"I don't like the looks of this."

Daniel McKenna frowned as he glanced at a weather report on his tablet while his team rested in their dorm room. A large blizzard had apppeared over the MacAllan II's landing zone, which had delayed Kilo Team's insertion by about an hour while the bridge crew worked to find an alternative LZ or Titanfall-capable area.

"We've been through worse, Daniel." said Kelly Wright. "Remember Operation Frostbite on Planet Greydown?"

"Don't remind me." Daniel replied, checking some other files to keep himself occupied. "Fighting the IMC there was bad enough, but the storm that stopped all combat ops for two days straight? That was worse."

"I'll take your word for it." Jack Cooper replied, as he was currently watching a movie on his bunk's holoscreen. "Anyway, at least we're all going to deploy now as a team."

"True." Romero replied. "It would've been just Captain McKenna, Lt. Cooper, and Staff Sergeant Walker, but due to the blizzard, we're all heading down together. What could be better?"

"Not having to drop into a fucking blizzard." Daniel replied.

"I agree, Pilot, but we're out of options." Commander Briggs said, as she entered the room. "You're dropping into a relatively mild area inside the eye of the storm, one the engineers say should be stable enough for Titanfall. We've also found a landing zone north of the storm's projected path. Get kitted and be on the deck in five minutes tops."

"Yes, ma'am!" Daniel and the team replied as they got themselves up and retrieved their weapons and helmets, before proceeding to the deployment bay. As the Militia repairmen and various MRVN units gave the Titans and their Pilots the "all-clear", Daniel took the cockpit seat of IN-2632.

"Ready to go, Indy?" he asked.

"All systems green, Pilot McKenna." IN replied. "Standby for Titanfall in five, four, three, two, one...zero."

As the eight Titans shot out of the deployment chutes and towards the surface, Daniel activated the team's trackers, which were built into their Titans' various datacores.

"Alright, listen up." Daniel said over the radio. "Keep your eyes on your minimaps and trackers once we hit the ground. I don't want any of you getting lost in that blizzard. Once we find a suitable area, we'll begin surface recon and check for any local populations. Remember, we're in First Contact protocols, so weapons safe and don't do anything to provoke anyone. Am I clear?"

"Yessir!" the other Pilots replied. As they smashed into the ground and their drop-shields dissipated, Daniel motioned the team forward and into the storm.

====

"You guys holding up?" Cooper asked as BT-7274 activated a pair of floodlights built into the top of the Vanguard-class Titan's chassis. "I can't see anything past a few feet in front of me."

"We're holding up fine." Helena Sieman replied. "Those Vanguard-class Titans get all the nice toys, though."

"Amen to that." Sean Walker replied. "I'm pretty damn tempted to use my Heat Shield just to see in front of me."

"Let's focus on the objective, Pilots." McKenna said as his own floodlights activated. "Hold up, I've got a large unknown contact up ahead, roughly 20 meters."

As the Titans spread out in a straight line, they found their contact was a steam-engine with seven cars, currently trapped in the snow.

"What's the call, sir?" Cooper asked. "We can't just leave whoever's on that train here."

"Agreed." Chase Dawes added. "I believe we've got enough power between the eight of us to move it, one Titan to a car."

"Problem is, how are we going to get it free long enough for us to move it?" Kelly asked. "There's too much snow for us to dig it out."

"Which gives me an idea." Daniel smirked. "Walker, get to the front of the train and clear us a path using whatever Thermite you can spare. The rest of us, take a car and start pushing on my mark. We follow the tracks to wherever this train was heading."

As the bulkier Ogre-model Titans took the front and back, the Stryders took the middle, and the Vanguards and Atlas Titans took the center and engine, Sean activated his Heat Shield. As the snow began to melt rapidly in front of the train while the other Titans began to push, they couldn't see a sudden surge of movement inside.

====

Ten Minutes earlier…

"It's been an hour." Twilight Sparkle frowned as she, the Elements, Spike, and Princess Luna ate a lunch provided from the train's dining car, which had more than enough food to go around. "Somepony should have come for us by now."

"Patience, Twilight." Luna said. "Though, I am beginning to be worried that we haven't gotten help by now."

Then, the engine crew came into the room, covered in snow.

"Bad news." the crew chief said gravely. "We're snowed in completely. An SOS to the Crystal Empire's already been sent out, but they won't be able to send help until the storm lifts."

"So, we're stuck?" Rainbow asked. "Like, completely stuck?"

"For the moment, miss, yes." the engineer replied. "We've doused the fire in the engine to save our load of coal and water, so we shouldn't be moving anywhere anytime soon…"

Then, there was a sudden lurch of speed as the train began to move through the snow, almost as if being pushed by an invisible hand.

"I thought you said you turned the engine off." Twilight said, astounded.

"We did." the tender replied. "And the storm hasn't lifted yet, so nopony could've reached us by now."

"Then it has to be something outside, then." Luna said. "But who or what could accomplish such a feat of strength?"

"I have a feeling we'll see soon enough." Fluttershy said as she peeked out the window, staring intently. "There's a massive shape out there...it's almost like a giant minotaur's leg. At least, that's what it looks like. I can't see very well right now because of the snow."

"Giant minoutaurs?" Rainbow sounded surprised. "There's nothing like that in Equestria, or anywhere for that matter."

"At least whatever's out there is moving us in the right direction." Pinkie chimed in. "The Crystal Empire's not far now!"

====

"Steady as she goes!" Daniel ordered as the Militia Titans continued to push the train along the tracks it rested on. "Sean, how's your Thermite reserves holding up?"

"We're good!" Sean replied as his Heat Shield continued to melt the snow in front of the train. "I'm seeing a large city with some kind of dome around it up ahead! There storm's clear over in that area!"

"Then let's double-time it there." Daniel ordered. "You holding up, Cooper?"

"Yes, sir!" Cooper replied. "BT?"

"I am fine, Pilot Cooper." BT replied. "All systems are stable."

As the Titans pushed the train past the dome and into the open air train station, the Pilots realized the dome was some sort of shield around the city.

"I wonder how whoever lives here got that shield up." Kelly wondered. "I'm not seeing a generator anywhere."

"That can wait until later, Kelly." Sasha Voryunov added. "We're clear of the storm!"

As the Titans released their grip on the train, the doors on the passenger cars opened, and seven equine beings in various pastel colors and sporting a horn, wings, neither, or a combination of the former two stepped outside and promptly froze at the sight of the Militia Titans.

"Well, I guess we've met the locals." Daniel sighed. "IN, I'm disembarking to begin First Contact. The rest of you, stay ready in case of trouble."

As Daniel exited his Titan and dropped to the ground, his Jumpkit softening the landing on the crystal surface of the train station, the equines dropped their jaws even further.

"Here goes…" Daniel sighed before speaking. "Hello, can you understand me?"

There was a gasp, and one of the equines with a horn and wings passed out cold.

Author's Note

Update!