The kirin struggled but the Night-Mares’ grip was much too strong and before long their bodies went limp.

“What are you looking at?” Recce hissed to PW. “Go knock off the one on the branch!”

With a nod he got wind under his wings and began climbing, entering the clearing from a ten o’ clock position of the archer who didn’t even see him until the last second.

The kirin responded by thrusting his left hoof out but PW’s training paid off and he turned for a tail-first impact. The Kirin was knocked clean off the branch as the pegasus caught just enough wind to cushion his impact in the foliage beyond.

“What was that?” A kirin on the ground asked.

“We’re under attack!” Another answered.

At that moment Recce and Frosty burst out of cover on two legs wielding their D16’s.

Bullets hissed and cracked as Frosty targeted the archer nearest Polaris while Recce took care of the furthest Kirin. An arrow went just by Recce’s ear and she was quick to spin in the direction it came.

Her aim was second to none and the Kirin was downed with several shots. “Five down!” She yelled.

By now the other two kirin had their weapons aimed and were about to light the cannons. Recce reared to her fullest, ninety inches tall, and sprinted. The cannon’s wielder lost control of his flint in his ensuing panic as the ground shook under every heavy hoof-fall.

He cried out when she seized his neck in her metal claws, a single shot ringing out from behind her. The other cannoneer collapsed as Recce whirled about and threw her catch into the cannon itself with a dull *crunch*. She looked up to find Polaris sprinting towards them.

“Not bad, squirt.” She muttered.

PW nodded in reply, avoiding giving her any opportunity to take it back. He had the impression that her compliments were rare.

“Get in close!” Frosty called to him as Recce and Frosty stood back-to-back. He completed their delta formation, each of them covering a third of the circle around them.

“Are we clear?” Recce asked.

“PW?” Frosty asked.

“I knocked out the first guy.”

“Two more crushed.” Added Frosty.

“Three others in the trees are dead.” Recce called.

“That makes five. Then, the one by Recce on the cannon…” Frosty looked at the grisly scene. “Yeah, he’s dead. Then this one, headshot by Polaris. Good job!” She exclaimed, bringing a hoof to his back. He grinned in response.

“We’re clear. Move in!” Recce shouted.

The trio moved, single file, into the jungle to find the kirin PW had knocked out. He was just coming to when Recce plunged her forehoof into the foliage and fished him out. She thrust him against a trunk and his hind legs kicked in the air.

“Where are the other guard posts?” Recce asked under a hooded glare.

“We’re… the only one! This side… of the cove!” He croaked.

“What’s on the other side?”

“T-two teams! Like this one!”

“Rope” Recce clicked the fingers out of her free forehoof expectantly.

PW threw her a bundle. She stuffed one end of the rope into the Kirin’s mouth and wound it round the tree several times, fixing him in place high up the trunk. She brought her machete frighteningly close to the Kirin’s neck and swung it to cut the excess rope.

“Mmm!” The tied creature cried.

“You know there’s a pony-eating jaguar around? Hope he doesn’t come this way.” Recce raked her own claws over the Kirin's belly, mimicking the swipe of the giant cat.

“Let’s go!” Frosty called.

The team went back into the clearing and made their way to the far side.

“Not going to put the bodies in the ground?” PW asked.

“We’re in an active engagement zone, now. No time, anyway.” Frosty explained.

Recce led the way, clearing a path through the brush.

A thought crept onto Frosty’s face. “Where’s Echo? Have you made contact with her?”

“An operative from Catoshima reported that their to-be escort sunk and couldn’t ferry Echo over.” Recce replied.

“Sunk? Was it an accident?” She asked, concerned.

“Word was it came from a powerful ship-of-the-line that’s been harassing Catoshima for some time now.”

“Celaeno’s bane, I bet.” Polaris said.

“You might be right.” Frosty nodded to him. “Catoshima though... I would have never guessed. They have powerful defense capabilities. Recce, was there any other description of the ship?”

“No.” Was her simple reply.

The trio proceeded through the jungle and arrived at the peninsula’s end. Just a hundred yards across the cove the operation was before them.

“The wharf is a run-aground ship. That’s their loading dock, and their storage area.” PW muttered.

“That is a major weak point.” Frosty observed. “Listen; we’re going to hide the gear here in the jungle. We’ll take only the satchel charges and swim underwater to attach them on the hull of the ship. Once we return here, it’s all-guns-blazing westward.”

“What about my little gun?” Polaris asked.

Recce grabbed the box from him, opened it, and pushed the weapon into his wing. “Strap it on!”

“Lucky; you both get to walk out!” He smirked.

“Not this time, PW.” Frosty winked. “Those ships take twenty feet of draft. You memorized all my stats; the math doesn't work out.”

She fastened a pair of charges onto her belt. Polaris’ ears fell as a piece of metal tapped his temple and he turned to Recce.

“Tell us if there’s any lookouts.” She handed over a scope.

“Yes ma’am!” He barked and peered through the glass.

“Well?” Asked Frosty.

“There’s one guy on the deck of the old ship hull on this side.” His voice trailed as he scanned the entire cove.

“That’s all?” Recce finally asked.

“Hm. Yeah.” He took another look to make sure but nopony else was around.

Frosty cocked her head. “PW, did your Stallion and West come with a silencer?”

“Why yes it did. But I can’t make that shot!” He scoffed.

“I’ll take it.” She said, grasping the weapon.

“A hundred-odd yards?” Recce clicked her tongue.

“I should be able to do it. Just need a little bit of Ghillie’s luck.” Frosty lay entirely prone and started lining it up.

“Don’t miss this, snow-mare.” Warned Recce.

“I got it.” Frosty muttered between long breaths.

“Be ready to swim when this goes.” Recce said.

“You got this, 2, I believe in you!” PW called, hugging her sturdy shoulders from above.

She exhaled and squeezed the trigger.

A sharp *crack* rang out and they watched as the figure collapsed.

“You did it!” PW embraced her again.

“Move it!” Recce was already entering the water.

Frosty helped PW stuff the gun back into its holster. “It’ll be unusable until it dries.” She warned.

He nodded and followed her underwater.

Unlike the murky jungle rivers and ponds, this cove was connected to the salty, tropical South Celestial Sea. Its underwater visibility was quite good and, with no gear or pack to weigh him down, with his wings Polaris was faster than his companions. With the Night-Mares' training and Polaris’ flight-tuned respiration system, only one breath was needed in the middle for them to make the trip across.

After the second breath PW looked down and found odd bubbly tan and white figures on the seabed. This caught Frosty’s attention too, and both of them dove to investigate. The tan things were sacks which held airtight bags filled with what looked like baking flour. Then, when Polaris began to rise again he noticed some small hole on the underside of the wharf.

’That’s an underwater entrance! He realized.

The trio swam up to the underside of the hull and silently resurfaced. Recce pulled them in close into a team hug as they silently caught their breath, still treading water.

She put a finger to her lips and whispered. “Did you see what I did?”

“The narcs? Yep.” Frosty nodded with PW.

“Did you see the underwater entrance?” He asked.

“The what?” Recce asked in surprise. Frosty shook her head.

PW motioned for them to follow, and he led the way to the opening. There was a cavernous expanse inside the hull leading up to some orange light inside. There was an open hatchway at the water surface, and PW managed to surface inside it.

It was just one empty room with a closed door. Recce’s head popped out of the water next. “Good find, peewee.” She whispered and then grunted.

PW could tell she was trying to pull herself through the hatch but was getting stuck around her flanks. Suddenly she fell through the hole again, and Frosty popped up, gasping for air.

“There’s no room. Not even I can get through.” Frosty said before also falling back into the water, even faster.

“Dammit!” Growled Recce, trying to get through.

Polaris watched as the metal hatch began bending and the room started making a tapping sound as the iron and steel were being displaced. She blushed and retreated down again. This time she and Frosty treaded the water such that they could fit their heads together through the opening.

“Recce you won’t fit! I can’t even fit!” Frosty complained.

“Shh! What’s the plan?” PW whispered hoping somepony wasn’t on the other side of the door.

“Let’s have you set two charges up in here? Recce?” Frosty asked for her approval.

“Use yours. I’ll set mine up outside.” Recce replied.

“Okay.” Frosty nodded. “Good job, PW!” She handed the satchels over after Recce left to plant hers.

“This is what my purpose is! Finding our way around and fitting into very tight spaces!” He whispered, setting one up.

“And what a good job you do!” Complimented Frosty, handing him the next one.

“Sixty, okay?” He asked. Frosty nodded.

Polaris armed the devices. Frosty took a big breath and led him out and away from the ship.

“49, 48, 47, 46… ” Frosty counted as she surfaced and reunited with Recce.

“Set to go on shock. Dive, back across!” Recce ordered.

The ponies submerged a final time and began swimming as fast as they could away.

In the final few seconds by PW’s count, Frosty waved downward and dove. A loud, muffled blast followed and a powerful shockwave washed over them. Continuing along, the Night-Mares had almost reached the shore when the clang of what could only be debris sounded from above.

Frosty and Recce resurfaced on the other side, looking back at the red and black cloud and surrounding debris.

“Oh, it is gone!” Recce pumped a hoof in celebration.

“That’s not the only thing. Where’s PW?” Frosty asked, whirling around.

She dove back into the water and noticed something red on the bottom.

“PW!” She dove as quickly as she could to find he was panicked.

A mangled, metal panel had come down on his tail, trapping him. Racing as fast as she could to the trapped pegasus, Frosty made contact with the bottom and lifted the half-ton object to free him. He was freed but suddenly stopped short. Frosty pushed off the bottom and caught him in her hooves on the way back to the surface. He was now vomiting bubbles out of his mouth and nose.

“Hgg! Hkk!” He croaked upon breaking the surface.

“Hang on, you’re getting a squeeze!” Frosty warned.

With that she bear-hugged Windy and shot her forehooves hard into his belly.

“KHAAA!” He heaved a high pressure jet of water from his mouth.

She carried his wheezing form to shore.

“What happened?” Recce splashed forward to take his weight.

“We failed to recognize the metal sheet that pinned him and nearly crushed him!” Frosty shouted.

“You got it buddy. With me. In… out… In... out...” Frosty instructed, resetting his breathing rhythm with long breaths.

“There’s a canoe down the shore you two can use for escape.” Recce said, taking out her machete and cutting through the jungle.

“You’re not going?” Frosty asked.

“We’re not done. Those underwater narco-bags might still be there.” Recce responded, clenching her machete in her teeth like a savage.

Frosty pursed her lips, knowing she should be joining Recce in the task. She was thinking of a plan when something in the sky caught her eye.

“Incoming!” She yelled, carrying PW out of the way.

A barrage of flaming arrows landed in the brush around them.

"Flaming arrows? That’s their response?” Recce almost chuckled.

“Th-ank-s Fros-ty” PW muttered.

“Anything for you, buddy!” 2 replied sincerely.

Finally recovering, Windy watched Recce strike a young tree with a hind leg, splintering it. Recce yanked out one of the longer splinters and cracked it on the other end.

With her knife she made two cuts in the wood strip, taking a notch out. Recce then approached the shore and waited. “Heads-up!”

The arrows hissed into the brush, thankfully missing. Recce picked up a still-smoldering arrow, shaved the broken end against her rifle and placed it in the notch of the wood strip.

“An atlatl?” PW asked.

Recce glanced his way and he could swear she was actually smiling. She hurled the spear skyward.

“What’s your target?” He asked. “Oh.”

The projectile landed on the mast-roll of the still unharmed sailing ship. They heard the screams from the ship across the water as the fire spread.

Recce again fired another flaming arrow into the rigging.

“Look!” Coughed Windy, pointing to a pink pegasus fleeing westward towards the ocean. “Do you want me to intercept them?”

“No! You need to recover. And let’s keep the mission in scope. Our task here is to destroy this site.” Frosty answered.

“Consider that done.” Replied Recce, firing another arrow off.

By this point the whole poorly-maintained ship was going up and kirin and ponies alike were now jumping overboard. Recce returned to cutting the jungle but paused.

“Found a trail. Let’s get going!” She shouted.

The trio galloped down a trail into a clearing with a bungalow. A single kirin burning with rage burst out of the nearby shack, armed with a shotgun.

“Hold it right there!” She shouted, cocking the gun and aiming at them.

Author's Note

Stats for Nerds Approved for Release
ID Codename Standing Rearing Weight Gauge
2-1 Recce x 84'' x lbs x
2-2 Frosty 60.4'' 80.9'' 404lbs 27.9''
2-3 ?
2-4 ?
2-5 Echo 56.75'' 78'' 357lbs 28''
PW Windy 40'' 54.25'' 99 lbs 11.5''