Roadie lets out an explosive sigh as he tossed the rolled up sleeping bag into a corner of the room. Despite being tired, Roadie only got a few minutes of sleep, and several hours of restless tossing and turning.

Since sleep is obviously not an option, I might as well do something productive. Oh I know!

Roadie approached the folded up power armor, and stepped into the metal boots.

“Please say access code” ‘Betty’ states through Roadie’s neural helmet.

“I thought it would be bigger.” Roadie states in an even tone.

The armor opened with a pressurized hiss and unfolded over Roadie body. It sealed back up and the HUD appeared in Roadie’s helmet. Unlike the Elemental the armor was based off of, the ‘Inner Sphere Standard’ was a cheap knock off. The armor panels were bulky, several sections near the joints were only offered marginal protection, and it couldn't carry anywhere near as much firepower.

On the bright side; the armor could be used by almost anyone with minimal training, the helmet wasn't a solid piece with the torso allowing the user to look around freely, and the weapon mount was a modular design. This modular design allowed the user to easily swap weapons in the field.

Roadie’s armor had some special modifications. Since it was designed for use for pilots who had been forced to eject; the armor was designed to work with a neural helmet which gave Roadie a bit more control over the armor. it also used slightly slimmer armor components for a little more freedom of movement and compact the size down. The powerpack, battle claw, and ER Micro Laser were off of the Elemental itself.

Roadie inspected the armor off hand, and stepped out of the life support pod. The first thing he sees is Princess Celestia looking weary, but satisfied. Before Roadie could say anything, her horn lit with a golden light.

The counter built into the suit begins rapidly clicking before screaming in alarm. Roadie looks up in time to see her gently float into the air as the sun rises over the horizon at the same time. The golden glow spreads from her horn to her entire body, bathing her in golden light.

As she gently touches down, Roadie’s jaw hits the bottom of his helmet. Every scratch, cut, sign of weariness, or the battle last night had vanished completely. Celestia’s ears twitch before she turns around and tilts her head at Roadie.

“Is that you Roa-” Is all Celestia says before Roadie turns around and runs as fast as he can. Away from the sun, away from the farm, and as far as possible from the impossibility he just witnessed.

*****

Ashley’s fingers danced across one of the few functioning computer terminals aboard the dropship.

“I thought I commanded you to find the freebirth scum. Why are you still here MechWarrior?” a loud voice shouted, pulling Ashley from her thoughts.

“The Nova has limited space for supplies for a MechWarrior alone, nevermind with an extra Elemental. It would be foolish to waste time searching an alien planet for a lone dropship without recon.” Ashley calmly explained, not taking her eyes off the terminal.

“Then get your ass out there, and get to work!”

“Conners, we can not just rush into-”

“That’s Star Commander Conners, and you will follow my orders!”

“...-rush into this, which is why I am trying to establish a link with what remains of the jump ship. If I can get the ship’s cameras online, I can use it as a satellite to find the Davion ship. Worse case, I can at least get their trajectory data to narrow it down to which direction.”

“Alright, but hurry up! The sooner we find them, the sooner we can get home. When command reads my report about how I lead us to victory over the freebirth scum, and discovered a new planet to colonize; I will finally be free of this dezgra unit, and back on track to eternal glory!”

“Aff.” Ashley said as Connors continued ranting while leaving the room. “Been watching long Kaiden?”

“Long enough to lose my appetite for the next few days.” A gravelly voice said from a darkened corner of the room. “Whenever he goes on one of his glory rants, I miss the commander. He always placed unit safety and survival over glory. While it did lead to missed opportunities, it also kept us safe from many freeborn traps and tricks. I have also been meaning to talk to you about him.”

Ashley stopped typing on the computer, but didn’t twitch otherwise. “Oh?” she said in a measured voice.

“I noticed you both have the bloodname ‘Carns’. May I ask were you two… related?”

“It is a long story best kept to kill time during the long travel our beloved new commander will send us on eventually.” Ashley said before continuing her work.

“Very well.” The Elemental said as he began to leave the room. He paused at the doorway, turning to face the MechWarrior. “Be sure to get some rest at some point. No point in pushing yourself before it is necessary. I will bring up some food from the mess in little while.”

Ashley gave a small chuckle. “Always looking out for everyone’s best interest. Thanks Kaiden.”

*****

Celestia flew swiftly after Roadie. She no longer had any doubts it was him, but why is he fleeing from me as if I'm a spawn of tartarus? All I had done was raise the- Oh… Pony feathers. Celestia picked up her speed. Roadie looked back to see her gaining, and responds with blue fire from his back to propel him a bit further. He looks ahead in time to trip over a small fence near a log cabin. Celestia lands next to him.

“Roadie please calm down. I will not hurt you.” Celestia explains.

“No! No no no no no! Physics says no! That’s just not possible!” Roadie rambles on while crawling away on his back.

Celestia sighs and begins to charge up a calming spell. Roadie shouts a panicked cry and leaps at her. Celestia grunts as the cannon arm hits her and her horn touches Roadie’s forehead.

“Uh oh...” Celestia says as the spell activates. In an instant Roadie’s life flashes before her eyes: A grandfather telling old war stories holding a picture of a brand new steel giant, a video call with a middle aged man with an aged steel giant behind him, a letter of acceptance into an academy, life and lessons at the academy, the passing of the steel giant to Roadie, a fierce battle, and the chase of a ship through a tear in time and space.

“Oh my goodness. Are you okay?” a quiet but concerned voice asks. Celestia shakes off what she just witnessed to see a butter yellow pegasus in front of her. Celestia opens her mouth to say something, but at that moment; her mind finishes processing what she just saw. Instead she wraps the surprised pegasus in a hug.

“I’m okay my little pony, just... shaken up a bit.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay. New job, and lack of motivation tends to delay things, but my friend was right. If you don't feel like writing don't. I came up with several ideas this way, and I think you'll enjoy them. Also note: I'm going back to writing in past tense instead of present. Feels a lot smoother that way. Also please point out any spelling/grammar issues you see. I don't have an proofreader, and some stuff slips under the radar.\

EDIT: 10/5/2014. I've decided to keep the battle claw on the power armor instead of an armored glove. It will make the rewrite progress a lot smoother. I also edited the clan conversations to remove I'll, can't, etc and used I will, can not, etc. (If I recall, clanners don't like contractions.)