Analysis Anarchy: The Red Spy

Chapters

Welcome to the Team
There Can Be Only One...
Eye On The Target
Suited for Subtlety
The Cuter They Are...
Stop Helping Me!!
To Be, Or Not To Be...
Seven Nation Army Prt 1
Seven Nation Army Prt 2
Seven Nation Army Prt 3
Seven Nation Army Prt 4
A New Challenger Approaches...

Welcome to the Team

~Narrator's POV~

Okay... 'Follow the wind to the northeast. Take the next left on the right desert dune, and you shall see the sign of our base of operations'... This must be it.

Doesn't look like much, to be honest. But, I guess appearances can be deceiving. Time to enter the town and find this 'Dr. Wolf' and 'Commander Firebrand'.

Oh, hey there. Pleasure to meet you. My name is Echo Harmonia Nymph, but I'm mostly known as Echo Nymph. My friends call me Echo or Nymph. I came to Coal Town, because I found some of the members missing from the Rift Café, and I was curious. Upon the wall of SugarCube Corner, in Ponyville, I found this hiring pamphlet for Blu Team members. It said that if anypony is interested, come to Coal Town and speak to a 'Dr. Wolf' and 'Commander Firebrand'.

Now, I'll be honest, I've never played Team Fortress 2, and probably never will. But I have my share of knowledge and talents. Who knows? Maybe a Pony of my skills and talents might have what they're looking for.

I enter the town, only to be greeted by screams, crashing and fire. Obviously, somepony has ticked somepony off and is now paying the price.

"Um... Hello? Excuse me?" I tried to call to the Ponies that passed me, trying to get their attention.

"I said I was sorry! It was supposed to be a joke!" A red and black Pegasus stallion, dressed as a Blu Soldier, shouted as he flew past me.

"Come back here, you edgy pillow of feathers!" A blue Earth Pony mare, dressed as a Red Soldier with a familiar red and green plaid scarf around her neck, shouted after him, stopping just in front of me.

She was a blue Clydesdale mare with a light grey blaze, socks. Her mane and tail were a dark greyish blue and looked similar to Hagrid's hair from Harry Potter. Fetlocks were a little unkempt and she spoke with a strong, familiar accent.

Oh, yeah! That's right, she's Scottish. The Pegasus stallion must've made fun of her ethnicity.

Not cool...

"Um... Hello, Miss?" I tried to speak up, but she was already gone.

Suddenly, there was an explosion, and something large was about to fall on top of me. I quickly took a step back and the object fell in front of me.

It was a large Hippogriff male. With his bird-half resembling a bald eagle and his pony-half of an average brown stallion with light beige hooves and a well-combed silver tail. His pony half must be Earth Pony. His Cutie Mark was of a silver feather quill. He stood a foot taller than Big McIntosh, so he was taller than me. Light grayish-violet eyes, and he was dressed as a Red Heavy.

Wait, I've heard of this guy. Silver Quill! He goes through so many antics in Ponyville, and yet is a punching bag for karma. How's he still alive, I'll never know.

"Hello? Mr. Quill?" I spoke up, extending my hoof to the Hippogriff.

With a sigh, Silver Quill picked himself up nd dusted himself off, "Geez. That's the fifth time that propane tank exploded!" Then sulked, "And I didn't even touch it!"

"Mr. Quill?" I asked, tapping his shoulder with my hoof.

"Not now, Keyframe." He retorted, his back turned to me, then thought for a second, "Wait. When did you start calling me, 'Mr. Quill'?" He turned to look at me and stared.

"Hi." I waved my hoof timidly.

"You're not Keyframe." He noted.

I gave him a deadpan look, "No. I am not." Then asked, "I was wondering if you can help me find Dr. Wolf and Mr. Firebrand? I'm here to apply for the Blu Team."

Silver Quill smiled, "Oh. You've come to join our little, dysfunctional group, eh? What made you think you have what it takes?"

"I'm tougher than I look. If that's what you're implying." I answered in a deadpan tone, then regained myself, "I just happened upon this pamphlet in Ponyville..." I showed him the scorched piece of folded parchment, "And thought I'd give it a look-see."

"Well, I'm kinda glad you're applying." He smiled at me, "We could use another Pony in our ranks."

I smiled at the Hippogriff. This is good news. This might end up being a good day after all. I can't wait to get started!

Then Silver Quill placed his claw over me shoulder, "Firebrand and Doc are just this way."

With that, the Hippogriff lead me to the back of the town, toward a ran-down shack. Inside was a Unicorn stallion and an anthropomorphic white wolf discussing something. I believe I heard them talking about recruits and who to choose and not to choose.

Well... That made me extremely nervous...

The Unicorn stallion's height was the same as an average stallion. His fur coat was a light brick red. His nails and hooves were a maroon color. Mane was two shades of a blonde color. His mane was slick back, a milder style compared to Doc's. Matching golden-blonde tail. And his eyes were a shade of gold. I couldn't see his Cutie Mark because of his lab coat.

He wore a Red Medic's uniform and pack. So, I was guessing he was the Red Team's Medic.

The wolf stood about a foot taller than Apple Bloom. His fur was as white as the snow with light grey paws. Light blue eyes with deep understanding, and yet a strong form of authority. He wore a uniform similar to the Red Engineer. So, he must've been the Red Team's Engineer.

I narrowed my eyes at the Unicorn stallion. I recognized him as one of the Chief Officers of Princess Celestia's Royal Guard. Head of the Forward Operating Base in the Badlands, if I recall.

Silver Quill and I entered the shack, but the Unicorn stallion and arctic wolf didn't turn to see us. Silver Quill cleared his throat, getting the wolf and Unicorn's attention.

~Commander Firbrand's POV~

Dr. Wolf and I were just discussing what to do with GibbonTake's resignation as the Red Team's Spy. When Silver Quill cleared his throat to get our attention. Dr. Wolf and I turned to the large Hippogriff.

Dr. Wolf gently smiled, "Hello, Silver Quill. Can we help you with something?"

"Actually..." Silver Quill paused, rubbed his chin in thought, "I have found someone who wants to apply for the Blu Team."

"For the final time, Silver. We're NOT switching you! You're the Red Team's Heavy for a reason!" I told him sternly.

Silver Quill shook his head, "Not me this time. She just showed up."

"She?" Doc and I repeated in confusion.

Silver Quill stepped aside, revealing a green Earth Pony mare standing behind him. She timidly waved at the Doc and I with a small smile. Dr. Wolf and I stared at the mare wide-eyed and surprise.

The mare stood at least as tall as Princess Luna or Shining Armor. Her fur coat was a mint green color, with a white freckles, white underbelly and socks. Her long mane and tail were a ginger-red color with a black ombre. Her hooves were shamrock green. Her eyes were heterochomic. He left eye was deep hazel and her right eye was sap green. And they seem to glow from the inside. Her Cutie Mark was of blue flames.

I narrowed my eyes at the mare. She looked like an ordinary Earth Pony, but she doesn't feel like one. There was magic emitting from her aura. Something haunting and powerful...

"Uh... Hello. You two must be Firebrand and Dr. Wolf." She spoke in a clear British accent, "My name is Echo Nymph, and I was hoping to apply for the Blu Team."

"Echo Nymph, huh?" I repeated, then scratched my head, "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Echo Nymph rubbed the back of her head, "I'm mostly a fanfic writer. I was named after my great-grandmothers. Echo Eclipse and Harmonia Notes."

"And you're saying that you wish to apply for the Blu Team?" I asked. Echo Nymph nodded her head in confirmation.

"Do you have any experience with Team Fortress?" Dr. Wolf asked.

The mint green mare thought for a second, "Well... No. But I've watched a lot of videos on YouTube, to understand the game and its characters. Does that count?"

I raised a brow, then asked, "Can you name the nine classes?"

"Let's see..." She started, then answered with a smile, counting with her fingers, "There's the Engineer. The Demoman. The Sniper. The Heavy. The Scout. The Pyro. The Soldier. The Spy. And..." She clapped her hands, "Oh yeah! And the Medic."

"Whoa." Silver Quill smiled, "That's pretty good." Then he asked, "Are you sure that you didn't use a cheat sheet?"

Echo Nymph just glanced at him with a deadpan expression.

"Do you know what Team Fortress is?" Dr. Wolf asked her.

"It's a team-based, Multiplayer, First-Person shooter PC game from the Valve Corporation." She answered. Dr. Wolf and I looked at each other, then back at Miss. Nymph. Her smile faded, as clarity brought her down, "You don't have anything for somepony like me, do you?"

With a sad and honest look, Dr. Wolf answered, "I'm sorry, Miss. Nymph. But we're looking for applicants that have played the game before."

"And just knowing about the game doesn't quite cut it." I added blatantly.

Echo Nymph nodded, then lowered her head, "I understand." She gave us a small smile, "Thank you for your time, Gentlemen. I'll show myself to the door."

~Echo Nymph's POV~

I turned and left the shack, leaving Silver Quill, Dr. Wolf and Firebrand. As I made it half-way through the base, I heard a voice shout, "Watch out!!!"

I looked and a rocket flew toward me and hit me, blowing me into the air and toward one of the roofs. I crashed onto the roof of one of the buildings, but there was a large burn mark on my upper arm. And it hurt... Badly.

"OW! Son of a :yay: ing piece of :yay: ! That :yay: ing hurts!" I cursed under my breath, rubbing my arm and my fur turning white for a second.

"Oh my gosh!" A tall Unicorn mare shouted in worry, as she ran up to me.

She stood almost as tall as Princess Celestia. Her fur coat was a dark orange color. Her eyes were an emerald green. Cloven hooves and nails were a darker orange color. Her curly mane and tail were a ginger-red color. She wore the Blu Medic uniform.

"Are you hurt?" She asked me, extending her hand to me.

"It's okay. I'm fine." I assured her, giving her my hand and she helped me up to my hooves, "This happens to me more than you think." Then I tilted my head, "What happened?"

"Oh, well... I was aiming my crossbow at Voice, but I guess Toon got in the way and clashed into me." She explained, then frowned, "I guess the safety wasn't on and his rocket launcher must've hit you."

"It's fine. This isn't the first time this has happened." I assured.

The mare looked at me and smiled sweetly at me. I smiled back, then noticed something in the distance. An Earth Pony stallion, dress as the Red Sniper, was aiming his rifle at the back of the mare's head. With a swift motion, I moved the mare behind me, drew my black TT Pistol and fired it at the stallion.

~Boom! Headshot!~

The mare looked and saw the stallion fall to the ground. "How... How did you do that? When? Where? What?" She gasped and asked in shock and surprise.

"I saw him aiming his rifle at you." I answered casually, withdrawing my pistol, "He would have headshot you, if I didn't step in. So I got him before he could blink."

"Voice... Didn't... See... You... Coming..." The mare slowly said, with clarity evident in her voice.

"Yeah. It's the reason why Princess Luna is training me to be an assassin. Like the Shadowscales of Elder Scrolls. It's second nature to me." I nodded, oblivious to the idea that it her, "Being the black sheep, and ignored throughout fillyhood..."

She quickly grabbed my hand, "Come with me. I have an idea."

With that, she dragged me back toward the shack. Silver Quill, Firebrand and Dr. Wolf were discussing, until the mare and I came charging in without knocking. She explained what happened on the field, and that I have a talent of taking out a target without being seen. It turns out the mare's name was Keyframe. Dr. Wolf and Firebrand were impressed with the story. And it turns out they've been looking for a new Red Spy since their old one, GibbonTake, left to become a pirate.

"Wait, wait, wait." I spoke up, "You want me to be your Red Spy?" My eyes widened, "I was hoping to apply for a spot in the Blu Team."

"You've shown to have the qualifications for the job." Firebrand told me with a large smile, "Played the game, or otherwise."

"You can use your talent for the benefit of your team." Keyframe smiled.

I smiled and bowed, "Okay. I accept your offer to be the Red Team's Spy."

Dr. Wolf smiled, "Marvelous." Then he walked off to the back of the shack, "Let me get the contract, for you to sign, and we'll get you started."

"Just make sure you lose that British accent." Silver Quill told me, "It's obviously fake, and it's not working."

Everything froze around me. Voices of my fillyhood echoed in my head. My heart raced and my blood boiled. Did he just told me to lose my accent?

You... Just... Made... A... Huge... Mistake... Buckbeak!

I turned to him and spoke in a low tone, "I am not faking... I am British..."

Silver Quill looked at me with surprise, "Really? Are you related to Antony C?"

"I'm giving you a ten second head-start... Before you find out why the citizens of Equestria call me 'The Green Plague'..." I warned him.

Seeing the anger in my eyes, and the tone in my voice, Silver Quill swallowed a lump in his throat and ran out of the shack.

Welcome to the Red Team, Echo Harmonia Nymph.

There Can Be Only One...

~Echo Nymph's POV~

"Before we continue, would you happen to have an up-to-date life insurance policy?" Dr. Wolf asked the newest applicant for the Blu Team.

Since today was a quiet day, I thought I could help Dr. Wolf with choosing the next candidates for the Blu Team, while Firebrand was off doing something else. I never asked.

For the Blu Team, we already have that red Pegasus, ToonKriticY2K, as the Soldier. And KeyFrame as the Medic. That only leaves seven more spots: Pyro, Scout, Demoman, Sniper, Heavy, Spy and Engineer.

As the Red Team's new Spy, it is customary to wear the Red Spy outfit. Which consisted of the Red Spy collared shirt, red blazer and tie, matching pants with a red mask. Hey, as long as I'm not wearing stupid dresses, I don't care.

Like Mad Munchkin, the Red Soldier, I got to keep my glasses. I can't see a thing without them.

Before the applicant could reply, a pink blur zoomed in and entered the office, knocking the applicant into the air an out of the shack.

It was a Pegasus mare with light pink fur, blonde, curly mane and tail tied in a ponytail, and blue eyes. She wore a white shirt under a deep blue sweater and black pants.

"You guys are doing a thing?" She asked, then beamed, "I wanna do a thing! Can I be part of the thing?"

"Uh... Miss. Bloom. We were already in the middle of interviewing an applicant here." Dr. Wolf told the Pegasus in a calm and gentle tone.

That got her interest, "Ooooh. Application for what?"

"We're looking for new additions to the Blu Team for TF2." Dr. Wolf answered.

"Would you be interested in participating?" I asked. Dr. Wolf glanced over at me with a raised brow.

"Oh, yeah. I think I've heard of that." She smiled, then asked, "Can I join?"

Dr. Wolf rubbed his chin in uncertainty, "Well... How much do you know about the various forms of combat we go through here?"

The Pegasus drew a blank and her smile fell, "Uh... One second." Then she left the shack.

"Friend of yours, Doc?" I asked, once she was gone.

Dr. Wolf nodded, "Yes. That was Sweetie Bloom. She... Can be... A little unpredictable."

I rubbed my chin in thought, "Unpredictable, huh? That might be helpful."

Suddenly, there was a loud noise of explosions, screaming, quote references and gunfire?

"What the-?" I gasped, before Sweetie Bloom returned, covered in soot and dust, "I am now proficient in gaming combat." Voices groaned and moaned outside of the shack. "Sort of..." Sweetie Bloom finished, scrunching her muzzle.

"What the heck happened out there?" I asked in shock.

"Okay..." Dr. Wolf started, then asked, "Do you have any idea how to use a shotgun?"

"Point and shoot?" Sweetie Bloom answered.

"What about a cloaking field?" Dr. Wolf asked.

"Why? Is the field cold?" Sweetie asked, confused.

"Okay. Way too much Pinkie Pie." I blurted, scratching the back of my head.

The Pegasus and wolf glanced at me with raised eyebrows. I scrunched my muzzle and avoided eye contact. Then there was another explosion outside the shack. More voices screamed and moaned in panic and pain.

Sweetie Bloom threw a cute, Ditzy look, "Sorry about that."

"Perhaps, building a teleporter, then?" Dr. Wolf asked, resuming the questions.

"I cannot do it, Captain." Sweetie Bloom answered in a Scottish accent, quoting Scotty from Star Trek.

"That was quite good." I smiled. (That's right. I'm a Trekkie.)

Dr. Wolf sighed, "Oi..." Then regained himself, "Look, Miss. Bloom, Miss. Nymph and I appreciate your willingness to contribute. But, at the very least, we need individuals who show some knowledge on how to use the equipment we have." Then he asked, "Is there anything that you think you can handle?"

Sweetie Bloom rubbed her chin in thought.

"Well, Doc. I noticed you only spoke about technology and ranged weapons." I spoke up, "What about close combat? Melee? Swords and daggers? That kind of thing."

Before anyone can answer my question, Firebrand entered the office, covered in blood, "Hi. I was just dissecting a Hippogriff. Don't have a license. Takes me a while. And suddenly, a Pony come careening through the wall from an explosion, and I accidentally cut off a limb." Then he asked, "What's up?"

"Oh, that's why we heard someone screaming about their leg..." I answered in clarity.

Sweetie Bloom frowned, "Oh... My bad." Then explained to the Medic Soldier, "I was just trying to figure out which weapons I know how to use." Then her eyes brightened, "Actually, that reminds me. I've had some practice using this."

From her back, Sweetie drew out a beautifully designed clay-more sword. It looked like a sword from the Highlander series or Braveheart. Firebrand took a step back in fear.

Sweetie narrowed her eyes at him, "You remember this, right Firebrand?"

"Yes." Firebrand answered, "And you tried to throw the sword at me, like Prince Phillip, but smashed furniture instead. Whether that's from you having the depth perception of a cyclops, or having the throwing arm of a filly, I'm not sure."

Offended, Sweetie glared at Firebrand, "Not a fan of my throwing arm, huh? Well, maybe I'll do better in close-quarters?" She walked closer to the wary Unicorn and broke into a good Scottish accent, "Practice makes perfect. I'll show you what a filly can do!"

Then she started swinging her weapon at Firebrand. Firebrand tried to reason with her, but Sweetie Bloom wasn't listening. Dr. Wolf took a step back, while I grabbed a bag of popcorn from the desk, and watched the ordeal. Firebrand wasn't fighting back and got hurt... Badly.

An idea hit me during the entire conflict between the random Pegasus and bloody Unicorn.

After Sweetie Bloom calmed down, she returned to me and Dr. Wolf and sighed, "I dunno. I guess I'm not experienced enough." She frowned sadly and sulked, "Sorry about wasting your time." Then she waved, "Have fun with your project."

"Hold on, Sweetie." I spoke up, "I think we might have a position for someone like you."

Dr. Wolf nodded in agreement, "Indeed. We actually do need someone who's decent at melee, randomly breaks into a Scottish accent and, occasionally makes things explode."

Sweetie Bloom started getting her smile back.

I nodded, "And good depth perception isn't a requirement."

"Really?" Sweetie asked excited, "What is it? What is it?"

I put a black eye-patch over her left eye, "Congratulations, Sweetie Bloom. You are the Blu Team's DemoPony."

Sweetie Bloom squeaked in excitement and joy, and she dashed out of the shack. All that was left were Dr. Wolf, myself, and Firebrand, who was laying of the ground, covered in blood, cuts, scrapes and bruises.

Dr. Wolf walked over to the wounded Medic, "You're actually a trained soldier. How do you keep getting beaten like this?"

"I refuse to fight women." Firebrand answered the best he could, "They're soft."

"That's sexist, Josh." I scolded, feeling offended.

"Didn't you, once, stabbed Eliyora repeatedly?" Dr. Wolf reminded.

"Hey! She was already dead!" Firebrand argued, "That doesn't count."

I took a double-take, "Wait, what?"

Dr. Wolf did the same, "Dead?"

"She got better." Firebrand answered innocently.

"But, aside from that being impossible, you make it sound like pain and death don't have consequences." Dr. Wolf pointed out.

"This is TF2. They really don't." Firebrand answered simply.

I thought back on the videos I watched of TF2 and nodded in agreement, "Can't argue with that. Team Fortress 2 truly doesn't give a damn about death and pain."

Then Silver Quill arrived, holding one of his legs in his arms and covered in blood as well. He glared at Firebrand, "Reattach this... NOW!"

I made the right choice joining these guys...

Eye On The Target

~Keyframe's POV.~

It was another quiet day in Coal Town. I was just enjoying the day, making my way to the Mare-Co store, singing a little tune, until a familiar face came flying toward me, shouting, "Keyframe! Just what do you think you're doing?"

It was my coltfriend, Golden Fox. A Pegasus stallion that lives up to his name.

His fur was a golden orange color with a vibrant orange diamond on his forehead, and the feathers of his wings faded to the same color. His mane and tail were red, with his tail showing streaks of the same orange as his wings and diamond. His eyes were a beautiful blue. Like an ocean after a storm. He wore a white shirt with his Cutie Mark on the chest area, a light blue jacket and blue jeans.

I smiled at him, "Oh, hi, Goldie. Just getting an upgraded syringe gun from the Mare-Co store." I explained, "You never just play with the defaults, you know?"

Golden Fox face-palmed and sighed, "No, I mean what do you think you're doing in this deathtrap?"

My smile fell, "Well, I am the Blu Team's Medic, dear."

His eyes widened, "What?!" Then he shouted, "This place is beyond dangerous! I can't let you put yourself through this!"

"You know, AnY and Silver Quill are happy I joined!" I told him.

"I don't give a feathered flank about what your other ships think!" He argued, "I don't think you should be here!"

I faked a laugh, "Well, frankly, dear, you can't stop me!" Then I started making my way to the store, "Now, you'd better leave. There's a reason civilians never made it past Beta."

~Golden Fox's POV~

With that, she was gone. I thought for a second and decided to make a choice.

"Well then, I guess I just have to become more than a civilian." I told myself.

I followed the main path and found a ran-down shack. Inside was a familiar white wolf dress as an Engineer and an unfamiliar, tall Earth Pony dressed in a white collared shirt under a red blazer and red formal pants, dark red mask and black-framed glasses.

Dr. Wolf saw me enter and smiled, "Ah. Mr. Golden Fox. What a pleasant surprise."

"Save it, Doc." I cut him off, "How could you let Key join this group?"

Dr. Wolf was taken back from my tone, recollected himself and frowned, "Hello to you as well."

"Oh. You must be Golden Fox." The Earth Pony smiled at me, "Keyframe has told me a lot about you."

I was taken back by the Earth Pony's voice. The voice gave away that it was a mare behind the mask. Her muzzle gave off that her fur was a mint green color. Her mane and tail were rusty red with ginger-red tips and streaks. Hooves and nails of malachite green. Her eyes were hazel, nearly green.

"She has?" I asked, with an embarrassed blush. But I shook my head and returned to the matter at hand.

"Keyframe had shown a lot of interest in joining the project since its conception." Dr. Wolf explained, "And I felt that, mixed with her experience in the game, she'd be a good fit for the Blu Team."

"How so?" I asked, "It's a war-zone out there. Literally. You're willing to let her out there and nearly get herself killed?!"

"My apologies, Golden, but she made this choice of her own volition." Dr. Wolf explained.

The Earth Pony mare nodded in agreement, "And to be honest, if it wasn't for Key's knowledge and experience, newbies like me wouldn't be given a second chance to prove herself on the field."

"And who are you?" I asked her.

"My name is Echo Harmonia Nymph. But you can call me Echo Nymph." She answered.

Echo Harmonia Nymph? Where have I heard that name before? Wait...

"Aren't you that fanfic writer?" I asked. The mare nodded her head with a smile.

Okay... Now that's out of the way. I sighed and nodded, "Well, in that case, allow me to join in as well."

"Are you sure about that, Golden?" Echo Nymph asked me, looking a little concerned.

Dr. Wolf nodded in agreement, "I agree. This doesn't seem like your type of game."

I nodded, "Anything to protect Key."

"Well, then... Welcome to the Blu Team, Golden Fox." Echo Nymph welcomed me with a warm smile.

"Thank you." I smiled back, "Now, what class should I be to help her?"

Dr. Wolf and Echo Nymph rubbed their chins in thought. Then Dr. Wolf answered, "Well... I would say the one with the most power and interaction with the Medic would definitely be the Heavy."

"But, given your-" "I'll do it." I answered, cutting Echo Nymph off.

"But-" "I said I'll do it?" I cut her off again, "Now what does this class use? A pistol or something?"

Dr. Wolf and Echo Nymph looked at each other in uncertainty. They lead me to the weapons cabinet and showed me a large machine-gun. It looked very heavy to lift on my own.

"I have to carry that!?" I exclaimed in shock.

"They don't call that class 'The Heavy' for nothing." Dr. Wolf answered with uncertainty.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from outside. Followed by Keyframe's voice shouting, "Ha, ha, ha! Nice try, AnY! You almost got me that time!"

Without a second thought, I got dressed into the Heavy attire and carried the machine-gun toward the exit of the shack. The thing weighed more than my living room couch!

"Mr. Golden Fox, do you really believe that you're capable of performing any combat on the battlefield with this?" Dr. Wolf asked me in concern.

But, I had trouble hearing him from the strain of the machine gun, "What?" I shook my head and assured, "I'm fine. I'm fine. This isn't too heavy." Then I marched ahead, "Let's just get out into the field."

I exit the shack while Dr. Wolf nodded, "Alright, then."

Echo Nymph gasped and called, "Golden Fox, watch out for that first-"

I took the first step on the steps out of the shack. The weight of the machine-gun caught up with me and I tripped. Falling over the rest of the steps and landing into the dirt of the solid ground.

"Step..." She finished with a sigh.

"I'm okay." I assured the Earth Pony mare and wolf.

I think I might have twisted my wing... Or sprained my knee...

*A Little Later, On the Battlefield...*

It was a struggle, but I was able to make it into the battlefield and meet up with Keyframe, who was on the roof, making her class look easy and fun.

"Hi, honey." I waved, getting her attention.

Keyframe turned to me, eyes widened, and shocked, "What? Fox, what are you doing here? And why are you carrying around Sasha?"

I looked at the machine-gun, "This thing has a name?" Then I recollected myself and explained, "I mean, I'm carrying 'Sasha' because I'm the new Heavy."

Keyframe burst into laughter at me explanation. Then she calmed and looked at me, "You're not serious." I gave her a 'Does-It-Look-Like-I'm-Joking' look. Her smile began to fade, "You're not serious." Clarity hit her and her smile fell, "Oh Luna, you're serious..." Then she shouted at me, "Babe, you can't be the Heavy."

"Why not?" I asked her.

"Well, for one; that thing weighs more than you do." She pointed out, "There's a reason Silver's the Red Team's Heavy. Second; you barely know anything about the game."

"I, too, know about the game!" I argued.

"Oh, yeah? Well, name the nine classes." She challenged me.

I rubbed my chin in thought, "Oh, well, there's the Heavy. The Medic. And the Engineer. And I think one of them is French?"

"Sacrebleu! J'ai du sang sur mon blazer!" I heard Echo Nymph shout in French from a distance from us.

That was actually some good French. Quite the talent.

"Okay. I'm talking to the Doctor." Keyframe spoke up, snapping me back into reality, and was about to walk away.

"Wait, babe. Please, give me a chance. I just want to help out." I told her, "Maybe I'll begin to see why you like this stuff so much."

Keyframe sighed and looked at me with a smile, "You had to have those pretty blue eyes." Then she nodded, "Okay. You can stay." Then she added, "Just make sure to watch out for yourself. I can handle myself. You don't need to hover me."

"Mission begins in 20 seconds."

Keyframe smiled, got her Medi-gun ready and dashed ahead, "Come on. Let's see what you've got!"

I struggled to follow her and began the mission.

*5 Mins Later...*

"You walked right in front of that sentry! What were you thinking!?" Keyframe shouted at me, while she was bandaging me up from my wounds.

"I was just trying to protect you from Maddie!" I told her.

"That was Maddie's body from a previous round!" She corrected, "I shot her with my crossbow." She sighed angrily and asked, "Why do you feel like you need to protect me all the time? You know I'm perfectly capable..." Clarity came to her, "Wait... Wait, wait, wait." Then she glared at me, "You don't think I can fight, do you?"

I took a step back, "What?" Then quickly shook my head, "No! I-I just think with all these fighters, you may get overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed? Overwhelmed?" Keyframe repeated with a laugh. She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and told me, drawing her syringe gun, "Well, let me tell you something, baby. I have almost 300 hours of this game under my belt in just two months."

She shot Echo Nymph from behind her, without looking away from me, "I have almost all the Medic Achievements." She shot Eliyora from behind me, "And I have 'Ubered-up' more than you've pumped your wings!"

Then she dropped me and pushed me back, "So... With all the love I have in my heart for you, Goldie... Please... BACK OFF!"

*Back in Dr. Wolf's Office...*
~Echo Nymph's POV~

Dr. Wolf and I were just going over the plans for the next upcoming training exercises, as well as cleaning the blood off my blazer, until Golden Fox arrived, dropping the mini-gun with a sad look. He looked like he lost a fight with a huge storm cloud, or an adult dragon.

No offence to Teric, Onyx and Vivid Dreams.

"Golden Fox?" Dr. Wolf noticed, "Didn't you want to practice more with Miss. Keyframe?"

"I quit, Doc." Golden Fox sighed, "I can barely lift this thing and Key has saved my hide more than I've tried saving hers." He sulked, "I should leave her be, but I can't stop fearing that something will happen to her."

I rubbed my chin in thought, then smiled, "Well... I tried to tell you before you jumped the gun. I believe I know a class that can help you and Keyframe with both your predicaments."

Golden Fox looked at me with a raised brow, then smiled at me, "I'm listening."

I smiled back.

*A Little Later, On the Battlefield...*
~Keyframe's POV.~

I charged into the Red territory, but my syringe gun was out of ammo, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

Silver Quill walked up from behind me, aimed his mini-gun at me and smiled, "I feel like a tool for doing this, but that Rarity drinking game shaves years off my life."

He readied his gun at me, then suddenly a gunshot was heard at Silver was shot in his forehead. A headshot? When? Where? How?

Just then, Golden Fox arrived, dress as a Sniper, and carrying the signature sniper rifle, "For the record, you didn't even accept that challenge, Birdbrain."

Silver Quill turned to Golden and glared at him, "That, sir, is racist." Then he dropped down the stairs and died.

I laughed in relief and smiled at my coltfriend, "Thanks, honey. You saved my flank."

He smiled back at me, "No problem, babe." Then added, "Uh... Nothing personal on what I originally intended, right? I mean, if I get good at this, I'm sure there won't a problem later on."

"It's okay, hun. I forgive you." I replied, and threw my arms around him, "And I'm sorry for saying what I did."

I released the hug and smiled, "The mission is about to end. Keep up the good work, honey."

With that, I continued to the flag-point.

~Golden Fox's POV.~

Keyframe made her way to the flag-point. Dr. Wolf and Spinel Pie came by.

"So, do you think this role can be a good compromise between your protectiveness and Keyframe's independence?" Dr. Wolf asked me.

"Wave Completed. Well Done."

Before I could reply, I noticed Keyframe talking to AnY.

AnY is a German Earth Pony-Changeling hybrid stallion, but he looks more Earth Pony than a Changeling.

Fur coat of a dark brown with a lighter brown on his muzzle, forearms and ankles and light brown hooves. Light blue mane and tail with darker blue streaks. And dark blue eyes behind a pair of silver-framed glasses.

He was wearing a red Demoman's uniform.

"So, I guess your German-ness was acceptable." He told her with a smile, "And, you know, you can really pull off that lab coat, Keyframe." Keyframe blushed with a smile, "If you ever want to get the true German experience, however, I'd offer private tutoring les-"

I heard enough and shot the German DemoPony in between the eyes.

I smiled and answered, "I think it will be, Doc. I think it will be."

Suited for Subtlety

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Another day, another time spending in the shack, considering members for the Blu Team. So far, we've had quite a few applicants, but none were able to either fit the part, or haven't been able to survive.

"You know, I've been looking through our applicants for the Blu Team, and I feel like we're missing a lot of star power." Firebrand noticed, as Dr. Wolf was going over the list, and I was keeping watch of the others.

"Is that really so important, though?" Dr. Wolf asked.

"But of course." Firebrand answered with a nod, "We're a business. We gotta have some resource to over-milk and over-market."

Dr. Wolf rubbed his chin in thought, "Well... Who else do you think would make a good fit for the Blu Team?"

A memory hit me and I turned to the boys, "Oh, I think I might know someone."

"Really? Is it a big name? Someone we all know?" Firebrand asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. Just yesterday, I got a call from Discord. He heard about this project and said he had a friend that was looking for something to do."

Dr. Wolf took a step back, "Wait... You got a call from who?"

"Discord." I repeated.

"Who made you involved with choosing our candidates?" Firebrand asked with a skeptical look.

"Miss. Nymph here has shown to have a gift for seeing hidden potential for the Blu Team." Dr. Wolf explained, "It was her idea to place Golden Fox as the Sniper, and Sweetie Bloom as the DemoPony."

I rubbed my arm with a shy blush, "I can sense things."

Just as I finished speaking, she showed up.

A blue Pegasus mare with a curly brown mane and tail, with a blonde streak. Her light blue eyes under a pair of shades. She wore a light blue jacket with white sleeves and a yellow skirt with black leggings.

She made a dynamic entrance, complete with a purple-pink screen and winged bunnies, hanging from cables.

ILoveKimPossibleALot, or just KP. Discord's Princess of Chaos.

KP removed her shades and smiled at us.

"Was that really necessary?" Dr. Wolf asked.

"Yes. It was entirely necessary." KP answered.

"It's a funny-person thing. You wouldn't understand." Firebrand explained, as he put the screen away, and I helped the bunnies down from the cables, before they started getting scared.

"Okay then..." Dr. Wolf folded his arms, then smiled at KP, "So, Miss. Possible. What can we do for you?"

"I don't really know anything about this game..." She explained, reading a book on Team Fortress 2, "So, I was told the Sniper was awesome." She smiled, "I wanna be that."

Dr. Wolf's smile faded, "I'm sorry, but that's taken."

KP frowned, "But that's like the coolest one out of all the ones." She sighed and asked, "What about... What was it? The Demoman?"

"Taken." Firebrand answered.

"What about the doctor? I mean, the Medic?" She asked.

"Taken as well, I'm afraid." I answered.

"What about the Soldier?" KP asked.

"Taken." Firebrand quickly answered.

KP glared at the Red Medic, then sighed, "Okay, what hasn't been named recently yet?"

Dr. Wolf rubbed his chin, "Well, we have the Pyro..."

"A what?" KP asked, checking her book.

"The Heavy..." Doc showed her Sasha.

"How am I supposed to lift that?!" KP exclaimed in disbelief.

"The Engineer..."

"Ew. Math." KP stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Dr. Wolf folded his arms and gave her a stern, but offended look, "Thank you." Then resumed, "There's also the Spy..."

"Pass." KP quickly answered.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, feeling offended.

"And finally the Scout." Doc finished.

KP frowned, "Oh, you gotta be kidding me! That's it?"

Firebrand shrugged, "Hey. First come, first serve..."

KP started glaring at him. I noticed the rising anger, "Uh... Firebrand?"

"Snooze you lose." He continued.

"Josh?"

"Early bird gets the-" KP quickly threw Firebrand into the floor. Hard. Head-first.

"I tried to warn you." I told him, "Don't tease a girl with a temper."

KP turned to me and Dr. Wolf. I quickly raised my hands into the air, while Dr. Wolf explained, "Well, I'm sorry to say, but Firebrand is correct. These are the only vacancies we have." KP sulked, "I'm afraid that you'll to pick one of these five, or you wont be able to take part." Then he looked at me, "Miss. Nymph, what are your thoughts?"

I rubbed my chin in thought, "Well, given her speed and nimbleness in a tough situation. I would have to say the Scout is your best class."

KP sighed, "Fine. I'll take the girl scout."

Dr. Wolf smiled, "Alrighty then." Then explained, "I'd recommend shadowing Miss. Rose. She's very friendly, and patient, and would gladly show you the ropes of the job."

I smiled, "Welcome to the team, KP."

"Whatever." She dismissed, walking out of the shack.

Dr. Wolf walked over to the injured Firebrand and asked, "Are you alright, Firebrand?"

Firebrand looked at Dr. Wolf and smiled like young colt, "Mommy, he followed me home. Can I keep him?"

Dr. Wolf took a step back in surprise. I made my way to the first aid, "I'll fix him."

Dr. Wolf looked at me, "How? You're not a Medic?"

"I shadowed Nurse Redheart for a time, before coming here. She taught me a few good pointers." I explained to him, opening the cabinet.

Given time, I was able to patch Firebrand up and told him to rest, while he recovers. Now, I was in the battlefield, enjoying the day and sharpening my skills as a Spy. However, during my exercises, I noticed KP was having trouble with her abilities and skills as a Scout.

She got shot by VoiceOfReason, our Red Sniper, by charging toward them with her scatter-gun. Nearly blown to pieces by Mad Munchkin, while misusing her BONK. And nearly exploded while using her melee weapon on a propane tank.

Given time, Dr. Wolf and KP came to see me. KP looked a little hurt, but it was covered by annoyance and boredom.

"Hey, Doc. How can I help you?" I greeted.

"Hello, Miss. Nymph." Dr. Wolf greeted me with a smile, then explained, "Miss. Possible here is having trouble with understanding stealth. So I thought, maybe, you can teach her about how to be subtle and avoid getting hurt."

"Okay. I'll see if I can help." I smiled with a nod.

"Alright then. I'll leave you to it." Dr. Wolf nodded, then left.

"So, KP. You're having trouble?" I asked KP.

She nodded, "Yeah. Everything I tried, I kept getting blown up, or shot. What am I doing wrong?"

"Well... I'll explain it simply." I explained, "Team Fortress 2 is a team-based game that's all about stealth and strategy. You can't just charge into the other side and kill everyone. That's every other game." I drew my kunai, "Improvise your skills to best fit your team. Distract your opponent and strike at the right moment." Then I smiled, "Here. I'll show you."

With that, I disappeared into the shadows and snuck around the battlefield, making my way to Silver Quill, without him noticing I was behind him.

However, my demonstration was cut short by KP appearing, "Yeah. Bored." Then she hit Silver Quill in the head with her bat.

He turned to KP, mini-gun ready and I stepped back. Suddenly, there was a loud gunshot and Silver Quill got head-shot again. He fell to the ground revealing Golden Fox behind him.

He smiled at KP, "Hey. Nice distraction, KP." Then he made his way back to the rooftops.

"Distraction?" KP repeated with a smile.

I smiled, "Heh. What do you know? Three for three."

Dr. Wolf arrived and smiled, "Indeed. It seems you are very talented at drawing attention to yourself, and somehow getting away completely intact." He rubbed his chin in thought, "Even though you might not be suited for the typical class canon-role of the Scout..." Then he smiled at KP, "Perhaps we can have you break out of the traditional role and provide a utility that no other team member can provide."

"My job is to annoy the living daylights out of people?" KP simplified. Dr. Wolf nodded. KP smiled, "I can do that."

Then we return to the dead Hippogriff on the ground.

"You guys should probably get this cleaned up." KP spoke up.

Dr. Wolf nodded, "Agreed."

"Ee-yup." I answered with a nod of my own.

The Cuter They Are...

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Another day, another beautiful weather.

I was just on my way to Dr. Wolf's office, to see if he needed my help with another recruit, until I encountered a floating orb of rainbow magic.

I raised an eyebrow, "What the-"

Taste the Rainbow MotherFucker!

The orb exploded and something rainbow, white and black came crashing into me. The impact of our collision threw me and the object back into a trash can, and the back of an empty shack of supplies.

"Ow..." Was all I can say about my bruising pain.

"10 times. This is the 10th time this week!?" The object shouted in frustration.

I looked, and it turned out the object was a white Alicorn mare, about a couple of inches taller than Dr. Wolf, but by the sound of her voice, she's older than she looks.

Her fur coat was white, with a black mane and rainbow streaks in her crest and tail. Her eyes were an opal green-blue. And light golden nails and hooves.

She wore a pair of goggles over her head. A light blue t-shirt and light purple khaki pants under an artist's apron.

There were a couple of features that made her different from the normal Alicorn, aside from her petite stature. Her ears were quite big, and her tail was leonine. She was very unique.

"Uh... Hello?" I greeted, as the Alicorn got to her hooves and brushed herself off.

She turned to me and groaned, "Oh, great. Here come the 'cute' remarks, already."

"Hey, wait. You don't know me." I spoke up, "How do you know I'll make fun of you?"

"Because everyone else does." She answered with a glare.

Maddie came walking by, and she looked at the Alicorn. She smiled teasingly, "Aw, look at the little Alicorn. Aren't you cute? Where's your tiara?"

The Alicorn lightly smiled at Maddie, "Hi, Maddie. Nice to see you too." Then she walked off.

I picked myself up and glared at the Scottish Soldier, "That was a little mean, Maddie."

Maddie looked at me, "What? I was only joking around. Lightning Bliss is actually very sweet."

My eyes widened, "Wait... Lightning Bliss? THE Lightning Bliss?"

"Yes. Why? Are there others?" Maddie asked, raising a brow at me.

"No. She needs to see Dr. Wolf about something." I ran deeper into the town, "I gotta find her before something happens."

With that, I climbed to the top of the buildings and searched around the battlefield. I found the Alicorn, Lightning Bliss, talking to Keyframe on the other side of the battlefield. I leaped over the rooftops and climbed down the building behind Keyframe. Apparently, I caught the two as Keyframe was doing her maniacal laugh.

"You've been bottling your frustration way too much, Key." I spoke up in a deadpan tone.

Keyframe jumped in startle and turned to me, "Echo? How long have you been there?"

"Just now." I answered with a shrug.

"Oh, it's you again." Lightning Bliss glared at me, "Don't you think I've been teased enough?"

I quickly waved my hands in defense, "Wait, wait, wait. I'm not here to tease you, Miss. Bliss." Then I assure with a small smile, "Before you bumped into me, I was actually looking for you."

"You were?" She perked her ears up, then glared at me again, "Wait.. Are you here to take me away? If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die fighting!"

And now I feel like I want to kill something...

I took a deep breath and exhaled, "I'm not the Grudge Girl, I'm just a normal Earth Pony."

"Oh." Lightning Bliss scrunched her face, "I'm sorry about that."

"Happens more than you think." I assured, waving my hand with a smile, "You're not the only ones who doesn't get taken seriously."

Keyframe nodded in agreement, "Yeah. You'll get used to it over time."

Lightning Bliss nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then regained herself, "Anyways, I was hoping you could point me in the right direction to Dr. Wolf?"

Keyframe nodded, "Oh, sure." Then she pointed in front of herself, "His office is just beyond that building right over there. Look for the one covered in burn marks."

Lightning Bliss looked uncertain, "Okay then..."

I noticed a look in Keyframe's eyes. Oh boy... I quickly took hold of Lightning Bliss' hand and took her to Dr. Wolf's office, "He's this way."

"Hey! Slow down!" Bliss told me, as she struggled to keep up with me.

She and I entered the office. Dr. Wolf saw us and smiled, "Ah. Miss. Bliss and Miss. Nymph. I'm surprised to see you made the trip all the way out to the Badlands."

"Rainbow travel has its perks." Bliss answered, "And its disadvantages."

"Miss. Bliss bumped into me, when she appeared." I explained, "It hurt a bit."

"Sorry about that." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it." I assured her, "I was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Is something troubling you, Lightning?" Dr. Wolf asked, noticing her subtle frustration, "You don't seem like your normal cheery self today."

Lightning Bliss sighed and looked at the wolf Engineer, "Doc. I came all the way out here to talk to you about the editing portions of this project-"

I quickly covered my ears, "Aaahh-aaahh-aaahh! We don't need to hear that!"

Dr. Wolf nodded agreement, "No breaking the fourth-wall, please."

Lightning Bliss smiled sheepishly, "Oh. Sorry. Right." She recollected herself, "Anyways, as soon as I get here, I am met cuteness over cuteness comments. Not once, has anybody here taken me seriously!"

"Oi... I'm right here, Miss. Bliss." I pointed out, feeling offended.

"Well, except for this Earth Pony here." Bliss corrected herself, "I just don't get it. I can be very determined, if not a serious Pony!"

She took a step forward, but her hoof caught the tuff of her tail. She lost her hoofing and fell, "Ouch." Bliss recollected herself, "I meant to do that." She stood back up and dusted herself off, "But you understand me, right?" She asked Dr. Wolf, "You take me seriously, don't you?"

Dr. Wolf nodded, "Of course, I do, Miss. Bliss. I very much appreciate all your contributions to our work here." He rubbed his chin in thought, "Though I suppose I can understand that feeling of wanting to be taken seriously when so many people can't seem to focus on anything aside from how adorable you are."

Lightning Bliss nodded in agreement, "Right! It's 'cute' this, and 'cute' that." Her frustration started growing again, "'Oh, look how cute your ears are'! Or 'your cute little rainbow tail'. I am sick of it! Son of a back-skating bulldog, I am so frustrated, I could just-"

Just then, Silver Quill arrived, "Hey, Doc. Hey, Echo. Have you seen my-" Then he saw Lightning Bliss and smiled, "Hey, Cute-Stuff. Kinda short for a Pony, aren't you?"

Lightning Bliss' frustration grew into anger. Her eyes went blank. She picked up Sasha with ease, and she aimed it Silver Quill's head.

"Call me cute, I dare you! Call me cute... One! More! Time!" She growled at the Hippogriff.

"Wait, is that a dare or a request? I need to be sure, because, the choice is kind of important right now." He asked, clueless of what he's just done.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute." I spoke up, "Bliss... You... You can hold Sasha?"

Bliss caught herself, calmed and realized what was going on, "I guess."

Dr. Wolf noticed and asked, "And that doesn't weigh you down at all?"

Bliss used her magic and was able to flip the mini-gun like it weighed nothing at all.

Okay... I'm getting serious Superman II flashbacks here...

"Not really. No." Bliss answered.

"That is..." I started, then a lightbulb went off in my head. I looked at Dr. Wolf, "Hey, Doc. I think I found something that would help with others taking Bliss more seriously."

Dr. Wolf thought for a moment, then he smiled, "Looks like great minds think alike, Miss. Nymph."

Silver Quill took a step back, "I'm seriously afraid. Does that count?"

I smiled at Bliss and gave her a blue collared shirt, "Congratulations, Lightning Bliss. You are the Blu Team's new Heavy."

"Really?" She asked with a smile. I nodded. She squeeed and threw her arms around me, "Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"

With that, she got dressed into the Heavy uniform, and joined the battlefield.

Stop Helping Me!!

~Echo Nymph's POV~

"So, Finn. Based on this application, I can clearly see that you're incredibly enthusiastic about applying for the position of Blu Team manservant." Dr. Wolf told our newest applicant.

Finn the Pony is as sweet and kind, as he is blue. Blue fur coat. Blue eyes. And, from what I can figure, blonde mane and tail. Kinda like my sister back in Ponyville. Only she's a Unicorn mare, and her nails and hooves are amethyst purple, not a deeper blue.

To put it basically, Finn is the ponification of Finn the Human from Adventure time. Green backpack with signature golden sword. And even the white hood over his head, light blue shirt and darker blue shorts.

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed, looking at Dr. Wolf with a shocked look.

Manservant? I thought that position was a joke!

Fin squeaked in excitement, "Yes, indeed, I am!"

"You do realize this job involves intense amounts of manual labor, correct?" Dr. Wolf asked in concern.

Finn nodded his head, "Not to worry, Doc. I'm prepared for the worst of the worst."

He grabbed his backpack and emptied it on Dr. Wolf's desk. He had all sorts of stuff packed. Food. Drinks. First aid kits. Traffic cones. Bucket. Mop. Broom. Bowling ball? And a... Is that a rubber duckie?

"Well..." Dr. Wolf recollected himself, "I can easily see that you have the drive for this position." Then he smiled, "I suppose because you're the only applicant, maybe you should be the one to get the-"

Finn smiled and threw his arms around me very tightly, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Wolf and Miss. Harmony!"

"Finn... Finn! Too tight... Can't breathe!" I struggled to breathe, then felt a snap in my back, "Ow!"

He let me go and smiled, "I promise to be a servant and on the ball as possible! I'll fulfill my team's needs faster than you can say 'Thanks Pallie'!" Then he dashed off, "You'll see."

He dashed into the closest door, which was the back of the shack.

"Finn, wait! That's-" I tried to warn, but he opened the door and Rarity screamed.

Sheepish and apologetic, Finn quickly closed the door and dashed through the exit.

"Welp...We'll be seeing him later." I noted.

"Was that Rarity in there?" Dr. Wolf asked me.

"I asked her to fix my blazer." I answered, "ToonKritic ticked Eliyora off again." I rubbed the back of my neck and flexed my back. There was a small snap and my back wasn't stiff anymore.

"Whoa... Finn fixed my back problem." I smiled.

*A Little Later...*

Unfortunately, things did not go so well as Dr. Wolf hoped. The Blu Team members all arrived to the office, shouting all at once about their problems with Finn.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, everypony. One at a time." I told the team members.

Sweetie Bloom was the first, "He totally ruined my surprise attack!"

Then Keyframe, in a good German accent, "Since when did that... Schrinhund (I think that's what she said)... Think he's more qualified than I to administer medical attention?" She folded her arms and pouted, "I didn't drop medical school for nothing!"

Then KP spoke up, "I swear, by the end of this, someone besides me is gonna be mummified!"

Then ToonKritic complained, "He burnt my shake!" He held up a milkshake glass with half-burnt strawberry milkshake inside. The girls looked at him with glares. "What? Don't act like you guys never wanted to be served food in the battlefield." He glared back.

"I am not even gonna ask..." I muttered under my breath.

"Everypony, please try to calm down." Dr. Wolf spoke up, "Miss. Nymph and I will see what we can do about this."

Then Finn arrived, with two cups of tea in his hands, "Two hot teas with two sugars and a small twist of lemon."

He placed the teas on the desk. One close to me and the other close to Dr. Wolf.

"Oh... Um... Thank you kindly, Finn." Dr. Wolf thanked, while I took my cup and took a sip.

I smiled, "Hey! Orange pekoe with a strawberry twist. My fave." I smiled sweetly at Finn, "Thank you, Finn. How did you know?"

Finn smiled back at me, "Just a hunch." Then turned to Dr. Wolf, "And, no. Thank you, Doctor. I feel like I'm such an asset to the team, as the Blu Team's manservant."

"Manservant?" Golden Fox repeated, then frowned, "I thought that position was a joke."

"We all did, Golden." I answered.

"And we're the butt of it." Keyframe sulked.

"Miss. Nymph and I will handle this, everypony." Dr. Wolf told them, "Please just go back to training."

With that, everyone left. ToonKritic was the last to exit, wondering, "How do you even burn a shake?"

"Ask Sweetie Belle." I answered, "Rarity told me she once burnt juice and cereal." Then shouted, "Now stop moping around and MOVE IT!!"

With that, Toon dashed out of the office, dropping the burnt shake behind him.

"I've honestly never felt like a true team player, until this day." Finn beamed, "I sure made quite the difference in the lives of my blue buddies."

"You... Could say that." Dr. Wolf smiled, unsure how to phrase his words without hurting Finn's feelings, "But, perhaps your eagerness in providing help to others would be best suited in a different fashion."

Finn's smile fell, "What do you mean?"

I thought for a second, then smiled at Finn, "I think Dr. Wolf has just the perfect job for you, Finn."

Finn regained his smile.

*A Little Later...*

With a little teaching, Dr. Wolf and I made Finn the Blu Team's new Engineer. And it was time for his first mission in his new position.

Right now, Lightning Bliss was running around the area, ubercharged and acting like Pinkie Pie when she had too much frosting. Her ubercharge eventually expired and left her wide open for an attack.

Firebrand, VoiceOfReason and I circled her, ready to finish her off.

VoiceOfReason was an Earth Pony stallion. He's the Red Team's Sniper. His Australian accent could rival to Hugh Jackman's genuine. Pale green fur coat. Green mane and tail was a brown streak. And green-blue eyes.

"So... What exactly was your plan here, Gobstopper?" Firebrand asked with a smile.

"What? Don't I make a 'cute' little distraction?" Lightning Bliss asked with a smile of her own.

Wait? Did she say 'Distraction'?

Suddenly, the rest of the Blu Team circled around us.

"Thank for the tele, Finn." Sweetie thanked Finn.

Keyframe grabbed her syringe-gun, "Don't worry. This will just hurt a lot." Then she laughed like a Medic would.

"Clever girl..." Voice gasped.

"Well Done."

To Be, Or Not To Be...

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Ugh! Why can't I shake off this feeling? It's been building up since yesterday. It's making me tense, very alert and extremely cautious. Like the main character from the Telltale Heart.

"Aw, yeah! Come at me, bro-ski!" ToonKritic shouted from behind me, "Show me what you've-" I quickly drew my pistol and shot him in the arm. Toon fell to the ground, holding his arm in pain, "Medic!"

"Hey, ya big brutes!" KP shouted from the left of the field, "Run, run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the-" I fired my pistol at her too. The impact threw her into a shack in front of her, "Seriously burnt girl Scout cookie..." She fell to the ground, "Medic!"

I realized what happened and I covered my muzzle, "Oh my gosh, KP! I'm so sorry."

"Uh... Talk?" I heard Golden Fox mutter from above me. On instinct, I drew my pistol and shot at him too. Golden fell from the roof and hit the ground in pain, "Son of a-"

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry, Golden." I quickly apologized.

"It's okay, Nymph." He assured me, then called, "Medic!"

After Keyframe healed all her teammates, she was out of breath and decided to talk to Dr. Wolf and Firebrand.

"Doc, sorry to sound so blunt..." Keyframe started between breaths, "But can you, possibly, maybe, kinda, sorta, if you don't mind... Hire someone who isn't a walking, talking BULLS-EYE?!!!"

She sighed and fell to the ground in exhaustion. Dr. Wolf and Firebrand took a step back.

"I think I landed on my crossbow." She muttered under her breath, in pain.

I arrived and tried to speak, "Hey, I'm trying to say I'm sorry, Key." Then noticed, "And she's out." I sighed, "Figures... Serves me right..."

"What do you mean by 'Serves you right', Miss. Nymph?" Dr. Wolf asked.

I rubbed my arm, "I... Was... Responsible for Keyframe overworking herself..."

Firebrand nodded and explained, "She shot all of them in the arm."

"Goodness!" Dr. Wolf gasped, "Now I see what you mean, Firebrand." Then jotted on his clipboard, "Perhaps we have enough meat shields and distractions, and could likely use another character of subtlety to fill in one of the last two slots for the Blu Team."

"It's not my fault!" I quickly defended, then I rubbed my arm with my ears down, "I guess I've just been a little bit tense, lately."

"Why? What's got you all tense suddenly?" Firebrand asked.

"I keep feeling something ominous is going to happen." I answered, "It's been growing since two days ago. It started off small and easy to shrug off. But, since yesterday, it's been getting bothersome, and it's making me feel like American McGee's Alice." I rubbed my arm again, "Am I going mad?"

"I'll make an appointment for you, Miss. Nymph." Dr. Wolf assured, then a thought came to him, "Now that I think of it, we'd actually have even teams then."

Just then, a Unicorn stallion entered the office. His fur was a light blue. Well-combed brown mane and tail. And brown eyes.

He wore a pair of black-framed glasses, similar to mine. And a red collared vest with black pants.

"Um... Excuse me?" The Unicorn cleared his throat, "Is this where auditions are being held for-" He looked at Keyframe, "Uh... Keyframe? Why do you look like you're ready for beddy-bye?"

Keyframe opened her eyes and looked at the Unicorn, "Oh. Hey, daddy. Will you read me the story about how the angel got his devil horns?"

"Either she's talking about Lucifer, or she's so exhausted her words are mixed up." I noted.

"You're Christian?" Dr. Wolf asked me.

I shook my head, "No. I'm an atheist with spiritual views." I scratched the back of my head, "I just read a lot."

"An Earth Pony being Buddhist?" The Unicorn raised a brow, "That's unheard of."

And just like that... I want to burn something... Or someone...

"Atheist with spiritual views... Not a Buddhist." I corrected.

"So you're Wiccan?" He asked me.

I glanced at him and grit my teeth in anger. But I calmed myself, shook it off, stayed silent and helped Keyframe back to her hooves.

"Anywho..." Dr. Wolf spoke up, "Yes, this is where applications can be turned in." Then asked, "But, if I may ask, who are you?"

The Unicorn turned his attention to Doc and smiled, "Oh, sorry. How rude of me." He cleared his throat and introduced himself, "Name's Thespio, Dr. Wolf. Actor. Singer. Dancer. ECT. I heard through the chain-link fence, that a select few of my good friends happen to spend their free time out here, and I thought to myself, 'Hey, maybe I can join the fun'."

"So... You have personal connections to some of the teammates we've recruited here?" Dr. Wolf asked.

Thespio nodded, "Oh, absolutely. I've worked with KP a few times. I've known Eliyora and Golden Fox for quite a while. And me and Keyframe, here, are pretty tight."

"And we should care about that why?" Firebrand asked.

Thespio's right eye began to twitch, "Why?" He laughed and tried to keep the twitch under control, "Why? Well... Isn't that what being a team is all about? You know, knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses for better cohesion on the battlefield?" Another laugh and twitch, "Also, not to sound rude or anything, but..." Another twitch, "I kind of hate being left out of things that my friends are a part of, you know?" Another twitch, "And... I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm pretty hot to trot, if you what I mean..."

He finished with a laugh and another twitch. Keyframe and I looked at each other in concern, but Firebrand and Dr. Wolf were oblivious to the twitching.

I've seen that twitch before. The twitch of someone trying to contain their anger when either insulted or slipping to insanity. It's a psychiatric condition, not a physical condition. I know because I have the same twitch. I just have better control over it.

"No, we don't." Firebrand answered, "And as a medical unprofessional, you might want to get that eye-twitch looked at."

Thespio glared at the Soldier Medic.

"Listen, Mr. Thespio, while it is good you have a plethora of references with you, I'm afraid we don't have too many positions open at the moment, that fit your apparent need to garner attention-" Dr. Wolf explained.

But Keyframe interrupted, "Come on, Doc. Come on! Let Thespio give it a try. Like he said, I've personally known him for a while. And I know from experience that he great to work with." She laughed nervously, "Also, uh... I think we kinda owe it to the colt who, you know, saved my life." Then she added, "Plus, he-he's got great hair! I mean, come on! It's so poofy."

I glanced at Keyframe with a raised brow. She gave me a 'Help-Me-Out-Here' look. I gave a smile and nod, "I agree with Key, Doc. With his talents, I'm sure we can pick a position for him."

Keyframe gave me a 'Thank-You' look. I smiled back.

Firebrand and Dr. Wolf raised a brow at Keyframe and I. But Firebrand sighed, "Well... I suppose we should trust their opinion." He turned to the smiling Unicorn stallion, "Alright. Show us what you've got, Hipster."

"Oh, yes sir!" Thespio cheered, "Okay. How about this?" He cleared his throat, put of a fake eyepatch, and altered his voice to sound like the in-game Demoman, "If I were a bad Demoman, I wouldn't be standing here, discussing it with ya, now would I? You piece of crap!" He drank a bottle of cider, disguised as whiskey, and threw on the ground with a burp.

Firebrand sighed and shook his head, "I meant, can you shoot a-"

But Thespio cut him off again, "Wait, wait, wait! I know!" He cleared his throat again, grabbed a bat, and this time, he sounded like the in-game Scout, "Hey, pop quiz. How long does it take to beat a moron to death?" He swung the bat, "Bonk!"

But he ended up hitting Silver Quill over the head, as he was entering the shack. Silver fell to the ground after impact with the bat.

"Ooh... Silver, are you okay?" I asked.

"Oops." Thespio scrunched his face a bit.

"Okay, first off, I'm not cleaning that up." Firebrand spoke up, "Second, would you just simmer down for a sec-"

But Thespio cut him off again, "Oh, wait! I know! My personal favorite." He cleared his throat again, put on an Australian hat over his head, and altered his voice to sound like the in-game Sniper, "Here's a touching story, mate. Once upon a time, you died. And I lived happily ever after. The end."

~EEEEEEEERRRRKKKK!!!!~

Firebrand pulled the rope for the alarm sound, "Yeah. Bring down the curtain there, Rob Schneider. This is an actual battlefield, not a middle school play." He told Thespio, who frowned, "We're kind of looking for someone who isn't a Mardi Gras float with hooves. That's what we have KP for anyway."

Thespio started growling at Firebrand in anger.

~Dr. Wolf's POV.~

Thespio stared growling at Firebrand, until Echo Nymph spoke up, "I think he did pretty well. Much like how Wendigos mimic voices to lure prey, a bit of voice acting can be used to even out the battlefield."

I shook my head, "Listen, Thespio, we do very much appreciate your enthusiasm..."

Then Keyframe spoke up and looked at me, "D-D-D-Doc? Can I speak to you in private?"

Without waiting for an answer, Keyframe grabbed me and dragged me to the Respawn Room. All I could do was yelp, "What? Ow! Goodness!"

Once there, she let go of me. I stepped away from her and asked, "What is it, Keyframe?"

"Look, Doc. You need to indulge him for your own good." She told me, "I mean, he's a great guy, and all, but let's face it. The guy's got an ego the size of Silver Quill's losing streak."

"You know, you guys are the reason I'm one of Dr. Wolf's favorite patients." Silver Quill spoke up from behind me, with an ice-pack over his head.

"I apologize for my bluntness, Keyframe." I apologized, then added, "But I struggle to see how that's our problem."

"Some days I wonder why I should get out of bed..." Silver Quill moped, "And then... The bed explodes..."

"It WILL become your problem! Trust me." Keyframe shouted, "If you don't stroke his ego, he will force you to stroke it. In very unpleasant ways."

I raised a brow, "Define 'unpleasant'."

Keyframe pointed to my office and, to my surprise, Thespio had Echo Nymph tied up and hanging over a pit of lava sharks!

When did this happen?!!!

"Hey! Wait a minute! I said that I liked your talents. I stuck up for you. And you're hanging me over a pit of lava sharks? Why, Thespio?" Echo Nymph asked.

"I never trust the words of a Wendigo, or a Wiccan." He answered, drawing a Conover's kunai.

"I meant the Wendigos from the North American folklore. Not the MLP franchise." She explained, then shouted, "And for the hundredth time, I'M NOT A WIC-"

"Marks for creativity. Well done." I spoke up, walking between Thespio and Echo Nymph, "Also, I have to say some new... Information has been brought to my attention, and I've had the time to process your earlier..." I turned to Echo Nymph, then returned to Thespio, "Remarkable display of talent."

"I'm not following, Doc." Echo Nymph spoke up, "Either I'm getting delirious from the heat of the lava, or I just heard you compliment Thespio's arsenal of talents."

"I'll explain later, Miss. Nymph." I assured her, then returned to Thespio, "Oh, Great and Magnificent Thespio, I think we may have a position for you that requires your superior acting skills, as well as your unique close intimate knowledge of the other teammates."

Thespio smiled at me, "Go on."

"Uh... Guys? I'm still hanging here, and I'm getting dizzy from the lava." Echo Nymph spoke up.

"You're not getting dizzy from being hung up-side down?" Thespio noticed, "Huh."

Echo Nymph rolled her eyes, "Oh, for Luna's sake..."

*Later, on the Battlefield...*
~Echo Nymph's POV~

I was still recovering from what Thespio did to me from hanging me over a pit of lava sharks. My back ached. I still feel dizzy from the heat. And my legs were still wobbly.

Thespio was enjoying his role as the Blu Team's new Spy, until he took it too far and started killing the members of his own team. Of course, Golden Fox was able to take him down a notch.

I turned to Keyframe, who was helping me get around, "Are you sure this is a good idea, Key?"

"It's better to have the Devil be your ally... Than be in his path..." Keyframe answered, in a German accent.

I looked at the new Spy, who was laughing maniacally. The ominous feeling growing, making me feel more tense and uneasy.

I sighed and collapsed on the roof, "We're doomed..."

Seven Nation Army Prt 1

~Echo Nymph's POV~

It's quiet... Too quiet...

Firebrand, AnY, Mad Munchkin and I were walking through the battlefield, while everypony else was enjoying their day off. It's only been about a day since I had the vision of the Alicorn Amulet and the eyes, and yet I'm more tense than ever and I can't stop the whispers in my ears! It's starting to infuriate me!!!

"Ugh! We've been over this. I'm the Medic. I get first pick because I started this team." Firebrand told AnY, about why he can't be the Medic, because the in-game Medic is German, just like AnY, "Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Look, my German-ness is the only one thing I've got that no one else has." AnY argued, "And the way you play the Medic is a disgrace. Never seen you heal Pony since we started this Team." Then he smiled at me, "Nellie would make a better Medic. At least she actually gets involved in the training."

"Only Pinkie and Finn get to call me that, AnY." I told the Red DemoPony.

"Oh, really, AnY?" Mad Munchkin spoke up, "You want to talk about an absolute disgrace? Every time I hear you using a Scottish accent, it's like hearing nails scraping against a chalkboard!" Then added, "I'm the one who should be the DemoPony on this Team."

"AnY is German, Maddie. At least he's trying." I defended. AnY gave me a thankful smile.

"At least you fit your class, Spinel." Maddie told me.

"I'm British, and I'm the Spy." I pointed out, "The French and the British have been at constant quarrel with each other for centuries. I'm better off as the Sniper, or the Pyro." Then I closed my eyes and nodded, "I've made my bed, and I'm gonna sleep in it."

"You know what?" Firebrand spoke up, "I don't give a flying feather about your accents not matching your class. I'm not about to treat you differently because of your race."

AnY and Maddie gasped at Firebrand's words. I was about to argue, but I felt something heavy in the air. The last time that happened was when Sombra was freed from his prison, and when Trixie used the...

Oh no... Great moons, no...

"Oh, wow. When you put it like that... Yikes..." AnY spoke up from his gasp.

"Besides, you should count your blessings." Firebrand told them, "At least you didn't get Antony C as anything. I mean, you guys screwing up your accents is funny. I don't ever want to hear an Australian trying to do an American accent ever again."

"Uh... Guys?" I spoke up, "Do you feel that?"

"Do we feel what?" Firebrand asked me.

Suddenly, the intercoms rang and a male, Australian-yet-obviously-American voice spoke, "Well, what about an American trying to do an Aussie accent?"

Firebrand, Maddie and AnY looked around, trying to find who the voice came from. It wasn't Voice. Nor Golden.

Just then, a shadow landed in front of us, creating a huge dust cloud. Once the dust cleared, the shadow revealed to be a tall, Earth Pony stallion.

Well-built stature. Golden-yellow fur coat. Spiky black mane under an Australian hat. Black tail with golden-yellow streaks.

He wore a pair of beige cargo shorts and a black open vest. His chest exposed to reveal a large amount of chest-hair. And the Alicorn Amulet around his neck.

The stallion stood himself up and opened his eyes. The same eyes from my vision. Red with purple mist emitting, similar to Sombra's. He smiled, "G'day..."

Everyone was shocked by his arrival. I took a few step back in shock, fear and surprise.

Maddie recovered from her shock and shouted, "KILL HIM!!!"

However, before anypony could react or move, the stallion wasted no time and Falcon-Punched Firebrand into the back of the field, and into Dr. Wolf's office.

Uh-oh...

The stallion looked at the rest of us. I tapped AnY and Maddie's shoulders and ran the other direction, "Run!!"

Maddie tried firing rockets at the stallion, but he kept backfiring them toward us.

"I agree with Echo..." AnY spoke up, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!"

AnY, Maddie and I ran through the battlefield and into ToonKritic and Eliyora.

I just realized I haven't introduced Eliyora to you guys. How silly of me.

Eliyora is the Red Team's Pyro. She's a Unicorn mare with fiery temper to match her class. Her fur coat was a chocolate brown, violet eyes and matching mane and tail. She wears the Pyro uniform, but without the mask.

Watch the video 'Meet the Pyro'.... You'll see why....

"Whoa, whoa. Where's the party, guys?" Toon asked, as we ran past him and Eliyora.

"Australian!" AnY shouted.

"Chest hair!" Maddie added.

"Mustache!" AnY shouted.

"Alicorn Amulet!" I shouted, then ran off, taking the two European Ponies with me, "Run!"

Maddie, AnY and I were able to make it to Dr. Wolf's office. Silver Quill and KeyFrame were already inside. KeyFrame was healing Firebrand from his wounds. Firebrand was babbling more nonsense than Storm Tracker when he speaks of his theories.

Don't ask...

"What in the name of Tartarus is going on out there?" Dr. Wolf asked in concern.

"DustyKatt..." AnY breathed, "He's here! And he's Australian!"

"With chest hair! And he's attacking the town!" Maddie shouted.

"He has the Alicorn Amulet, Doc. He Falcon-Punched Firebrand into your office without hesitation." I explained, as the others gathered up inside.

"Wait, what?" Dr. Wolf took a step back in shock.

"She said that DustyKatt has the Alic-" "I heard what she said, Silver." Dr. Wolf cut Silver Quill off, then turned to me, "But how?"

"We don't know!" Maddie answered.

"And that's how Equestria was made." Firebrand finished, as he was finally healed and capable of standing on his own.

"This isn't good." Dr. Wolf folded his arms, "We need a plan of attack."

"ATTACK!!!" KP shouted, as she charged out of the shack.

"KP! Wait!" I shouted after her.

Two loud explosions erupted outside and KP came back, looking like she just lost a fight with Freddy the Bear. She collapsed on the floor with a sigh.

Keyframe sighed and started healing KP, "Ugh. First, we need a plan to stop everyone from attacking."

Silver Quill took a step back, "Wait, wait, wait. That's an option? We can just... Not fight?" Then he glanced at everyone, "Like not stab me and saw off my limbs?"

"Silver?" Dr. Wolf started.

"Or hit me with grenades or light me on fire?" Silver continued, his eyes rimming with tears.

"Silver." Dr. Wolf tried again.

"Or gloat and say mean comments that really hurt me on the inside..." Silver continued.

"Silver..."

"Which is just uncalled for, because I'm-"

"SILVER QUILL!" I shouted.

"Yes?" He smiled at me.

"I will schedule a counselling session tomorrow." Dr. Wolf offered calmly.

"I'd like that." Silver nodded with a whisper.

I walked over to the intercoms and spoke into the microphone, "Blu Team. Red Team. Anyone who isn't accounted for. Please met up in Dr. Wolf's office. Don't bother trying to fight back. The enemy is wearing the Alicorn Amulet. Do NOT engage."

After a few seconds, everyone was inside the shack. Of course, Voice tried to play hero and got shot. So, Keyframe healed him, while Dr. Wolf went over what's going on.

"Alright. Now everyone is accounted for and no one is going to leave to do something drastic..." Dr. Wolf started, as he paced, "Dustykatt is on his way and we need a plan."

"Okay, I got it." ToonKritic spoke up.

"Does it involve shooting him again?" Golden Fox asked, folding his arms.

"No. But it did involve lightsabers. A hulkbuster suit and a CGI army that Peter Jackson and Michael Bay would love." Toon defended, then admitted after seeing us eyeing at him, "Okay. I got nothing."

"We can always sacrifice Silver Quill." KP suggested.

Silver Quill gasped, "Wow. Didn't even try to softball that one."

"Okay. How is that going to work?" Ink Rose, our dark red Pegasus mare Red Scout, asked as Voice walked past them, drinking some jarate.

"Have you seen any of my videos?" KP asked, "Getting Silver Quill killed always solves the problem. Helps out he always has a red shirt on."

Silver Quill gasped again, "Egad! She's right!" Then he folded his arms, "Once again, my fashion sense undoes me."

Suddenly Thespio appeared and spoke up in his Spy-French accent, "Everyone, let's all calm down." He started pacing, "We know Monsieur Katt is using the Alicorn Amulet. And since he is an Earth Pony, it bolstered his already impressive strength, stamina and endurance."

"And chest hair." Maddie added.

"And chest hair. Thank you. I-" Thespio added with a smile. Then he recollected on what Maddie just said, broke out of character and shuddered. Then he returned into character, "The point is he has the amulet. And since we are lacking in voodoo Zebra and doorstops, we need a new approach."

"I'm glad Zecora isn't here to hear you say that, Thespio." I glared at Thespio, "She's a herbalist. Not a witch."

"Po-teh-to. Po-tah-to." He shrugged.

I sighed, "Also, if we did have a Zebra and a doorstop, I think DustyKatt will be too smart to fall for it."

"Hey, I know." Sweetie Bloom spoke up, "If Dusty is using the Alicorn Amulet, the all we need is the power of an Alicorn to match it."

"That is a very plausible theory." Thespio nodded, still in character, "But who do we know that-"

He stopped talking and we all turned to Lightning Bliss. Lightning Bliss noticed the glances and quickly shook her head, "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Have you seen my mini series, guys? I am the worst Alicorn you can look at! I have no magic! Get somebody else to go out there! I ain't doing it!"

"You have magic, Bliss. And lots of it." Eliyora assured Bliss, "In fact, your chaotic, unpredictable magic may be just the thing to smack down the Alicorn Amulet." She pointed out, "Your magic defies logic and breaks rules. Maybe it can break the Amulet's rules? Either way, you're our best shot right now."

Bliss thought for a second, then took a breath, "Alright." She walked over to Golden Fox and handed him her mini-gun, "Hold this."

"No, wait-" Golden was about to protest, but Bliss left and the weight of the mini-gun threw him to the ground.

"Bro, do you even lift?" Toon asked with a laugh.

"Go fuck yourself..." Golden Fox shot back with a glare.

"Do you even aim, Toon?" I asked.

That shut Toon up and everyone 'ooooh'ed at the burn. I looked out the window and watched Bliss confront DustyKatt. Her horn was glowing and her eyes went blank. She was ready to fight.

"'Ello, darlin'..." Dusty greeted Bliss with a sly smile.

"Uh-oh..." I muttered to myself.

Bliss' horn stopped glowing, her eyes returned to normal, and she started crying and running back to the office.

She returned and cried, "He scares me!" Then she ran off.

"And our best shot just took off at top speed...." Eliyora muttered in a deadpan sigh, "I guess rainbows don't always shine."

"So... We're all beaten up. We've managed to make a little girl cry. And we're all about to die. Most likely starting with me." Silver Quill summed up, "Third worst day ever."

"Really? What were the first two?" I asked.

"You don't wanna know." He answered in a deadpan tone.

Then ToonKritic looked at me and smiled, "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we send Echo Nymph out?"

I glared at the red and black Pegasus, "What?! Why me?!"

"Because, as far as I can tell, DustyKatt doesn't know you." He pointed out.

"But, what if she gets scared too?" KP pointed out.

"The only things that scare me are storms and feeling useless, KP." I explained, "Other than that, I don't scare easy." Then I sighed, "Fine, I'll go. But just because he scared Blissie."

Without a second thought, I marched out of the shack to confront the mean stallion. As if by magic, my shadow came to life and covered my body in darkness. My Spy uniform changed into an indigo hooded cloak and a black leotard with a violet sash around my waist.

(The Future is a Cold Nightmare...)

I opened my wings and glared at DustyKatt, "Hello, Donald..."

Dusty looked at me with wide eyes. His smile fell and the mist faded from his eyes. His red eyes turned to violet, like my vision. His body started trembling at the sight of me. He screamed like a high school mare and ran for the hills.

I removed my hood and made my way back to the office. My Spy uniform returned and I walked past everyone.

"Nobody... Say... A... Word..." I told them, as I made my way to the back of the shack (Hey, that rhymed!).

After a few minutes of trying to shrug off the anger and frustration, I found the entire shack has fell quiet. I made my way to Dr. Wolf's office. It was only him present.

"What the-? Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They charged out, thinking they can take Dusty as a team." Doc answered.

I took a step back, "What? Are they crazy? That's suicide! Do they know the-" I was cut short by the ground trembling under my hooves, "Doc, do you feel that?"

He raised a brow at me, "Feel what?"

I walked outside to see what was going on. As I expected. DustyKatt didn't come alone. An army of robots surrounded the battlefield, outnumbering our team.

The team was shocked, frightened and ran back into the shack. Dr. Wolf and I looked at each other.

"So it begins..."

To Be Continued...

Seven Nation Army Prt 2

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Alright, let me sum up where we are. Firebrand, Mad Munchkin, AnY and I were just walking around the battlefield, talking out which class would best fit our accents, or ethnicity, until a large Earth Pony stallion, under the name DustyKatt, arrived and started attacking us.

It turned out he was wearing the Alicorn Amulet and it has bolstered his strength, endurance, stamina, chest hair and it made him sound Australian.

He scared Lightning Bliss, and I was able to scare him, but only momentarily.

With some encouragement from Keyframe and Ink Rose, the Red Team and Blu Team teamed up and gathered to team on DustyKatt at once. Unfortunately, DustyKatt didn't come alone.

An army of robot counterparts invaded the battlefield and attacked. The Red Team and the Blu Team decided to run and hide in Dr. Wolf's office, unable to think of a plan, other than wait for the wave to break.

And now, Firebrand, Dr. Wolf and I are in the basement of the shack, trying to come up with a plan against DustyKatt and the robot army.

"Sooo.... Doc. What's the plan you've come up with to get us all out of here?" Firebrand asked Doc.

Dr. Wolf looked over the map of the town. He took a breath. He had a forlorn look on his face and his aura felt heavy.

"Is something wrong, Doc?" I asked in concern.

The anthropomorphic wolf Engineer stayed quiet, keeping his eyes on the map.

"Doc, I don't know if you've noticed, but Hugh Jackman, out there, has destroyed the Respawn Generator, and his currently on his way to kill us!!" Firebrand shouted, as he paced in a panic, "We need a plan now!"

I slapped the fiery-red Medic across the face, "Firebrand, you need to calm down, or so help me, Luna, I'll do it for you! Is that clear, soldier!?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded.

"I have a plan." Dr. Wolf spoke up.

Firebrand and I looked at him, "What?"

"It's very risky." Dr. Wolf explained, putting the map away, "Given the alternatives, I believe it's the best chance we've got."

He walked away from the desk and grabbed his PDA.

"I want to take anything at this point." Firebrand answered.

I nodded, "I agree. Anything's better than nothing. Hits-On Attack. Bullhorn Formation. Ender's Gambit. Any of them."

Firebrand and Dr. Wolf looked at me with wide eyes. "How do you even know those terms?" Dr. Wolf asked me.

I shrugged, "What? I read."

"Bookworm..." Firebrand muttered under his breath.

"I prefer Gothic Geek or Nerd, thank you." I told him.

Dr. Wolf sighed and returned to his sentry gun, "There is little time, Firebrand. Echo Nymph." He pulled down a screen of the map, "Just focus your efforts on keeping everyone alive. Rally their spirits. Keep the robots from overwhelming this position." He packed his sentry gun into his box, "And, above all, slow Dusty down as much as possible."

"So, you're not gonna stick around to help out?" I asked.

Dr. Wolf shook his head, and packed up one of his dispensers, "Once you... If... You see the signal flare, Echo Nymph, head back in here." He looked at me and smiled, "You'll know what to do."

I lowered myself to his level and smiled with a nod.

Firebrand shook his head and exclaimed, "Wait... You're entrusting the Red Spy over me?"

I took a breath and looked at the camera with a deadpan look. I shook my head and asked Dr. Wolf, "But, Doc. What if you're not able to set off the flare? Do you have a Plan B?"

He sighed and turned to me with a sad look, "Leave behind the heavy equipment and save as many as you can."

Firebrand was taken back and speechless from Dr. Wolf's tone. It sounded like he was being serious and that this might be our final stand against DustyKatt and the robot army.

"Doc, you're starting to worry us." I spoke up.

Dr. Wolf put his paw over my right cheek, "Lead them on, Echo Nymph. I am entrusting your strength."

I placed my hand over his paw, as he exit the room and left me and Firebrand in the silence of the basement.

"Well that's not funny at all." Firebrand uttered to break the silence.

I took a breath, grabbed Firebrand's hand and made my way to the main floor, dragging him behind me, "Come on. Dr. Wolf entrusted us to keep things calm, and we're going to deliver."

Once we entered the main floor, Firebrand spoke up, "Okay, everypony. We kind of-"

However Lightning Bliss noticed that Firebrand and I were not smiling and started panicking, "Oh Luna, he's not smiling. Neither Firebrand or Echo Nymph are smiling. We're doomed! We're doomed!"

And that sent everypony into a panicked frenzy.

I rubbed my temples, while Firebrand shouted, "QUIET!!!" Everyone stopped panicking and turned to me and Firebrand. Firebrand turned to me, "Go ahead, Nymph."

I took a breath and spoke, "Alright. We have some good news, and bad news." I started pacing with my hands behind my back, "The good news is we have a plan to get all of us out of here alive... Hopefully. The bad news is we have to fight."

"Wait. Where's Dr. Wolf, Harmony?" Finn asked me.

I drew a blank, so Firebrand answered, "He's... Working on the plan to get us out of here."

"What plan?" Sweetie Bloom asked with a smile, "Hits-On Attack? Bullhorn Formation? Ender's Gambit?"

Firebrand stared at the Blu DemoPony with wide eyes, "Okay, I'm a trained soldier. How do you even know those terms?"

Sweetie Bloom shrugged, "What? I read."

Firebrand looked at me. I shrugged, then returned to the task at hand, "Anyways, Dr. Wolf has entrusted me with holding up the fort, while he executes the plan."

Sweetie Bloom frowned, while ToonKritic glared at me, "Wait, he left you in charge? The Red Spy?"

I glared back, as my blood and anger began to boil under my bones, "Yes. It's a risk, but-"

Then Thespio cut me off, "We're supposed to trust you?" He glared at me and poked my muzzle with his hoof, "But you haven't done a single thing to help either Team!"

I took a breath and waved his hoof away from my muzzle, "Excuse me, Thespio. But I was the one who assigned the Blu Team members to their appropriate classes. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here!"

Firebrand, Finn and Sweetie 'oooohhh'ed at my burn to Thespio.

Thespio scoffed off my words and resumed where he left off, "Why, if I were in charge, I'd have us storming the halls of Muta-Zuma onto the shores of Tripoli!"

"And, just like that, we've lost the Military Bronies." Maddie spoke up.

Ink Rose glared at her with an offended look, "Why you stuck-up, half-witted-"

And the rest of the group starts fighting over who should be in charge of the plan.

I closed my eyes, trying to keep my frustration and anger in check. But, I'm having a hard time trying to keep it under control.

I'm trying my best here. How can I prove myself if everypony treats me like I'm a walking disaster, something that I'm not, or even pay attention to me??!!

AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!

Keyframe walked over to me and Firebrand, "Fire, Nymph, with due respect, I think both Medics should lead." She assured a smile, "We know our team's the best. In fact-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!!"

~Commander Firebrand's POV.~

And the volcano has erupted. And now... I'm afraid.

A red and black aura surrounded Nymph's body. Her hazel eyes turned completely red. Eyebrows opened into a second pair of red eyes. Her mint green fur has turned white. Rusty red mane and tail faded to a dark purple flame. Her uniform burned into the leotard, sash and cloak from before.

Nymph's shadow came to life and morphed into solid tendrils. The atmosphere of the room turned cold and dark. It was like Nymph became Raven from Teen Titans.

Everypony stopped fighting and stared at her in fear. Keyframe and I stepped away from the angry Earth Pony-turned-Demon.

"I truly don't know what he's doing! But Dr. Wolf has entrusted me with this job! Not sure if he was being honest, but by Luna's Moon, I'm gonna make sure we follow it through, or die trying! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD, MAGGOTS!!!!!???"

Thespio and Keyframe gulped, then sulked, "Yes, ma'am."

"Remind me to never get you angry." I noted as Nymph calmed down from her outburst, returning to normal.

"And that's why she was made the Spy." Maddie smiled, pointed her rocket launcher at Nymph.

~Echo Nymph's POV.~

Finally calm, I turned to the Scouts, "Ink Rose. KP. I need you two to BONK up and move behind the robot lines to distract Dusty. Do whatever's necessary."

"You got it, Nymph." Ink Rose nodded, "I've got the BONK."

"And I've got donuts." KP smiled with a box of donuts. Then she and Ink Rose hoof-bumped, "Best job ever!"

I turned to the Snipers, "Voice. Golden. Your targets are the ones targeting Keyframe or Firebrand. Your objective is to keep them alive."

Golden nodded and smiled, "Hey. I do that anyway. Piece of cake."

Voice raised a brow, "Huh. It's kind of meta, if you think about it." Then he asked me, "Any particular reason why, Nymph?"

"Firebrand and Keyframe are prime targets, being that they're keeping everyone else from dying." I explained.

Keyframe glanced at Firebrand and smirked, "Looks like you're finally getting the cobwebs off you Medi-gun."

"Shut it." Firebrand shot back at her.

I turned to the DemoPonies, "Sweetie Bloom. AnY. You're mid-range. You two do the most burst damage. If anything gets close to you, use your melee weapons whenever you can for the speed and health boosts."

Sweetie Bloom smiled and drew her claymore, "Yay! Stabby!"

She swung her sword, almost hitting AnY's head. AnY quickly stepped back and ducked his head.

He glared at her, "If we die..."

"Then it's your fault." She finished casually, then making her way to the exit.

AnY grabbed a bottle of what looked like cider, "Give me a second." He started drinking the entire bottle. His cheeks blushed hot pink and he threw the bottle onto the ground, breaking the bottle, "Okay. I am ready!"

He drew his shotgun and joined Sweetie Bloom. Curious, I picked up a piece of the bottle, that still had a bit of liquid on it. I sniffed the piece, then licked the liquid. My eyes widen in surprise.

Does he know?

I shook my head, returned to the matter at hand, and turned the Soldiers, "ToonKritic. Mad Munchkin. You're long-range. You do precise area damage at a distance. I need you two to bottleneck the groups, before they get close. Light those tin-cans up."

Toon nodded with a smile, "You got it." He loaded his rocket launcher and narrowed his eyes, "This time... It's personal..."

Maddie raised a brow at him, "And are you going to fight with or without aim-bot this time?"

Toon glared at the Scottish Soldier, "Oh, come on! I'll have you know I know exactly what I'm doing this time." He assured, "I got better... Ish..."

Maddie shrugged and made her way to the exit of the shack, "Well, you're more competent than Thespio, so... We're not entirely doomed."

Thespio heard her words and glared at her, offended.

"Don't start it, Mr. Edgey!" I scolded at Toon before he started talking. Then I turned to the Heavys, "Silver Quill. Lightning Bliss. You're keeping the perimeter. Any bot that tries to break off, turn them back, or turn them to scrap."

Silver Quill smiled at me, "Oh, hey. I understood that reference." Then he turned to Bliss, "Come on, Cutie McSlaughter."

Bliss looked uncertain. So I spoke up, "Silver. Due to her size, Blissie is less durable than you are. Keep her safe by absorbing as much of the damage as you can. Okay?"

Silver glared at me, shaking in anger, "Urge to hate... Rising..."

Bliss smiled, "Aaaww! My hero!"

She threw her arms around the large Hippogriff, then leaped onto his back. Silver smiled and grabbed his mini-gun, "Fading..."

"Hi-ho, Silver. Away!" Blissie called.

Silver made his way to the exit, "Okay, don't push it."

Then I turned to the only Pyro, "Eliyora, we need to keep you from front line fighting as much as possible. Since you're the only Pyro, we can't afford to put Firebrand and Keyframe in too much danger. I need you to check for Spybots and support everypony with air blasting as much as you can." Then I raised a brow, "Can I trust you to go safely nuts?"

Eliyora looked at me in confusion, speaking as if she's never heard the word 'safe' before.

I sighed and translated, "You can burn the robots, but not us."

Eliyora smiled, "Oh. Of course you can trust me, Nymph." Then made her way to the exit, "But I'm not making any promises."

"That's fine." I answered. Then I turned to Thespio, "Thespio. You and I are gonna target the giants. Since KP and Ink Rose are gonna distract DustyKatt, it falls under us to slow them down." Then I asked, "How are you at disguising as one of the enemies?"

Thespio smiled. His eyes went blank and started moving his body stiff and robot-like, with a robotic voice to match, "Bleep-boop! I am a robot! All your base are belong to us. Maggots."

Ink Rose giggled. Eliyora face-hoofed with a sigh. Firebrand was lost for words.

I smiled, "Good enough... I guess." Then I turned to Finn, "Finn, I need you to-"

Finn cut me off with a smile, "Way ahead of you, Harmony." He turned to his already-built dispenser and sentry gun, "Dispensers and sentries ready at the checkpoint. Ready to hold the line."

Suddenly, his PDA started playing the tune of Bob the Builder. Finn checked his PDA and frowned at me, "Sorry, Harmony. Change of plan. Looks like the Doc requires my gear elsewhere."

Then he packed up his equipment, "Oh well..." He picked up his things and left the shack, "At least after this, I'll have some guns to go with my sword."

I was lost for words, "Okay then..."

I closed my eyes and started rethinking my plan to hold the fortress.

~Commander Firebrand's POV.~

With Finn needed elsewhere by Dr. Wolf, Echo Nymph looked a little lost. She closed her eyes and just stood there. I'm not sure, but she looked like she was in a state of panic, and closing her eyes must be her way of coping.

Apart from that little outburst, Nymph acted like a calm and collected general. Like Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, or that guy from Full Metal Alchemist.

ToonKritic waved his hoof over Echo Nymph's face, "Echo Nymph? Hello?" He lowered his hand, "I think she's asleep."

KP picked up a stone, "Does anyone mind?" Then she smiled, "Well, I guess not."

The blue Pegasus threw the rock at Echo Nymph. To our surprise, within a swift motion, Nymph caught the stone and opened her eyes to glare at KP and Toon.

Her eyes turned red again, "I was thinking, thank you..." Then she cleared her throat, "Alright, change of plan. With the Engineers out of commission, we have limited access to ammo and health packs." She turned to me and Keyframe, "Medics get priority on health packs..." She turned to Silver and Bliss, "Heavys get priorities on ammo."

Silver smiled, "Yay."

"Alright. That covers everything." Nymph summed up, "You guys have your orders. Now let's get out there and show DustyKatt what we're made of!"

"Yes ma'am!" Everyone answered with a salute and left the shack.

Of course, Keyframe and Thespio were staying behind, getting their weapons ready and whispering to each other.

As if she could hear them, Nymph walked over to them, "If you two are done firing blanks at each other..." Then she turned into her demon form again, "GET OUT THERE!!!!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Thespio and Keyframe answered and dashed out of the shack.

~Echo Nymph's POV.~

I took a few breaths and calmed myself down from my outbursts.

Once I calmed and returned to normal, I turned to Firebrand, "Promise to remind me to never get that angry again, Firebrand." I rubbed my arm in discomfort, "I hate that side of me and it hurts to shout."

"I'll try my best." He assured me, readying his Medi-gun. Then he raised a brow at me, "You seem to know quite a bit about military strategy. Are you a trained soldier? If not, have you ever thought about joining?"

I shook my head, "No. And I have been given it some thought. However, I'm not an official citizen yet." Then I smiled, "But military does run in my blood. As far as I've been told, my great-grandmother, grandfather and uncles have served as Princess Luna's military. Even when she was Nightmare Moon."

Firebrand smiled, "That's awesome. That means I'm not the only Military Brony."

I smiled back, and we made our way into the battlefield. The entire group hid behind a closed door and waited until it was quite.

"NOW!"

With that, we charged out of the shack and started taking out the robot army. Each of us taking out our assigned robots and stacking on health packs and ammo.

To Be Continued...

Seven Nation Army Prt 3

~Echo Nymph's POV~

Okay. I think I need to back up a bit. Well, DustyKatt and a robot army has invaded Coal Town and the other members of the teams were in a state of panic. Dr. Wolf explained that he had a plan, but didn't quite go over the details with me and Firebrand. Only that he entrusted me to lead the others to hold the station until he sends a signal.

Of course, the other don't trust me enough. But with a good pep talk and an emotional outburst, I got everypony to work together and take out as many robots as possible.

Huh... These robots are actually easy to kill, despite them looking intimidating.

As well as the plan is working without much of a hitch... Yet...

Right now, I was fighting the robots alongside Keyframe, Firebrand and AnY, taking out the heavy robots with my knives and pistols.

Keyframe laughed, "We were afraid of these things? They have worst aim than a drunken Storm Trooper!"

AnY smiled, "Challenge accepted." He drank a whole bottle of cider a saw a group of robots approaching us. He shouted in an tried Scottish Accent, "C'mere, ya bloody robots!"

He shot three bombs and they took out the robots easily.

"Take another one!" AnY cheered, then collapsed on the ground in a drunken drop.

Keyframe sighed and told me, "You know, for somepony who lives in the land of Oktoberfest, he as a tolerance of a college freshman."

"And you're noting that to a Pony that doesn't drink." I pointed out.

"You don't drink?" She gasped at me, "How old are you?"

"I rather not tell until we get to know each other better." I answered, shyly avoiding contact.

"I am a silly, drunken Storm Trooper..." AnY mumbled in his drunken state.

Keyframe took out another Spy-bot and a Key-Medic-bot with ease and smiled, "Ha! Another one bites the dust."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Key." I spoke up, "These are just the robots."

"Frost is right." Firebrand nodded in agreement, "We still have Dusty to deal with, in case the Scouts can't then."

"Oh, I'm sure they... Well, Ink... Is doing fine." Keyframe assured. Then she told Firebrand, readying her medi-gun, "Now, turn around. You're low on health."

I giggled, then something struck me. Like I was just splashed with an ice bucket, "Huh?"

"What is it, Nymph?" Keyframe asked me.

"Do you guys feel that?" I asked.

"Feel what?" Key and Firebrand asked.

"Like the air just got cold." I answered, "Like a stereotype just reached its full potential."

"Still not getting it, Echo Nymph." Firebrand told me.

Just then, ToonKritic came swooping in and destroyed the robots in the air and killing everything in sight. His mane and tail were flowing upward. His red coat was now crimson. His eyes were scarlet with black sclera with narrow pupils. And his aura felt similar to Sombra's mere presence.

"That..." I muttered in a deadpan tone.

"Okay. Are you sure you're an Earth Pony, Nymph?" Firebrand asked me, "Cause you're starting to show signs of being something else."

My eyes dart around the battlefield, trying to look for something to change or avoid the subject. Firebrand was on to me. I'm not an Earth Pony. I'm a Deep One - Earth Pony hybrid, so that makes me very sensitive to certain things. I promised my family that I keep my family secret hidden.

"I... Uh..." I started, then Silver Quill came up to me, "Oh, Nymph. I need more of those... Things that go out and make the dead things."

"You mean bullets, Silver?" I asked. Saved by the silver bell.

Silver Quill glared at me, "I don't speak your military jargon, or your British language!"

Then Firebrand came to me, "Echo Nymph. Go see if there's any more rounds in the Doc's office. Keyframe and I have enough energy for two shields. We'll hold them off."

I saluted and made my way to the back, into Dr. Wolf's office and started digging for rounds of ammo, or health packs. However, I'm not having much.

"Damn it! These things usually respawn by now." I muttered to myself, "Either this game hates me, or I've reached the climax of this segment. Please don't let me jinx this."

Suddenly, something was glowing blue behind me. I turned to see what it was. Clarity dawned onto me and I smiled, "Dr. Wolf, you clever, clever boy."

To Be Continued...

Seven Nation Army Prt 4

~Echo Nymph's POV~

"Guys, great news. Doc's plan worked." I informed everyone over the intercoms, "Everypony start returning to the spawn point in Doc's office, so we can get outta here!"

Okay, I feel like I need to catch you viewers up to speed. DustyKatt and his robot army has invaded Coal Town and Dr. Wolf and Finn have gone off to the Badlands to hold off part of the Doc's plan. Dr. Wolf has entrusted me to rally the spirits of the others to fight back and hold the fortress.

So far, we've been beating the robots easily, but the ammo and health packs haven't been respawning. I journeyed and found something that lead to the truth of Dr. Wolf's plan. So now, I'm calling everpony back.

One by one, the team members started arriving to the back of Dr. Wolf's office.

It turned out Doc created a pair of teleporters. One for the Blu Team and one for the Red Team. Very clever, huh?

"Teleporters, huh?" Mad Munchkin noted, then asked, "Are you sure you know how these things work?"

"It uses a photo-multiplier, to generate the digital blueprint of your molecular and sub-molecular before deconstructing your collective mass down to a subatomic level of atom-meters, and sending the blueprints to the destination where the blueprints reforms, as subatomic particles, by utilizing the resources of a built-in conversion unit." I explained to Maddie.

"NNNEEEEERRRRRDDD!!!" Firebrand called me in a Homer Simpson voice. I just ignored him.

"It's like the transporters from Star Trek." I simplified with a deadpan expression.

"Thanks for the reassurance summary, there, Gene Roddenberry." Maddie told me, "But are you sure it's safe?"

"I'm not sure." I answered, "But we can either die via teleporter, or under the hooves of DustyKatt and the robot army outside."

Mad Munchkin nodded, "Yeah, fair enough." She made her way to the red teleporter, "But if I end up like Mike Teevee, I'm going to shoot something. Size be darned!" She stepped into the teleporter and smiled, "Beam my up, Scotty." She giggled, "I always wanted to say that."

With that, she was gone.

"That reminds me." Keyframe spoke up, "I'm surprised that Dusty still isn't here yet."

"I'm pretty sure Ink and KP are doing fine, Key. Just get to safety and I'll let them know." I assured.

Keyframe entered the blue teleported and vanished in a beam of light. I went outside and fired a signal flare to the sky. Then I made my way back to the teleporters. The only ones left were me and Firebrand.

"Okay. That's all of them." Firebrand told me, "You're next, Frost."

I chuckled, then argued, "Uh, no. You're next, Firebrand. The team needs two Medics. Besides, Dusty is scared of me. He'll run before entering this place."

"That's why you should go in next." Firebrand pointed out, "Dusty is afraid of you. Which means you can defeat him."

"Alright. Maybe together, we'll go into the teleporters." I suggested.

He nodded. We approached our assigned teleporter. "3... 2..." I started counting. However, before I can finish, Firebrand picked me up, bridle style and threw me into the teleporter.

I appeared on the other side and landed in a heap of sand, "What the hell?!"

"Ah, Miss. Frost. Glad you can join us." Dr. Wolf greeted me with a smile.

But I was too worried about Firebrand, that I was struggling to keep my emotions under control.

That stupid, fiery-tempered, military Brony!!

With everyone accounted for, Dr. Wolf gathered us up and ready, "Okay. We need to gather everyone together for an assault on the robot's spawn point." Voice noticed someone was missing and walked off to find them, "We only get one shot at this. So everyone grab some ammo and health packs."

Suddenly, a loud explosion started everyone to a stand-still. Including myself. We all turned to Golden Fox and Voice Of Reason, and see that a Scout-bot, carrying a bomb, was taking out the other robots one-by-one. It finally landed on a large tank and the bomb went off, destroying the robot's spawn point.

All that with just one shot? How lucky are you, Golden?

Everypony cheered and smiled at Golden's accomplishment. He did the impossible. He was a hero!

Keyframe ran up to her coltfriend and hugged him, "Goldie, that was amazing. I've never seen that even in the best expert leagues! I'm so proud of you, my Goldie Bear! Oh, you're the best sniper ever, my Blu Snipie-wipie!"

Golden smirked at Voice. Voice just glared at him, "Still only counts as one."

Dr. Wolf smiled and turned to everypony, "Alright, everypony. Change of plans. Now with the robots taken care of, it's time to clean this battle field."

Everypony nodded and started cleaning up the robot parts. Finally, Firebrand arrived to the battlefield. Ink was waiting for him and heard what he said.

"Was that really wise?" She asked him.

Firebrand smiled and shook his head, "Nope. That was the stupidest thing I've ever done." Then he looked around and saw the mess of robot parts and gasped, "Did I just miss an explosion? Tha- That's my thing! How could you let me miss my thing?!"

"Hey, you're the one who insisted on being last by throwing Nymph into the teleporter." Golden reminded him, "Which she is not happy about, by the way. I think you should apologize to her, now."

"Oh." Firebrand uttered with an apologetic frown.

The Unicorn Marine walked over to me, as I was picking up pieces of robots that I thought would be good to fix the Respawn Generator.

"Hey, Nymph I know that I'm not the first person you want to see right now." He started, "But, I want to say I'm sorry for throwing you into the teleporter. I wanted to make sure you were safe, and I really wanted to rub our strategy in Dusty's face. I had no idea that my acti-"

I turned to the brick red Unicorn, "Brandon Haybestus Fire..." Then, with a swift motion, I slapped him across the face. The echoing impact of the slap caused everyone to freeze and turn toward us.

"Don't... Ever... Do... That... Again..." I told him in a deadpan tone, similar to Raven from Teen Titans.

Suddenly, another explosion caught our attention. The dust cleared to reveal it was DustyKatt. He found us and he was angry. Both teams gathered, ready to fight back, as Dusty approached us.

~Dr. Wolf's POV~

DustyKatt approached us, ready to fight. However, the group and I felt something cold coming from behind us. It was Echo Nymph. She definitely did not look happy, despite Firebrand's apology.

The group and I separated into two rows as Echo Nymph walked past us. As she walked, her Spy uniform burned into the leotard and cloak from before. Her eyes started glowing a scarlet red. Eyebrows opened into a second pair of glowing red eyes. Her fur turned snow white and her mane and tail turned into an indigo-violet flame.

It was like Miss. Nymph has turned into a demon.

Her shadow came to life and became solid tendrils of black energy or an ink-like substance.

Dusty backed away from Miss. Nymph in fear, "No... Not you... Anypony but you!"

"What's the matter, Donald? I thought you liked to prove how strong and manly you were..." Miss. Nymph asked in a demonic tone.

"But... Not to you. You're a demon! A Pony of Death. A Grudge Pony! No-one can defeat a Grudge Pony." Dusty countered.

"I am not a Grudge Pony." Miss. Nymph hissed, "I... Am a Nightmare!!!"

She charged toward Dusty at a great speed and the two powered Ponies fought between each other. Dusty using his brute strength, tried to uppercut Nymph into the air. Nymph leaped out of the way and performed a bicycle kick to Dusty's face. Dusty powered back and tackled Nymph to the ground. Covered by a cloud of dust, the two ponies fought and Dusty was able to kick Nymph into us.

"Hah! I faced my own fear. No Grudge Pony is strong enough to take me to-" Dusty cheered, until we heard laughter.

Echo Nymph was the one laughing with a smile on her face, and she was back to normal, "I got it! I can't believe I got it from him."

"Got what?" Silver Quill asked.

~Echo Nymph's POV~

I opened my hand to reveal the Alicorn Amulet in my palm.

Without the Alicorn Amulet, Dusty had no chest hair, his mustache was smaller and his eyes were back to their violet color.

"The Amulet/My Amulet!" Everyone gasped in disbelief.

I looked at DustyKatt, he looked angry, but started laughing with a smile.

"I can't believe I fell for the fake anger trick. Classic from Fairly Odd Parents, Nymph." He laughed, his accent gone, "Boy, was that fun." He smiled at us, "You clowns ain't so bad. I thought for sure, with that Amulet, this would be over in ten seconds flat."

"That's Rainbow Dash's thing, DustyKatt." I told him.

"So, Nymph. What are you gonna do with the Alicorn Amulet, now that it's yours?" Dusty asked me.

I looked at the Amulet and smiled, "You know what, Dusty." I walked over to Dusty and put the Amulet around his neck. Within seconds, his old appearance with the chest hair and red eyes returned, "You can keep it."

"What?" Everypony gasped in disbelief.

"Haven't you read the book?" I asked everyone, "Only Unicorns get corrupted, because they use magic. Earth Ponies and Pegasi are unharmed by this thing."

The others looked at each other in uncertainty. Then Dr. Wolf looked at me, "We're trusting your choice, Miss. Nymph."

Dusty smiled and spoke in the Australian accent, "For giving my Amulet back, I think I'll let you live. For now." He chuckled, "This is gonna be all sorts of fun. Just, you know, dropping in on you every now and again." Then he fare-welled, "See you around."

With that, he turned and left us. Then Voice decided to speak up, "Wait. Hold on a second." Then asked Dusty, "How exactly did you get all those robots?"

Dusty shrugged, "Dunno. They weren't mine. They were just there."

"What?!" Everyone gasped.

Dusty nodded, "Yeah. I just let them attack you for the giggles." He chuckled, then waved, "Bye-bye now."

And he was gone.

"But, if he didn't send those robots... Who did?" I wondered.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Nymph." Dr. Wolf nodded.

The End?

A New Challenger Approaches...

~Echo Nymph's POV~
It was a quiet day today. Dr. Wolf thought it might be a nice day to take the day off from training and relax. So, everypony is spending the day getting to know each other, catching up, and even hanging out and enjoying the sunshine.

Me, however... I'm more tense and on edge than ever before. Something's coming and it's coming soon. I can feel it in my bones. It's distracting me from our missions recently. Every time I hear the wind blow, I keep hearing a name.

Every time my hooves hit the ground, the ground shakes. Even the sunshine feels cold against my fur. Heck, I've been having trouble sleeping during the night.

Why?

Why haunt me with these signs?

Why torment me, leading me in to madness?

Is there something we need to be ready for?

Is someone coming?

Who?

What do they want?

Who is 'Dust'?

I close my eyes for a moment to clear my thoughts.

I can see it! Right there in the darkness of my closed eyes. An object I thought was destroyed a long time ago.

The Alicorn Amulet...

What's this? A pair of violet eyes slowly turning red and emitting a violet mist?

I snap my eyes open with a gasp.

"Oh no...Great moons, no...."