(Three days later)

Coughing the Courier weakly rose from his bed his body screaming from the soreness that engulfed his entire body, ED-E gently pushed against Six's side to help him to get up. Reaching behind his neck he pulled off another large flake of dried skin the courier looked at the piece of dead skin.

If he didn't know better he would think he was becoming a ghoul.

But that wasn't it.

Whatever was happening to him wasn't pleasant.

Lost the most of his teeth but...

They grew back.

They were longer and sharper but his canines were broader line fangs, he cut his tongue when feeling them but only for to go numb for a while as if he ate one of Ruby's Casserole. His entire skin felt so tight that the courier could help but scratch at it only for a large layer of dead skin to peel off, lost his hair too but it grew back slightly but was thicker than before.

Something was happening to him that was true and he was going to figure it out later.

But right now?

He had something he didn't really want right now, especially with his body screaming in sore pain.

He had guests.

Reaching out to his suit he slowly began to get dressed while ED-E moved over to the workbench with his helmet that had a slight change to it.

(Outside the warning signs/markers)

"I still can't believe what I'm seeing..." One of the Abyssinian scouts stated while looking at the many different metal creatures hard at work in the 'settlement'. "Flying metal squid and Three-legged metal golems this is right out one of those fantasy books back home,"

"Are they doing anything different today?" Asked the other scout sitting right next to the holding a notepad with rough sketches of the metal creatures including those floating metal eye things.

The first scout looked from his telescope.

"No, they're still moving those sand chucks and metal crates around. They're are almost like an ant hive working tirelessly even before we got here," The first scout said.

The second cat scout returned to her notepad before turning to see the third scout looking low to the ground with his own notebook with a semi-map of the settlement with a bunch of marked black squares at random in front of the 'settlement'.

"How about you? Got anything new?" The second scout asked.

The third held out a finger before spotting a new pile of sand out of place before marking another spot with a square and filling it in with his piece of charcoal.

"Found 39 more sand spots that aren't like the rest,"

"Still believe there are traps in the ground?" The second scout asked.

"Yeah... there is almost a pattern but I can't be too sure," The third scout stated holding his chin to look at the map again to see if he missed something again.

Returning back to her notes the second scout began to sketch one of the two metal huts in front of the black road in front of them. While working under the tent they set up providing shade for the three of them, the second scout began to wonder what was in those giant metal huts before the first spoke up.

"Whoa! whoa! New guy coming out of the building next to the huts!" Turning her head she snapped up pulling out her own Telescope before looking down it passed the strange metal fence to look down it and to the building next to the huts.

Sure enough, a new figure stood there with one of the metal eyes, but the one next to it look different from the rest that floated around. But the figure wasn't like the rest, it was bipedal and looked more like a living person, but due to the armor and clothing, it was hard to tell what it was.

It wasn't a pony that was for sure even with the bulk of the armor, she could tell.

The armor's design though... like the rest of the strange metal things were it was alien.

The helmet had tubing and what she could tell a single stained red glass piece over the eye slit, the helmet held a strange star symbol that she didn't recognize. She felt her hand flip to a blank page before scrambling to draw the image of what she saw behind the telescope. From what she could tell the being looked quite unwell from the way it stood, the metal eye was under it's right arm to help it with stay up.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that the being that stepped out was staring back at them...

As if it could see them without the use of a telescope.

Looking up from her telescope she stared back at the settlement thinking they were about to have first contact with this being.

Freezing up the three heard something...

Thunder...

But they didn't cross the line!

Did they anger the being?

They didn't mean to! They were only trying to understand...

Nothing did come to a matter of fact now that they listen close it didn't sound like a long thunder's boom but...

Marching?

Turning their heads behind their camp the three Abyssinian scouts spotted a bunch of figures match forward.

"Of course... by the goddess I was really hoping they wouldn't come this way," The third scout bluntly stated.

Getting up the three began to pack having to cut this trip short due to the new arrival, the last thing they need was vastly unprepared ponies to steal their water rations, and seeing how there are at least over a hundred of them that would happen pretty fast.

As they packed up their equipment back onto the wagon the Equestrian's own scouting party arrived.

"Greetings cat friends," The pony greeted with a smile holding out his hand. "I assume you spoke with the leader of this settlement?"

The pony was dressed in clothing from that badland pony village... Somnambula if the second scout was correct.

"No, we haven't," The first scout answered readying the giant sand lizard mount to take them back home.

"Well... I assumed that King Damion wished to meet with the leader of this settlement after that incident with Capper," The silver-coated pony stated, but the cats just ignored the ponies already seeing the solar guard escort cooking in their heavy pure gold armor eyeing their water cart. "SO... I'm guessing Equestria will be the first to have diplomatic relations with this settlement?"

This caused the three scouts to look up at each other before the third scout raised his hand from petting the large reptile's head.

"How are you going to do that?" The Abyssinian asked.

"Simple we are going to speak with the leader of this settlement," The pony smiled.

"How?"

The pony almost chuckled at the cat's question.

"Why we will walk up of course," The pony stated bluntly amused by the question.

Again the scouts couldn't believe their ears.

"Buddy there is a warning sign to trespassers... it clearly says to say away," The first scout pointed out.

"Pfffft, please... we aren't trespassers we are the diplomats from Somnambula sent by the sun goddess. Lady Celestia herself," The pony stated with a smile. "We will not be harmed,"

The second scout turned at the pony.

"Are you mad?" She asked. "Did your informant tell you what happened when Capper's group crossed the line? They were blown to bits within seconds for trespassing on this settlement's land. Doubt they'll show you the same leniency... especially with your armed escort,"

The pony blew her off waving his hand.

"Pure desert madness... perhaps Capper simply image the entire thing... with no water out here can be quite taking on the mind and body," The pony stated to which the scouts could tell some of the ponies were about to pass out or worse...

"At least your right about that last part..." Climbing onto her cart the second scout stare down at the 'Diplomats from Somnambula' one last time. "By all means test to see if Capper was lying,"

"We will," The Pony held a smug grin before clapping to his men. "Forward men! Ready the trumpets to sound for our arrival!"

Ten gold armor ponies with heavy long trumpets got up from the ground before moving forward next to the silver-coated pony, while they blew the trumpets the scouts began to move away before stopping at least a few away at a safe distance under sure what was to happen. The third and second scouts readied their notebooks while the first one climbed on top of the barrel with his trusty telescope to see what would happen.

The moments the trumpets blared the Diplomat took a step forward passed the marker... he and the solar guard didn't hear the thunder, unlike the Abyssinians. They were too close to the trumpets which blared out the group held their breath before the second pound of thunder roared though out but this was followed by a second almost unheard sound due to the trumpets.

The Diplomat and the trumpet players were thrown back from the blast of the explosion that landed right in front of them.

The solar guard was supposed to be a fearless elite force of Equestrian's finest soldiers who would lay down their lives for the princesses. Yet the three scouts watched first while the elite fighting force screamed like children while the front row was screaming out of pain.

The explosion maimed the ponies up front but the diplomat had taken the worst.

His legs...

They were blown off.

Quickly the scouts bolted off what they just witnessed to inform their king of what they had just witnessed.

(Back with ED-E and Six)

"*Question Beeping*"

"No... I don't think I was too harsh... if they can't read the signs like those cats then too bad... at least those ab... abbyss..."

"*Beeping*"

"I was getting there... at least those Abyssinians knew to keep their distance and read the sign," Courier six groaned before turning back to the building house. "I need to lay back down,"

"*Worried beeping*"

"I know what I said... I just need to lay down longer okay bud?"

"*Plays Mr. Sandman*"

"Really?"

If ED-E had a face he could smirk to which the courier gave a light-hearted laugh.

Author's Note

Almost didn't make it!

But here it is!

Another chapter!

Hoped you enjoyed it... sorry for it to be a short one but something happened at work I swear and was there for an extra hour and a half.

So I had to get this done within my new writing time frame.

Again sorry if it was short...

But what do you think happened to the courier?