XCOM: New Enemy

We've been walking for 5 hours straight. Our squad was ok, we walked 12 hour, make 15 when Engie and I decided to be bros and carry the others but the ponies needed to rest now since they don't have any biological or cybernetic upgrades. When we came to a stop, the princess ordered some of the soldiers to patrol for any threats while others began making a camp. Our squad decided to land a hand; Cap and Scope helped with the patrols, Mercy and Quicky went to tend to the wounded and Engie and I did the heavy lifting for the camp. I just finish another barricade using sharpened logs when I heard someone clearing their throat. I turned and saw the princess.

"We wanted to thank thee and thy friends for helping us," she said with a grateful smile.

"No problem," I replied simply,

"We have a few questions for thee if We do not bother thee,"

"No, it's fine. Ask,"

"We have never seen an armor like thine or thy companions. Could tell Us something about them?"

"Uuuhh, phhhh." I scratched the back of my head, "I dunno if I should, after all, it's a military secret and all that... but... I guess there's no harm. So for your question I will began with me. What I wear is not an armor but a Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit or if you want to go short it's called MEC or MEC suit, I'm what is known as a MEC trooper.

"Why so complicated, does it not work like armor?"

"It does, but MEC is more acurate, besides calling it an armor would be an insult because it can so much more," her eyes widen in concern.

"We apologize if We insulted thee. We did not meat for that." She said quickly but I waved my hand at that.

"It's fine, I was just saying," I assured her and she let out a sigh of relieve.

"What can thee tell more about this... MEC was it?" - I nodded - "Thee said that it can do more." I nodded again.

"Yes, but the abilities differ from soldier to soldier but I won't go into too much detail. My MEC has this beauty-" I showed her my fist "- then I have other features like, my boots can propel me into the air and more but we will have time for that later now we have to ensure that we won't get ambushed while asleep. And if we do, we must be able to fight off the attackers," I informed and her eyes widen once again but this time in realisation.

"Oh, thee are right. We are sorry for keeping thee occupied," she apologizes before she left to do her thing. I shrugged and looked for anymore work but I couldn't find any. ´Maybe I ask Scope to help me prepare some traps? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,´ I thought.

With the traps set, barigades built all we had to do was to watch out. It was about as fun as could be expected, person doesn't often and they do move, it's the same circle over and over gain. And I couldn't use night vision in my helmet because of those torches. Anyway, When Engie came to me to replace me I wished her nice patrol and was on my way before I realised that I didn't had my own tent, I waved my hand. I survived without it this long, I can manage now.

I looked for a spot I could use to lay my head down. It took me a little bit but I found what I was looking for. I layed down on my side and closed my eyes and fell into a microsleep several times. I sit up and sent a command for my helmet to open and rubbed my face before I began staring ahead of me without any thoughts. I layed on my back and fell asleep pretty fast.

"Wake up, Blaze," said Mercy. I oppened my eyes and saw that it was few hours before the sunrise.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just your turn to watch out." I nodded and asked where to go. I put on my helmet and went the direction she pointed me until I reached an empty post. I have been standing there for better part of an hour before I heard foot steps behind me, I turned around saw none other than Princess Luna making her way towards me.

"Princess." I said with slight bow before taking off my helmet, "what brings you here at this hour? Shloudn't you be asleep? I asked

"We slept enough for today's march. As for what We are doing here, We wished to see that everything was in order before we moved on," she replied.

"If something was out of the ordinary here, you would have heard it," I chuckled but just to be sure I didn't jinx it, I put on my helmet and thoroughly scanned the forrest around us. I used heat signatures mode but it didn't helped much so I switched to x-ray.

"Indeed." The Princess said as I scanned the surroundings. Satisfied, I put off the helmet but kept looking foward. "Thy weapons." The Princess said, making me turn towards her with questioning gaze, "in Our long life, We have not seen anything like that. Such a destructive force. If We may ask, what are they?"

I turned to her fully and unholstered my cannon and displayed it in front of her. "Generally, they're called guns and there are different types of them for different purposes. You want to take out someone without suspecting a thing, use a pistol. You want to take out someone quickly and efficiently, use an assult rifle. You want to take out someone from a big distance, use a sniper rifle. I could go on and on about them but that will have to suffice for now." The Princess nodded before she thank me for the brief explenation and left. I turned back towards the forrest before putting the helmet back on and scanning it again.

I watched out for the remaining time before hearing another foot steps behind. I again looked behind me but this time I saw Cap making his way towards me. "Back on your feet I see," I said.

"Yeah, my legs are good enough to carry me without any help. I just came here to tell you that we are leaving in a few so scan for the last time and lets go." I nodded and did as he said before giving him a thumb up. He turned and made his way inside the camp with me following closely behind. "What do you make of these... ponies so far?" He asked all of a sudden. I thought about it before replying.

"Honestly, I don't know. So far, they seem to be people that just trying to do their own but may have a hard time," he nodded at my response.

"Who do you think started this war and why?"

"Again, I don't know. And we can't be 100% sure until we hear the story." He was quiet for a litlle bit before speaking again.

"Lets keep our guard up. We don't know what to expect from both them and this world. Danger can come from any direction at any time and the whole ´magic´ stuff isn't helping either. You know how poorly our fisrt contact with alien spcies went." You may call him a paranoid bias asshole but I call him a man that has been through a lot. Just as me or any other member of our squad.

I nooded as we came up to the wagons and took the same positions as before and began our march again. We've been marching for a few hours before we stoped as scouts that have been sent out to watch out came rushing back.

It didn't took long for the Princess to start barking orders. Some of the ponies formed a three-rowed line. The first line held shields and acted as a wall. The second row was reinforcing the first one. And the last one was holding spears with few pikes at the ready.

The rest of the ponies formed 3 lines around their Princess that would protect her from sides and rear. Our squad looked at each other before simply nodding. Already knowing where to go. Engie and I would be if the front taking brunt of the ambush. Quicky and Cap would cover the rear. And Scope and Mercy would do so with the sides while also giving additional tactical support as needed.

Engie and I stood behind the front line and waited for enemy to show themselves. It didn't took long and I saw the deer-people approaching us. But they weren't alone this time. This time the y had reinforces of 2 more races. One of them were hybrids between a lion and an eagle. And the other were bipedal bulls. After a little bit I realised that was really looking at griffins and minotaurs respectively.

´Shit.´ I thought as I scanned both of them for anything usefull. My thoughts were confirmed when the scan showed that the griffins had wings and minotaurs had enough strength to bent and dent hardened steel like it was nothing. And, to add salt to the injury, I saw Capitain Prick walking at the front. I looked behind me and saw that the Princess saw him too and wasn't happy about it. At all.

She walked up next to me and observed their movement. They to a stop and the Prick came a bit closer before speaking loudly.

"Ah, Princess Luna Brightsky, I missed you," you're only making yourself better and better to me. "And I see that you have new companions with you this time. Why, I thought you said that you would defeat me with a small platoon and without outside help. " I looked at the Princess before she replied.

"That is in the past. What We care about is the present," she said calmly but I knew that on the inside she wanted to rip apart that asshole. "And our allies have helped us before, they can do so once again."

Captain Prick frowned at that. " Yes, I admit that they caught the first time off guard with their weapons. So much power." He mumbled but my helmet caught it. He looked back at us again," but not this time. This time we are prepared." There was a sound of something being launched and after a little bit I could see a big stone falling right at us.

I took aim with my granate launcher and shoot. The explosion tha followed caused the rock to shatter. I lifted my cannon and took aim on the Prick. Before the beam could hit him he fell on the ground.

"KILL THEM ALL!" He screamed. The ponies readied themselves as our squad began to open fire. I took them down in decent groups but they just kept coming. After some time my MEC gave a report about my cannon.

It was overheating. I dropped the cannon and the jet mod I jumped over the ponies. Immediately After I landed I began swinging my fists left and right. My hands were held behind while a minotaur with a battleaxe rushed at me. When it was close enough it it lifted its axe above its head.

I lifted my legs and kicked in its torso. What ever was holding tumbled back and made me to fall on it. When I stood up I saw that it was another minotaur. I stomped on its head and went for the other one. It stood up while clutching at its torso. My scans showed bruised lung and pummeled guts.

Its swung again but I just punched the axe away and punched a hole into its abdomen. I took the axe and began swinging it. Three beheaded deers and five diagonally halved. A minotaur skull broken in half. Then a different one choped in its side before being beheaded.

I looked back at the ponies and saw that they were barely holding the line. Something jumped from the behind and wrapped its arms around my neck. It struggled to strangle me but my MEC helped in that regard. I elbowed it in the side and swung the axe so hard the shaft broke. With that done I made way just in time as the line broke.

I jumped high in the air and slammed my Kinetic Strike Module down. A small earthquake that followed made everyone in range to fall down. I stood up and began running through enemies and crushed them under my weight. I looked back and saw that there were still plenty of them.

Suddenly a fire torrent blew from my left and scorched everything in its range. Looks like Engie had enough. This made them to retreat but not before I took one more shot from my granate launcher. Many of the deer people and some minotaur bits flew to all direstions.

I looked back and saw some of the ponies laying on the ground motionlessly. I took off my helmet and rubbed my face a little before covering my mouth in thought. After a little bit of thinking, Princess Luna came up to me.

"We wished to thank thee for saving us all." I turned towards her and saw a grateful smile on her face.

"Could've gone without the losses though," I replied pessimestcally. Her smile waverd slightly but managed to stay on her face.

"While that is true, if it was not for thy action when the rock was falling at us, we would have been all dead." I conceded with a nod. Her horn light up and the corpses shined for a little before being put on the cart I was pulling. "We just hope that the possibility of burying of their loved ones will give them at least a little bit of peace." She said as was looking sadly at the cart.

"Yeah, me too." I said as I put a comforting hand on her shoulder. I don't know why, but part of me though that she would shake it off, but she didn't. "I think we should move before more of them comes here." She just nodded and went to the front of our group while I took the carts handles and began pulling it.

Even after some many times. Its sad, something even crushing to see one's soldier die.