cold barrel of Fo's shotgun brushed Red Field’s ears.

“That barn, there’s probably some in there.” Fo said. Red Field had been so focused on the corner he hadn’t realized the barn standing about fifty meters ahead of him. The tall doors were ajar, and the barn's interior was shrouded in darkness.

“Watch it for me.” Red Field said. Fo nodded and the barrel of his shotgun rubbed on Red Field’s ears. More gunshots rumbled in the house and the front door burst open.

“Runner out the front!” Shouted Blackout from inside. Red Field tightened and took his rifle off of safe. An Underdog scrambled out of the front door toward the barn. Before Red Field could fire, the dog’s back dotted with two bullet wounds and he fell.

“Copy that he’s down.” Radioed the UAT overwatch in the chariot above them. Fo slapped Red Field’s back.

“Someone’s in there.” He pointed to the barn. Red Field was squinting at the doors, trying to make out a shape, when the blast of Fo’s shotgun deafened him. Buckshot splattered the doors of the barn. The tip of a warhead nosed out of the darkness and aimed up. It shot into the air as Red Field opened fire. The rocket spiraled into the sky and the burning tail illuminated the farmyard in a fleeting orange glow.

“Launcher, barn!” Shouted the pilot of the overwatch chariot. A swarm of machinegun fire pinged against the barn doors as the chariot responded. “We’re moving out of his line of fire.”

“Red, we’re on our way out.” Locked Breech shouted from inside. Fo continued to pound shot into the doorway of the barn. Red Field could see the paw of the dog who’d fired the rocket, laying upright in the hay.

Locked Breech rushed out of the door behind him.

“Red, Full, we’re going to move on that barn.” Said Locked Breech. Before Red Field had time to answer, Fo bolted around him and ran ahead. “Hey! Hold up!” Shouted Locked Breech. A string of rounds spat out of the barn and clattered against the chariot overhead.

“Okay, sure, let's go!” Locked Breech shouted as Fo advanced. Red Field dropped to four hooves and sprinted as fast as he could. Fo banged against the left barn door and blindly fired inside. Red Field was midway between the two buildings when another rocket shot out from the building. This one was parallel to the ground and flew toward the farmhouse. Red Field heard the hiss in his left ear as the missile passed him. Locked Breech reached the barn and pulled the pin on a grenade as the rocket destroyed the porch of the farmhouse.

“Red, take the right.” Locked Breech tossed the grenade into the barn. The dust was still swirling from the explosion as both ponies rushed inside.

Two dogs, their bodies shredded by the grenade, lay on their backs in the haystrewn floor. At Red Field’s two-o-clock knelt another dog, a Molot at his feet. His paws covered his face, which had been struck by a piece of shrapnel. He toppled over as Red Field shot him twice. Red Field saw no one else. Locked Breech shouted, his voice inaudible over the ringing in Red Field’s ears.

“Yeah, looks clear.” Red Field shouted back.

Locked Breech turned and called to the rest of Recon. Red Field kept his rifle shouldered and glanced around.

The barn was filled with loose hay, tied bales and a loft which dripped stalks. The walls were lined with tools, most of which had been thrown to the ground from the explosion. A few scythes hung from hooks, beside them hammers, worn, chipped, and coated with old, blackened blood. Red Field saw a slanted blade hanging between two wooden poles. He was still staring at the guillotine as Recon reached the barn.

“Who’s in here?” Asked Natick, limping into the barn.

“Just more of the farmers.” Locked Breech said. “Any injuries?”

“No no, I mean who are they?” Natick rolled over the two dogs killed by the grenade and brushed the bloody hay out of their faces. He swore and Fo knelt beside him.

“If he’s not in the house he has to be here.” Fo said.

“I don’t see him.” Natick said. “Red! Hey Red!” Red Field looked away from the guillotine. “That guy at your hooves? Who is he?”

“I don’t know?” Red Field stepped aside as Natick rolled over the third body.

“What is it?” Asked Locked Breech.

“These guys aren’t who we want.” Natick said, rising to his feet. “They’re probably the rest of the family.” He wiped his paws on his vest. “Looks like everyone but who we want.”

“Something’s still fucky.” Fo said.

“Yeah no kidding.” Blackout said. “Where the hell did they get anti-armor? They’ve got to be more than just farmers.”

“RPG just means they had money.” Fo said. “But those guys who attacked us back at the base; those weren’t family of the guy you grabbed.”

“So, what does that mean?” Locked Breech asked.

“Something’s fucky." Said Fo. "This place isn’t big enough to make enough money to buy up mercenaries in less than a day. And I doubt the employees would have attacked a military base to rescue their boss.”

“Could be they had savings?” Said Natick. “Or those guys at the base could have been extended relatives.”

“You think if they were relatives, the immediate family would have been with them, instead of at home with the RPG.” Fo said.

“So what the hell does that mean?” Asked Blackout.

“I’m assuming gramps, or whoever isn’t here, is behind the mercenaries. Only problem is he has a lot more money than this farm should make.” Fo said.

“He could be at a bug out spot, or hiding?” Locked Breech said. “Maybe he’s got another business, or some investments.”

“Yes yes those are all possibilities!” Fo said. “But they’re all fucky.” One of his gunshot wounds began to bleed through his vest and he growled. “Look at this place. It has daddy running the day-to-day, gramps to watch at night since he can’t sleep.” He kicked one of the bodies. “And the sons doing the yard work.” He pointed out of the door. “A nice farmhouse, and probably a dragon egg for when the kids grow up. They shouldn’t have a bug out spot or even the knowledge of where to find twenty mercenaries willing to attack a military base. An RPG is fine, Molots are fine, a cat is fine, not the ability to send out mercenaries in less than a day.”

“Well they have to have some secrets then.” Blackout said.

“Maybe that’s it?” Locked Breech said. “Maybe they really did have a changeling, and the guy we kidnapped didn’t know it, which is why he didn’t tell us anything. It’s supposed to be a delicacy right? The old dog killed the changeling for the Conspiracy. He pocketed the money for a rainy day. Then his son got kidnapped and he knows why.”

“He uses the money to send the mercs. He doesn’t tell the rest of the family, which is why they’re still here and he’s out.” Blackout said. “That’s got to be it.”

“No.” Fo said. “It’s not. Nobody gives a shit about changeling meat, you’d make jack shit from one of them. Your Princess was wrong about that.”

“Goddamn it.” Blackout sat down in the hay. “Let me know when you’ve figured who we kill next.” He picked up some hay and stuffed it into his mouth. He spat the hay back out without swallowing. “'Course, it’s dry as shit.”

“Overwatch, this is Recon actual.” Said Locked Breech into the radio. “We’ve cleared the barn, nothing out of the ordinary. We’re going to head back to base. Tell Luna she can search the farmhouse.” He gave Blackout a kick. “Let’s leave the intelligence to the intelligence agencies.”

“What kind of meat does this farm make?” Asked Chesterfield.

“Cow.” Fo said. “That’s why there’s hay in the barn. I figured you ponies would understand how hay in a barn works.”

“I was just asking.” Chesterfield said in a hurt tone.

Red Field stopped. Something caught in his mind. He picked up some of the hay. He rubbed it between his hooves and the dry strands rolled apart.

The other ponies began filing out, but Locked Breech noticed Red Field's hesitation. Red Field dug through more of the hay.

“This has freezer burn.” He said.

“What?” Asked Locked Breech. Red Field knelt and swept aside the hay until he reached the floor of the barn. He brought his face close to the grey stone and a myriad of tiny cracks came into focus.

“This building is sitting on top of something endothermic.” He said.

“Do you read dictionaries to find smart-sounding words?” Blackout asked as he peeked back into the barn.

“The floor of this place has gotten very cold recently and for an extended period of time.” Red Field said.

“What would be under the floor?” Asked Wildcat.

“Freezer.” Blackout said.

“No.” Natick said, prompting a sigh from Blackout. “Only very large farms can afford to power a meat freezer. This place is too small, they butcher and sell their meat immediately or they dry it.”

“Then what’s this?” Asked Wildcat, sweeping back more hay and revealing a hatch double the size of a diamond dog. The hatch had a gasket seal and was unmarked.

“Overwatch, this is Recon actual. We’ve got a possible basement under the barn.” Locked Breech said. “Cat, Black, see if that opens. Rest of you get ready to cover.” Blackout and Wildcat crouched on either side of the hatch while the other ponies drew their weapons. The hatch hinged open with such little resistance Wildcat and Blackout nearly fell as they swung it open. Red Field tightened his grip on his rifle as he aimed into the opening.

A ladder under the hatch led into a silent darkness.

“Equestrian UATs!” Said Blackout. “The building is surrounded. Make yourself known!”

Full Wing leaned over the hole and Chesterfield pulled him back.

“CS and masks?” Asked Wildcat after a minute.

“Not in my duffle bag, didn’t think we’d need that.” Locked Breech said with a chuckle. “Overwatch, this is Recon. We may need assistance with clearing a confined space.”

“Are you serious?” Fo asked. “You come this far and you’re chickening out cause of a dark hole?”

“Hey, you’re free to lead the way.” Blackout said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Fo narrowed his eyes at Blackout, then snatched a chem light from Full Wing’s vest. Fo cracked the light and shook it, before dropping it into the hatch. A yellow glow radiated up the rungs of the ladder. The light sat on a mat of rubber about two meters below them. Fo took another light from Full Wing’s vest, cracked it, then clenched it in his teeth. He loaded a few more shells into his shotgun and swung his feet into the hole.

“You, next after me.” He said to Blackout, before dropping. A few seconds passed and they saw Fo turn around a few times.

“What’s down there?” Called Blackout.

“I don’t know.” Fo said. “Can’t see shit.” He looked up. “And aren’t you supposed to be right behind me pony?”

“Hey, take this and sweep the room.” Blackout said, tossing down a flashlight. He unclipped his vest and cracked his neck. “Gimme a sec, I can’t fit with my gear.”

“You ponies are the biggest bunch of pussies I have ever met.” Fo said.

“Belay that, overwatch.” Locked Breech said. “We’re proceeding on our own.”

Fo switched on the flashlight and swept it around him.

“Looks like a- hah!” He jumped back.

“What?” Asked Blackout.

“There’s our secret.” He said, his eyes fixed on whatever he’d found.

Khyber’s chariot landed an hour after the ponies returned from the farm. The aircraft had barely touched down in the compound before he disembarked. He carried a satchel stuffed full of papers clutched to his side and he did not look around at the dozens of UAT ponies as he walked to their barracks.

Inside, at a table in the assembly room sat Recon team, Fo and Natick, and Luna.

“Are these the ponies?” Khyber asked as he entered.

“Yes. Have a seat.” Said Luna.

“Of course.” Khyber set his satchel beneath the table. “I appreciate you waiting for me. I’d like to conduct my interviews as soon as possible. My superiors are very concerned with your findings and want a report immediately.”

“They give that much of a shit?” Fo asked with a rough laugh.

“You must be Captain Fo.” Khyber said. “You were the first to discover the freezer?”

“Actually it was that pony.” Fo pointed to Red Field. “Smart little pup saw freezer burn on the straw or something.”

Khyber looked to Red Field.

“Yes sir.” Red Field said. “I noticed the straw covering the floor of the barn had freezer burn and the concrete showed signs of significant temperature fluctuation.”

“I see.” Khyber opened his satchel and removed a file. “So you were the first to see the interior of the freezer?”

“No, that was me.” Fo said, holding up his paw.

“We all saw it.” Chesterfield said quietly. Khyber pulled a paper from the file and began to fill in a few blanks.

“Yes, I was told you took pictures and we will be dispatching some inspectors within a day or so.”

“Then what do you need us for?” Asked Blackout. He hunched over the table and stared directly at Khyber.

“Things can happen in a day, and pictures lie.” Khyber reached a long space of empty lines midway down the form. “Please describe what you saw.” He paused and his eyes switched around the group. “Anyone can tell me, the more observations I get the better.”

Nopony spoke and Khyber clicked his pen.

“Guess it’s up to me then.” Fo said. “It was an illegal meat freezer-”

“How did you know it was illegal?” Khyber asked.

“It was used to store pony meat.” Wildcat said. Khyber looked over at the medic.

“How did you know that?” Wildcat looked away and Khyber sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m just doing my job. I need to know what you found.”

“It was homebuilt freezer, looked pretty rough. It was used as a slaughterhouse and freezer for pony meat.” Natick said. “We found a locker of approximately two hundred Sweetie Marks.”

“Cutie Marks.” Said Blackout, still staring at the table.

“Cutie Marks.” Natick said carefully. "The freezer wasn't new so there’s no telling how many ponies they’ve processed.”

“I see.” Khyber began to write. “How many meat hooks or comparable storage units did you find?”

“Seventy-five.” Natick said. Khyber stopped writing for an instant.

“What else did you find?” He asked.

“Slaughtering tools, nothing out of the ordinary.” Natick scratched his neck. “Freon setup looked modern. They had some records, though they’d been removed when we got there.”

“I see.” Khyber had filled half of the lines. “Anything else?”

“No, I don’t believe so.” Natick said.

“The saw.” Said Blackout quietly. Khyber looked up.

“What?”

“Oh, yes.” Natick said uncomfortably. “They had a station set up for,” he hesitated, “removing the horns of unicorns. We found a box of about thirty horns, along with several ounces of powder.”

“Outlaw magic and culinary use.” Khyber said. “Princess, I understand you were raiding the farm for reasons pertaining to your investigation?”

“That is correct.” Luna said. “We apprehended the owner of the farm to interrogate him and someone at the farm sent a group of mercenaries to attack us. We were retaliating when we found the freezer.”

“What happened on the raid?” Khyber asked.

“We killed all of them.” Blackout said.

“The owners were killed?” Asked Khyber.

“All of them.” Said Blackout.

“Er, that might not be the case.” Natick said. “The ponies believe they saw an older dog, probably a grandfather, prior to the raid.” He cleared his throat. “No such dog was found at the farm.”

“The interior of the house.” Khyber said. “What did you find?”

“It looked like a normal house.” Locked Breech said. “Everything was in order.”

“Well that’s fine, I suppose the inspectors will know what to look for.” Said Khyber as he signed the form.

“The house burned down after they launched a rocket at us.” Blackout said. “All that’s left is that fucking barn.”

“I am sorry you happened upon such a disturbing operation.” Khyber said. “I want to assure you that such an operation is highly illegal and the Federal Government takes such-”

“Bullshit.” Blackout said. “Since we’ve been in this country, we’ve seen you diggers treat murder like it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Black, you’re dismissed.” Locked Breech said.

Khyber pushed his pen into the pocket of his vest.

“You have good reason to find Mohs appalling, based on what you’ve seen. However, you’ve only been exposed to the criminal elements thus far. If I may suggest you travel to the villages on this mountain, I think you’ll find the dogs to be quite welcoming there.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Said Wildcat.

“This mountain is the second most peaceful in all of Mohs; only the Bronies cultivate a more peaceful mountain than this one.” Khyber folded his paws atop the table. “The dog responsible for this will probably enter a village on this mountain soon enough. If the dogs of Mountain Eight are told of what he’s done, they’ll capture him for you. This mountain is a rational place.” He slid the form back into his satchel. “Thank you, I have all of the information I need. We’ll let you know if anything develops.”

“He’s right.” Said Natick as Khyber's chariot took off. “Almost no one on the surface of Mohs condones murder like that. You could let the villages and towns know about what happened, they’d help you find who you’re looking for.”

“I suppose it’s our responsibility to let them know such a criminal is loose on their mountain.” Luna nodded. “Perhaps we’ll send a few of our teams to let them know.” She put her hoof on Locked Breech's shoulder. “Your team will be off duty tomorrow. Get some rest and good work on your raid.”

The UATs set up floodlights around the base. Since the plastic bag had been torn from the window, and nopony had found any curtains, a square patch of light pooled beside Red Field’s bed. Red Field stared at the bony light until he fell into dreamless sleep.

He awoke late the next morning, sickly and tired. Full Wing laid in his own bed, playing with a magazine. Red Field rubbed his face and stared up at the ceiling, trying to think of nothing. Chesterfield sat at the table, while the rest of Recon laid in their beds.

Nopony spoke for a quarter of an hour.

“Everyone up? Let’s review yesterday.” Locked Breech kept his voice soft as he entered the room. The recon ponies straightened as Locked Breech took a seat on the edge of his own bed. “Red, make sure you keep a good grip on the rope when you’re jumping. Other than that, excellent work on the building. Entry was good, not much to critique there.” He paused. “Solid performance all around and we’re only going to go up from here; think we’re getting used to the flow of things again. Natick dropped by earlier and said the old dog’s name is Bonemeal and he’s a known businessdog on this mountain. Said he had confidence the FFS will find him pretty quickly.” A few UATs jogged under their window and Locked Breech tapped his hooves. “That was some messed up stuff we found yesterday.”

“Yeah.” Said Chesterfield, closing his notebook.

“We’ve seen some messed up shit. That disturbance in the gryphons’ territory was pretty bad.” Said Wildcat.

“Not like this.” Said Blackout. “That was just some birds smashing eggs.” He shook his head. “That farm was pure evil.”

“We’ve been out of action for a while.” Locked Breech said. “Still, nopony said this job was going to expose you to the best in the world.”

“It’s not that that bothers me.” Said Chesterfield. “It’s how they all act.”

“Hell yeah.” Said Wildcat.

“We’ve been here what, two weeks?” Chesterfield said. “They don’t act like normal people. They see each other get shot and it doesn’t bother them at all.”

“That’s common for countries experiencing civil unrest.” Locked Breech said.

“You see any civil unrest around here?” Blackout asked. “’Cause I haven’t. Some kids hold up a store and it ends with three bodies.” He pointed to the window. “That captain goes zero to sixty in less than a second. This place is a nightmare.”

“You’re right.” Locked Breech said. “This country is in bad shape, civil war or not.” He looked to Red Field and Full Wing. “How are you two holding up?”

“Okay I guess.” Said Full Wing. “I mean, I didn’t see any of the stuff in the freezer.”

“What about you Red?” Locked Breech asked. Red Field took a little longer to form a reply.

“I’m all right I guess.”

“You’ve shot what, four dogs in the past couple days?” Asked Blackout.

Red Field nodded.

“Any thoughts on that?” Asked Locked Breech. Red Field shook his head. Red Field didn’t want to speak about what he felt. The image of the two dogs atop the cliff still stained his mind and Lambchop’s broken head returned to him when he looked toward the stairs to the furnace room. The dog he’d shot in the barn felt like a homework assignment he couldn’t begin to process, but was dreading.

He didn’t want to speak about any of it.

“We have another day off. Let’s take that time to digest everything.” Locked Breech said, brushing his mane back.

At noontime, the sounds of another UAT gearing up in the compound came through the open window. Red Field was filling out a supply requisition form for some books on magic and he ignored the noise. Should he request a primer on magic or skip straight to a textbook? If he kept his mind on school, he could block the terrible thoughts easier. The chariot outside took off and Red Field clenched the pen with his horn.

The team were eating lunch when they heard barking. A dog, just outside of the gate, yelped into the base. Red Field and Blackout were first to the window and peeked out. A group of UATs, already crossing the compound, detoured and ran to the gate.

“Hey! Hey, hold on! What is it?” One pony shouted through the gate. The dog pounded on the door and they shouted for him to stop. The dog’s barking died down and one of the UATs opened the gate a bit, keeping a hoof on his holstered pistol. The dog was a Gmale and carried a shortened Molot slung at his side.

The pony at the gate nodded once, then again, then asked something. He said something back to the dog before pressing the radio affixed to his vest.

“Command? Sounds like they have our guy cornered. Local law enforcement wants support.”

“Where?” Asked another UAT captain.

“Ask them what they need.” Said Luna. “And go get him.”

Five UAT teams organized within ten minutes. Another three waited on standby. Bombs Away commandeered a chariot and ordered Fo to accompany him. Locked Breech followed Bombs Away’s chariot along the curve of Mountain Eight. Behind them flew the rest of the formation.

“Local Gmale transit cop named Saline said they ID’d him trying to board a train at a nearby railway station.” Said Bombs Away. “They pinned him in a cargo car. Not sure if he’s armed but since he’s our guy we’re going to help pick him up.”

“We’re dropping ourselves off at the station.” Locked Breech said. “Red, you and Blackout are taking the chariot and holding position fifty meters from the side of the car. You guys are watching the other side of the tracks to make sure he doesn’t get away.”

“What about me?” Full Wing asked.

“With us, up close.” Said Wildcat.

“Cut the chatter, we’re fifteen seconds out.” Said Locked Breech.

They approached a simple train station, which serviced the single loop of track running through the mountains. Locked Breech paused only long enough to steady the chariot, before climbing back to the cargo area.

“Rope down, meet up with the others.” He said as he and the other ponies swung out of the chariot. Full Wing uneasily gripped the rope, then slid down, beating his wings. Red Field watched them land next to the station and follow Fo and Natick inside.

“Red, get set up, he might be moving already.” Blackout took the controls and they swung outward from the mountain. Red Field steadied himself against the side of the chariot as they shot past the station and over the tracks.

The tracks extended along a cliff overlooking woods. Blackout pulled them away from the mountain. The chariot rotated and Red Field faced the mountain. Red Field opened the DMR’s bipod and laid on his opened rifle case. He pulled the stock into his shoulder and set the weapon to fire.

Twenty-two train cars and a black engine sat atop the tracks.

“Red, what can you see?” Asked Blackout.

“There’s four cargo cars.” Red Field said. “No windows on those. I don’t know which one he’s in.”

“Breech this is Blackout, we’re in position but we don’t know which car he’s in, we don’t see any places for him to exit or even any windows.”

“We’ll update you when we know what’s going on.” Locked Breech said, a commotion filling his end of the channel. “We’ve got a bit of a crowd here.”

“That’s the main line for the mountains.” Fo said. “There’s probably a few hundred curious and angry riders down there wanting to know why they aren’t going.”

The other chariots hovered over the train and UATs began climbing atop the cars. Fo climbed to the top of the one closest to the station. Locked Breech and the rest of Recon climbed after him, after them stood the largest dog Red Field had seen. The dog stood at twice the ponies’ height and he carried semiautomatic shotgun. Even at distance, Red Field could tell the weapon’s bore was larger than usual. The Gmale’s vest was striped with shotshells and Red Field read “10” off one of the thick cartridges.

The thick dog pointed down the row of cars and the UATs followed him across the top of the train.

“Blackout, let Red know it’s the eighth car in line.” Locked Breech said. Red Field flicked his sights to the second to last cargo car.

“Are you guys ready to move on him?” Asked Blackout

“Negative, still got a bit of a crowd issue.” Locked Breech had climbed down from the car and the commotion nearly drowned him out.

“They pissed?” Asked Blackout. “You guys need backup?”

“No, more like eager.” Locked Breech began to shout at someone in the crowd.

“Red, keep watch on that car.” Blackout said. “Don’t let him get out.”

They sat for a few minutes as several more UAT ponies climbed off of the train. The chariot started to drift and Red Field and Full Wing started sliding away from the mountainside. Red Field had to match the slight rotation to keep his sights steady and he began to cramp from the tiny, ongoing adjustment.

“Okay, let's move up.” Said Locked Breech, returning to the roof of the first car. The dog with the semiauto shotgun bounded down the train toward the eighth car. Behind him, galloping with much more care and attention to balance were seven UATs.

“Red, watch the window.” Locked Breech.

“I don’t see any.” Red Field said. Red Field noticed a thin slit running along the side of the car, it was nearly invisible at distance and he took a moment to identify it was shut. “Shit.”

“Red, there’s a trapdoor at the top of the car.” Blackout said. “Looks like Gmale guy is going to drop teargas in. Watch to make sure that asshole doesn’t get out.” Red Field nodded and watched as the massive dog leading the charge jumped from car to car. By the time the Gmale reached the target car, the chariot had rotated so much Red Field sat up to rotate his aim. Blackout swore and jumped into the driver’s seat as he noticed how much they'd shifted. The Gmale crouched atop the car and waited for the UATs to catch up with him.

Blackout was adjusting the chariot's orientation and Red Field was struggling to keep his sights on target when the dog flipped open the lock of the trapdoor. He pulled a canister grenade from his vest and reached it over the door. The train jerked forward and for a split second Red Field thought the chariot had moved. The dog tripped backward and the grenade bounced off of the rounded roof of the car and off the cliff. The ponies staggered backward as the train began to move and Red Field saw one UAT fall onto his back and slide toward the edge of a car overlooking the cliff.

“Red hold on!” Blackout throttled the chariot toward the train as the pony slid off of the car. The Gmale, who'd just gotten to his feet, dove back toward the falling UAT. He caught the side of the car with his right paw and as he swung downward, grabbed the UAT by the leg. The train began to creak forward and the other UATs struggled to regain their balance.

Locked Breech and Natick shouted for the train to stop.

Saline held the UAT, a light blue unicorn, over the cliff. The chariot was still ten meters from the train when Red Field saw the dog look up. His eyes were a rich, dark red and he didn’t appear to be strained, even as he held the pony with one paw. Red Field shouted for Blackout to get closer.

The blue pony slammed into Red Field as Saline threw him into the chariot.

“Watch my back." Saline called to Red Field as he pulled himself back up to the roof.

“Red, back on your hooves!” Shouted Blackout. “Spooky help him out!” The train was starting to pick up speed and the Gmale only stopped to make sure the other ponies hadn’t fallen off before he pulled another grenade off of his vest and approached the trapdoor.

The blue unicorn next to Red Field drew his rifle and Red Field crouched beside him, training the DMR on the top of the cargo car. He let his breath out as the dog pulled the pin.

“Fuck me!” Said the blue unicorn as the train lurched to a halt. Saline again dropped the grenade off the car. The UATs atop the train crouched low and kept their balance . Saline snarled and mantled into the open hatch.

“Keep cover on that car!” Said Blackout as he braked the chariot. The UATs atop the train surrounded the opening and called inside. The car gave a loud clunk and Red Field saw two paws grip either side of the hatch. The ponies knelt to help Saline and he jumped out just a few moments after entering. He pointed back toward the station and they began to run back down the cars.

“Spook, he dropped out of the bottom of the car. Their guy thinks he probably dug a tunnel, get down here now.” Came a voice from the blue pony’s radio.

“Black I need you to get back here.” Said Locked Breech.

“I hear you!” Blackout said, banking the chariot toward the mountain. They landed on the roof of the station and Red Field followed Spooky and Blackout down a ladder and into the station.

A crowd of about twenty dogs massed behind the locked doors of the station. Many carried rifles or knives. They shouted at the ponies, but Red Field couldn’t discern what they were saying as he galloped after Blackout, who ran down the tracks toward the UATs.

“Sitrep?” Blackout. “Why the fuck did the train start moving?”
A diamond dog wearing a conductor’s hat stood amongst the ponies atop the platform.

“Blackout! Where’s the chariot?” Locked Breech was climbing down from a train car along with Wildcat, Full Wing and Chesterfield.

“Parked it on the roof, what the fuck happened? Where’s the asshole?” Said Blackout.

“Dug a tunnel we think.” Wildcat said. “Broke through the bottom and tunneled through the tracks. The train started moving so we had to backtrack to find the hole.”

“The fuck did the train start moving for?” Asked Blackout. “Hey asshole, what did you start the train for?” He shouted to the conductor, who was already arguing with Bombs Away. The dog glanced over at him.

"In case you didn’t know, you aren’t the only people in Mohs.” The conductor said.

"You almost killed some of our guys." Said Blackout.

“This line transports goods to all of the Rail Mountains, you can't just stop it." Said the conductor.

"I'll stop your Goddamn heart if I want." Said Blackout.

“Soldier we have this under control.” Bombs Away said. “This dog here is going to answer for a lot of things.”

The dog looked at Bombs Away in disgust.

“You’re a retard if you think I did anything but my job.” He said. “This train is now thirty minutes behind schedule.”

“It’ll be a lot fucking later if you pull something like that again.” Blackout said.

“YOU can tell that to Mister Avogadro.” Said the conductor, poking a finger into Blackout’s chest. “One of these cars is his personal cargo.” Bombs Away said he didn’t give a wooden nickel when Saline emerged from the hole burrowed through the tracks. He slid himself out from under the train car, and between its giant wheels.

“He got to a conduit tunnel.” Said the Gmale. “He’s gone.” He looked around, took his shotgun from one of the UATs, and pointed at the conductor. “I was aiding the Equestrians with this; if Mister Avogadro has any complaints he ought to direct them to the ponies.” He glanced at Bombs Away. “Nothing we can do, he’s gone.”

“Understood soldier.” Said Bombs Away. “Thank you for your assistance. I'd like to-”

Saline didn’t reply and walked back toward the station.

“He’s gone and I have a damaged car.” Said the conductor. “Now it looks like we won’t be going anywhere today.”

“We’re sorry for holding up your train, but in case you didn’t notice, we were attempting to capture a murderer.” Bombs Away said. “You put this entire operation in jeopardy.”

“Stopping Mister Avogadro’s train is far from a fair exchange. But you’ll figure that out soon enough.” The conductor said before walking back toward the engine.

“The fuck is up with this place?” Asked one of the UATs. Bombs Away sighed and shook his head.

“Their country, their rules.” He looked around at the UATs. “Asshole’s gone everypony, let’s head back to base.”

Recon discussed the operation at length as they flew back to base. Wildcat and Chesterfield described attempting to stem the chaotic wave of dogs who’d rushed out of the surrounding villages and towns with the ambition to lend a paw or magazine to the search.

“Real nice place.” Said Blackout as they flew back to the base. “People are always looking to start shooting over something.”

“And yet we still didn’t get the target.” Said Chesterfield.

“Not your fault.” Said Locked Breech. “Not anypony’s fault. Good job on overwatch Red, you too Blackout. Good thing you were around to get Spooky before he took a tumble.”

“Never liked coming back after a botched mission, but it's a lot worse with our recent management.” Said Wildcat.

The Princess stood waiting as the flock of chariots touched down in the base.

“How did it go? Did you capture him or kill him?” Luna asked as they disembarked.

“We ran into some trouble, the conductor kept trying to start the train. Threw us off long enough for the target to dig his way out.” Bombs Away said, climbing out of his chariot.

“You didn’t capture him?”

“The ass-clown got under the train and tunneled his way out.” Said Bombs Away.

Luna’s good humor faded.

“How could he have tunneled his way through train tracks?” She asked.

“A scared diamond dog can tunnel through almost anything.” Fo said, climbing out of Bombs Away’s chariot. “He had a head start on us too.”

“The conductor, did you kill him?” Luna asked. “We cannot allow that sort of insolence to thwart us.”

“The train is a large part of our infrastructure.” Natick said. “Avogadro had some goods on there as well.”

“Oh he actually did?” Said Fo. “Wonderful.”

“I don’t care whose cargo is on that train, it shouldn’t be a problem when you are capturing one of the Conspiracy. The next time someone disregards your orders like that, you let the dogs around him know we do not tolerate obstacles.” Luna said. She looked around at the UATs. “Next time, no one stops you from completing the mission.”

Recon walked back to their quarters and resumed their leisure. The operation had passed in just under an hour and Red Field almost felt as if they hadn’t gone anywhere. Locked Breech ordered everypony to make sure their weapons were clean and their packs ready for immediate action.

“Is she rubbing off on you?” Blackout asked.

“No, I just don’t want to give her anything to use against us.” Said Locked Breech. “We could have hit that train faster and not all of the blame rests on the conductor.” Red Field didn’t think they could have moved much faster. “Red, next time I might stick Full Wing back with you.” Locked Breech said. “Blackout will come with us.”

Someone knocked at their door and Locked Breech answered. Fo and Natick stood outside. Neither greeted Locked Breech.

“We have an issue and your Princess is going to make it a bigger issue.” Fo said.

“What?” Locked Breech asked.

“One of the businessdogs whose cargo you delayed during the raid is upset with you.” Natick said.

“So tell him to pound sand.” Called Blackout from the table where he sat cleaning his hoofgun.

“How about you tell him dumbass?” Fo replied. “You’re crazy if you think you can tell Avogadro to do anything.”

“Avogadro isn’t someone we can disregard.” Natick said. “He filed a complaint with the FFS just a few minutes ago and we need to tell your Princess.”

“But we need to tell her in a way that makes her not tell you to kill him.” Fo said. “And that’s the problem.” Locked Breech didn’t answer and Fo hunched over as he waited for the pony to understand. “Avogadro can pay all of Tillage and the Wraiths and the Crazies and probably the Bronies to come here and kill you if wants.”

“All right, sure, I'll help with this.” Locked Breech said. “Blackout, keep if anybody asks, I went out for a walk.” He stepped into the hall. “We’ll tell my commander first.”

“Maybe you didn’t understand: Avogadro is coming to speak with your Princess.” Fo said. “He knows you’re here and what you’re doing and he’s going to tell your Princess she needs to repay him. It’s our job to get her to do what he says.”