Pony Fortress 2: Meet the Rejects

The noise that enveloped the area between the RED and BLU bases was absolute. After all, when workplace hazards include explosives and firearms, ears don't tend to respond very well. Sentries beeped, Medi-Guns thrummed, and smoke bombs did that vwhoosh thing. All in the name to kill some random ponies to further their empire.

RED (Radiant Empire's Defenders) and BLU (Builders of Lunar Utopia) are the names of two teams of contract killers. Teamwork might not be in all of their vocabularies but they're teams nonetheless. They're fighting under Celestia and Luna, respectively, to keep the Equestrian Empire together or secede and form a republic. Each team made up of copies of the same nine ponies. Rainbow Dash the Scout, Derpy Hooves the Soldier, Pinkie Pie the Pyro, Zecora the Demomare, Big McIntosh the Heavy Weapons Stallion, Applejack the Engineer, Fluttershy the Medic, Twilight Sparkle the Sniper, and lastly Rarity the Spy. Derpy usually gets lost on her way to the battle sites, so Spike the Dragon tends to fill in for her.

None of the mercenaries know how exactly they're fighting copies of each other. Theories of changeling interference is rampant, though Pinkie loves to ramble on how she thinks they're battling their long lost evil twins.

Speaking of Pinkie... this is where the spoilers come in.

Pinkie is definitely the least well put-together of the mercs. Sure, Fluttershy operates on conscious patients without a medical license (or much common sense really), but at least she's nice about it. Pinkie is vicious, cruel, and she's so cute you can't even stay mad at her, with her big eyes and always-present smile. She's also got a split personality problem. Sometimes she's the Pinkie that was just explained, others she's the calm and cool Diana. A few rare moments she's the fun-loving and kind Pinkie Pie she used to be before becoming the Pyro.

Back to Diana, she's the one conducting these interviews. She just finished with the Spy, so now there's only one pony left to interview. The Pyro.

You see the problem now, right? You especially should if you've read the story this is based on.

Pinkie's interview was supposed to be the day after Rarity's. Though a call to the Administrator's office brought Diana's mind away from the interviews for a few moments.

That's not gonna last long.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" An earth mare asked, poking her snout through the cracked open door.

"Yes. You may enter," the demonic mish-mash of creatures on the other side responded.

The door creaked open the rest of the way, pushed back by Diana's entrance. The dull pink pony gazing upon the screens atop of screens piled inside the Administrator's room, being stared at by the draconequus facing away from Diana. Most blared static, but some showed tactical camera feeds of the ongoing battle nearby. Big Mac and Spike were running down a hallway in a hurry on one screen, the iconic McIntosh apple in the Heavy's hoof with a large bite in it. Another showed the intelligence room with a floating intel briefcase inside. Ignore the fact that it's slowly floating away from the table.

"Do you know why you're here, Diana?"

"No, sir."

"Well, that's fine. Because I do." The Administrator lifted a manila folder and pushed it across the table next to him. "We've had a few special missions lined up for the next few days, and we'll be seeing a few new faces as well."

Diana put a hoof to her face and groaned. "Oh, please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

Administrator chuckled. "Well, it's not extra credit, if that's what you were worried about." Diana listened closely as she lifted the folder in a hoof, opening it with the other and confirming her worries upon seeing the contents. Profiles on several different ponies involved in the war between RED and BLU.

"You've got some new assignments, Diana. You start in the morning."