Author's Note

update time.

Into The Cold 3

Abandon soler laboratory
Scootaloo,and Gray
1600hours,October 12, 2010

Scootaloo and Gray ran through the maintenance shaft. Near the end Scootaloo found a ladder. Turning to Gray and with a quick nod, Gray let Scootaloo get on his back and hop on to the ladder. Once she got on, she climbed a bit then pulled a lever releasing the ladder from its bindings. Gray climbed up behind Scootaloo, once the two got to a maintenance hatch. They heard muffled gunfire. Scootaloo twisted the handle and threw it open. Scootaloo immediately lowered her head as bullets flew past her.

“Gears we pinned down, can you do something about it?”

“I'll do what I can.” Gears said

Scootaloo pulled out her pistol and fired at the two crystal ponies who were moving away from the armored CERA vehicles. A round hit one pony in the leg, the other in the head. They immediately returned gunfire, as a bullet hit in her hoof. She dropped her gun but before it could fall all the way down the shaft. Gary grabbed it.

“Gears were still waiting for that support!”

“Don’t worry, I’m in position” as he said that a round hit a gas canister near the vehicles. The canister exploded and smothered the soldiers with an orange gas. Scootaloo quickly got out of the hatch and pulled out her SMG. wincing as he gripped it with her wounded hoof. Scootaloo ran into cover, followed by Daring and Gray.

“Scootaloo what did you find”

“Bio-weapon, it's called zerfall 7. We need to report this to Spike immediately!”

“Got it” daring got on the earpiece, “Gears get down here were making are leave”

“Got it this building is going to collapse any minute anyways”

Scootaloo fired her weapon at the armored vehicles, as the rounds entered the still covering gas cloud, her rounds lighted into flames, hitting an unlucky pony in the throat. Gears hopped off the roof and cast a shield spell, cussing his fall and causing him to slide down an inclined he kept sliding till he got to a steel tanker. He took cover and aimed at the CERA vehicles but saw nothing but an orange gas covering the vehicles.

“Great thing just got complicated” Gears looked at the canister he was next to and saw “zerfall 7” written on the canister. Gunfire hit the canister. Orange gas began to bust through the tanker. Gears held his breath and ran to his squad on the way he ran throget the gas burning away his spell revealing his scale. Once he got to the group, everyone looked at him.

“Well you look cuter than I expected” Scootaloo complemented breaking the silences, Gears got a faint blush on his face as he checked his sniper. Gray glared at her, daring picked up on him, looked and punched him in the shoulder. Scootaloo fired at the vehicles hitting three crystal soldiers. Once Gears finished checking his weapon, the gas had dispersed and he looked at the remaining ponies. He saw five ponies, two with SMGs, one with LMG, and the last one had a shotgun.

“Now is not the time to furt you two” daring shot a glare at the pegasus and dragon pony

“Right well, Scootaloo keep one alive, we need answers”

“Got it”

Gears aimed his sniper and fired at the LMG welding soldier. Once he dropped, Scootaloo ran out of cover firing at the shotgunner, she rolled out of the way of the gunfire. She bucked a mare into the vehicle followed by two rounds being fired into the stallion back legs. She turned around and was knocked to the ground by the mare aiming her weapon at her. Before the mare could fire, a round went through her head. Gears ran to Scootaloo and helped her up.

“You good scoots?”

“Yes, thanks for the help.” scootaloo patted him on the back getting a good look at him

Daring and Gray walked up to the two and stared at Scootaloo, daring gave her a pat on the back while Gray just rolled his eyes and said “show off”

“Don’t hate me because I have the skills” Scootaloo smirk

Gray rolled his eyes and walked off, Gears walked over to the stallion clutching at his legs trying to stop the bleeding. He walked up, grabbed an iron bar and blew flames at the objects. Once it finished he moved the stallion’s hooves and pressed it in the wound. He yelled in pain as Gears just focused on the next leg. After cauterizing his wounds, Gears helped get the stallion into a sitting position.

“Hay, your going to be okay, all you have to do is answers some question” Gears said in a calm and soothing toun

“I will never talk.” Gears walked up to Scootaloo and spoke with her

“Scoots, how do you want to play this?”

“I’ll scary him, you convinced him to talk”

“Aah the Negotiator,” Gears joked

Gears and Scootaloo looked over to the prisoner, a green glow just faded from the stallion’s head. His eyes had a green tint to them. Daring was standing over him with a grin on her face. The two shared a look before walking over, Gears looked over the stallion and saw a hypnotized look in his eyes, he snapped his claws in the stallion's face and got no response.

“What did you do!”

“Just a poison that makes others tell the truth, that's it”

“Will it kill him”

“No, trust me.” Daring said. Gears light up his horn and scanned the stallion

“Scootaloo you asked the questions”

Scootaloo walked up to the injured stallion. She felt the heat from the magic aura, she got closer to the stallion and looked at daring, who was looking more impatient by the minute. Then she saw Gears who was contrasting on his spell.

“Can you hear me?”

“Yes” the stallion answered in an almost dreamlike state

“So what are you doing here”

“We’re here to destroy this laboratory”

“Bit of a large group for a demo op”

“Were also supposed to reinforce alpha in destroying the Rebel camp.”

“WHAT!?” Gray and Daring yelled in unison

Gears dropped his spell, the cold rushing to the stallion's face. He didn’t react even when Daring aimed her revolver to his head and pulled the trigger. Blood splashed on Scootaloo's feachers. Daring let out a gutter scream that sounded unnatural coming from a pony, Scootaloo shook with fear as Gears went to her side.

“Daring what was-”

“WHERE MOVING NOW! GLOOM GET THE VEHICLES RUNNING.” Gray saluted and ran to APCs, Daring to turn to Gears and Scootaloo. “Get in now or we're leaving you behind.”

Gears helped Scootaloo into the APC, then took his own next to her. Daring hopped in the front seat and Gray hit the pedal to move as fast as possible. Scootaloo calmed down and looked at Gears who were staring at daring in the front. Scootaloo scooted closer to him and tried to wrap her leg around him. A blush appeared on his face as he looked over to her.

“You alright, Scootaloo” he asked in concern

“Yes Gears I just never really heard anything like that before” Scootaloo said in whisper

“I have but I can’t remember the species” he said in a low toun

“Well that's great.” she whispered Gears wrapped his hooves around her to keep her warm. Scootaloo put her head on his neck but before she could get comfortable, the APC stopped abruptly. The two hit the back of the front seats. Scootaloo was the first to recover, getting out of the APC followed by Gears. The two saw the camp burning flames all over the tents, some were in better condition than others but all that palled in comparison to the body littered all around. Before the two could say something Daring ran to a body and held it in her hooves. Scootaloo walked up to her and put her pistol to daring head.

“Why are they changeling in the camp?”

“Scootaloo, put your weapon down, we can talk about this.” Gears chimed in

Daring dropped her discussed, revealing the image of queen chrysalis “ Colonel Gears, your reputation precedes you”

“I aim to please. Now queen chrysalis I presume”

“Yes, now what do wish to discuss” she gritted her teeth

Gears took a step forward but had a gun pointed on his face. Before he could say anything the queen motioned to the owner to lower his weapon. Gears moved and gave Scootaloo a look making her lower her weapon. Queen chrysalis stud up and walked towards him looking for any sigh of treachery.

“So colonel speak” she commanded

“We can help you. I know how it's like to be betrayed the those you think are your own”

“I just lost an enter colony. Be careful on what you compare this to” she growled

“The attack on bad wolf city in mexicolt”

"What?”

“We were searching for the elements. Garble, Rainbow, Gilda and myself were heading to a shipping container.”