Team Stable 2by FrostyDawnChaptersFriendship begins in 60 seconds...The NewcomerÜbercharge, Pinkie Pie Style!Grim OddsSnipin's a good job, mate.Schweinhunds!Danke schön...A Mercenary's PromiseFriendship begins in 60 seconds..."Gravel Pit", New Mexico, U.S.A August 17th, 1963 1100 hours The desert region was a quiet, hot wasteland. Until a man by the name of Zephiah Mann left this chuck of land to his two sons, Redmond and Blutarch, before he passed away. The two brothers each hired nine different mercenaries to fight the other and take the entire mass of land left by their father for themselves. This particular mass of land, known as Gravel Pit, was a rich quarry of granite and a few iron reserves. Redmond's mercenaries, the Reliable Excavation Demolition team, (or RED for short), had taken Gravel Pit, and defending themselves from the BLU team, Builders League United. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> "Hurry, doctor! BLU team is taking point!" a member of the RED team yelled. He was bulky, bald, wore a bandolier of large bullets, and carried a ridiculously enormous gatling gun, which he named 'Sasha'. The stereotypical Russian. He wore a thick vest over a red shirt, bearing a fist emblem on the sleeves shoulder.This was the Heavy Weapons Guy. He was a quiet man, but it was wise to never upset him if you felt like keeping your face. He glowed with a crimson light from the man following him. The person following the Heavy had his hair perfectly coifed, a small pair of spectacles resting on his nose, and wore a white lab coat with red rubber gloves splattered with blood. In his hands, he held a small cylindrical device, spewing a glowing red energy, which connected to the Heavy's body. The device was connected to a backpack, which was marked with a red cross insignia. "Übercharge at 80%!" The German doctor called out, reading a small meter on the barrel of his device. He went by many names. Medic, Doctor, Doc, even "Sawbones". His device enabled the Medic to heal injuries in a matter of seconds, and take his brothers-in-arms to the peak of health. The Heavy and Medic had worked side by side for many years, sharing victories and losses against the BLU team. They rushed to a "Control Point", with was critical to defend if they were going to stop the BLUs from taking over. The Control Point was concealed in a wooden shack, sporting a large satellite dish on the roof. Upon reaching the shack, the Heavy readied his gun, spinning the barrel as he prepared to turn the corner. The point was empty, so the Heavy relaxed and slowed the gun. "Where are cowards? Control Point was under attack a minute ago." Heavy asked, as he swore he had heard the sound of gunfire and explosions recently. The Medic sighed, switching off his Medical Gun, causing the Heavy's red aura to fade. "Zhey must be at ze ozher control point. Zhe BLUs might have heard us coming." Their eyes suddenly widened as a faint beeping broke the silence. The Heavy looked up at the low ceiling. A group of blue spheres stuck to the ceiling, with small spikes protruding from their surface. "Doctor!" The Heavy yelled, pushing the Medic out of the cabin. The beeping quickened, and in a flurry of light and heat, the Heavy was gone. The Medic lay on the rough ground, attempting to prop himself up. The cabin was set ablaze, making smoke roll out from the windows. As his vision returned from the blast, he could see the ground and door of the cabin smeared with blood. And something else was in the middle of the flames. A person. He wore a suit that covered his entire body in a blue coating. The stranger had two incendiary grenade strapped to his chest, and on his back was a silver oxygen tank. But what really frightened the Medic was the mask. The mysterious figure was known only as the "Pyro". He wore a black gas mask, which shielded his eyes and had a small respiratory valve over his mouth. He carried a flamethower, which was composed of a propane tank, a car muffler and a handle, like that of a gas pump. The Pyro tossed it aside, and reached behind him, pulling out a rusty axe crudely wound with barbed wire. "Schiße!" The Medic muttered. The doctor attempted to stand up and run, but his leg was severely injured from the explosion. The Pyro slowly walked over to the Medic, towering over him and staring at him through the haunting gas mask. "Nein... nein, I beg you... bitte...." The Medic pleaded, hoping the maniac's humanity would reach through. However, this was not the case. The Pyro raised the axe over his head, and tried to speak through the mask's respirator. "Mphmpmhpm Fphpmh Mpphfm." He mumbled, as that was the only sound he could make. The Medic shut his eyes tight as the Pyro swung the axe downward.... <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> All of the mercenaries were familiar with the respawn system. It was an acronym for "Reanimating Emulation Software for Preserving Authorized Weaponry and Neurons." It was designed by Zepheniah Mann, but built by both Redmond and Blutarch to aid them in the war. It's purpose was to bring a deceased person back to life, by taking their neural brain patterns and planting them in a carbon copy of the person. Both the BLU team and the RED team utilized the respawn system to revive their mercenaries to be killed over an over, and allowed them to be brought back and keep fighting where they left off, bringing them back to the teams base. Medic awoke to a sound he had not heard in a long time. The sound of birds singing. He had a pet dove, Archimedes, who cooed whenever the Medic was around, but this sound was different. The gentle hum of the respawn device cooling down was not there. The Medic expected to find himself laying on the linoleum tile floor of the base, staring up at the ceiling. But as the Medic sat up, he realized something was wrong. He looked around, finding himself at the edge of a forest, with lush trees and the sun shining with out any clouds in the sky. "Vhere am I?" he thought to himself. He found himself on a hill, staring down at a small village below. He could barely make out people walking the streets. "Perhaps I could find some answers down zhere." He looked down, and saw the Medi-gun laying at his feet. Normally, the Medic carried a bonesaw and a small gun to fire syringes that followed him through the respawn system. The only thing that followed him was the Medi-gun. The Übercharge gauge read 0%. The sound of hurried wingflaps approached him, from the forest behind him. "Watch out!" a voice said. The Medic turned, but something ran into him. The Doctor tumbled down the hill, and along with whatever collided into him. When the two of them skidded to a stop, the Medic fumbled around for his glasses. "Dummkopf! Can't you learn to vatch vhere you are going?" He said, exasperated. "I'm so sorry, mister! Here's you're glasses..." The voice said. It was light and feminine, something the Medic hadn't heard in a long time. Medic reached out in front of him, picking up the glasses. "Danke..." he said. With his glasses clearing his vision, he looked at the person. It was a girl, somewhere in her early 20's. Her hair was long and curled, and a particular blonde shade that it almost cast a pink hue. The girl wore a yellow sweater, which looked at least two sizes too big. Her eyes were bright blue, and was partially obstructed by her hair. "Please forgive me, mister! I didn't mean to! I'm a horrible flyer..." The girl said. The Medic brushed the dust off his coat. "No, I'm zorry. I zhouldn't have lashed out at you like zhat. But just out of curiosity... did you zay 'flyer'?" Medic asked, intrigued. The girl nodded. Behind her, two feathery yellow wings unfurled, catching Medic by surprise. "What's wrong? Haven't you seen a pegasus-girl before?" The girl asked. Medic just stared in awe, his jaw hanging open. "A-a-a pegasus? No, zhose are only myth..." The Medic said. "Well, they are real..." The girl said, leaning forward and holding out her hand. "I'm Fluttershy. I really like your cutie mark." She said. The Medic nearly let out a chuckle. "My vhat?" he asked. Fluttershy pointed to the red cross emblem on the Medic's shoulder. "Your cutie mark. See, here's mine." Fluttershy gently brushed her sweater down, revealing an image on her bare shoulder, three pink butterflies. "This means I'm good with animals... what does yours mean?" She asked. The Medic soon caught on with Fluttershy's explanation, and thought he would play along. "Vell... I guess it means I am a doctor. I help people vith injuries." Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Injuries? Oh, no! I forgot why I was in such a rush! I saw my friend Rainbow Dash crash over here a while ago!" She said, taking off a few feet off the ground. She then turned to the Medic. "Oh, wait! You're a doctor, right? Would you please help my friend? She could be hurt!.... if that's alright with you." She said sheepishly. The Medic looked down at the Medi-gun, which landed a short distance away. He thought about the Heavy, and how he would be holding up at the front lines without him. He picked the Medi-gun up, and looked at Fluttershy. The Heavy needed him, but so did she. The Medic was aware that he was stuck in this world. A world free from war. And someone needed his help. He held the Medi-gun, as he made his choice. "Take me to your friend." Author's Note For those of you who don't speak german: Schiße = shit Nein = No bitte = please Danke= Thank You Dummkopf = fool The NewcomerFluttershy flew through the air, a few feet off the ground. The Medic ran behind her, still marveling at the fact that a girl was effortlessly gliding in the wind in front of him. "We're almost there!" Fluttershy called out. As they came over the next hill, he could see the problem. They appeared to have reached an apple orchard, and one of the larger trees had fallen over, scattering red apples on the ground. Two girls were by the fallen tree. One was girl lying on her back. Her hair was a colorful spectrum, ranging down from red to purple. She wore a light blue tank top along with some track shorts. Her face was contorted with pain as her hands grasped her shin, which was stained with blood. The girl also possessed a pair of wings, light blue and one seemed to be bent at a wrong angle. The second girl kneeled beside her friend, patting her on the shoulder. She wore a leather cowboy hat, which covered her sandy blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She wore an orange top that sat on top of a white blouse. "Hold on, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy's here. And she brought help." The blonde said, her voice heavy with a southern accent. "Gah! My leg!" The injured girl groaned, before she looked up at the Medic. "Not to worry. I'm a doctor." He said proudly. He kneeled down and moved Rainbow Dash's hands away from her leg, revealing a bleeding gash. "Nozhing too zevere. I can fix zhis." He said, aiming the Medi-gun at the girl. "Wait, what are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash said, panicking as she stared down the machines barrel. The Medic switched on the device, allowing the beam of red light to seep into her wound. Rainbow Dash flinched, but then felt her wound's pain dull. The three girls watched as her gash started to heal. The blood began to drip back in, the muscles reattached fiber by fiber, and finally, the skin sealed itself shut. In addition to that, her wing started to bend back to its original position. "Vell, how do you feel?" Medic asked, as the Medi-gun shut down. Rainbow Dash slowly stood up, staring at her leg and shaking it as if she was never hurt. "Wow... how did yah do that?" The blonde girl asked, obviously impressed. "Zhis device is zpecifically used for healing fatal injuries quickly. I use it all ze time back vhere...." The Medic paused. He was unsure wether or not to reveal his military work to a group of girls... especially ones he just met. "Back where what?" Rainbow Dash asked. Medic sighed. "Vell, I von't lie. I use zhis machine for var." he said solemnly. The three girls simply exchanged nervous and confused looks. "War?" Fluttershy said, inhibition and innocence taking over. The doctor swallowed and took a deep breath. "I've been fighting ze zame var for zo long... I've seen my comrades die before me. I've even died myzelf, coming back again and again to repeat it all. I've even died just getting here." He said solemnly. Fluttershy gingerly stepped toward him. "I'm sorry. But now that your here, you wont have to worry about that." She said softly. The Medic looked down to Fluttershy who had a gentle smile on her face. "Danke, Fluttershy." he said, smiling back. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Heavy Weapons Guy returned at the base, seconds after pushing Medic away from the bombs. "О, моя голова" he muttered. He sat up, cricking his neck and picking up his Mini-gun. He stood by the door, waiting for Medic to respawn so they could continue their duties. But after a few minutes, nobody respawned with him. Speakers over head spoke in an authoritative tone. "Attention. BLU team has captured Control Point A. Ten minutes left in the mission." The voice said. It was the "Administrator", a woman who watched both the RED and BLU teams fight through the use of cameras planted everywhere. She was also the one in charge of the respawn system and funded both teams with weapons. The Heavy wandered out of the base, looking for any sign of Medic. Up on the tower which held Point C, the last control point in Gravel Pit, he saw someone waving down at him. It was another member of RED, the Engineer. He wore a yellow hard hat with some welding goggles, as well as a pair of overalls smeared with motor oil, and a thick rubber glove on his right hand. Around his waist was a tool belt, and he carried a monkey wrench in his hand. "Howdy, pardner." He said from his three-story perch. The Heavy waved back, wandering toward the tower. He climbed the spiraling ramp to reach the top. As he did, the Engineer greeted him. The Engineer had built a level 2 sentry gun, a medium sized turret with two rapid firing guns that fired on sight, and dispenser, a bulky mechanical box which hummed of medi-beams and provided ammunition. "Hey Heavy. Yah seen Medic 'roud here? Ah reckon he'd respawn by now." Heavy shook his head. "Нет. Doctor would be with Heavy if he had come back. BLU team is advancing and we are missing team member." The sentry picked up motion at the bottom of the tower and fired a few rounds. The Engineer and Heavy looked down, and saw the body of a BLU Scout drop dead. "Huh. Them Scouts. They're quick. But not quick enough." The Engineer taunted. However, with their attention diverted, someone snuck up behind them. "Ahem." they said. The two turned back, and found themselves looking at Medic. "Doctor! You are alive!" Heavy cheered, crushing the Medic with an enormous bear hug. As he let go, the Medic, grinned and stepped over to the sentry. "I see zhat ze control is zafe under your vatch, Engineer." The doctor said. The Engie chuckled. "You bet, Sawbones. Aint nothin' getting past me 'n my machines." He gloated. What neither the Heavy or Engineer did not expect was the Medic's next move. He seemingly pulled an electronic sapper out of nowhere, and quickly jammed it into the sentry's circuits. "Medic is Spy!" Heavy yelled. Before he could fire Sasha, the Spy quickly turned and fired his revolver, plugging a bullet right in the Heavy's forehead. The firing of the revolver caused the Medic's appearance to change. In a quick puff of smoke, the doctor shifted into a man wearing a blue tuxedo, gloves, and a mask that hid all but his eyes and mouth. The russian dropped like a stone, falling to his knees before toppling over and letting a pool of blood drip from his skull. The Spy then turned to the Engie, and readied another shot. However, the mechanic took a mighty swing with his wrench, smashing into the Spy's skull. The blow killed him instantly. As two corpses cluttered the control point, the Engineer watched the bodies dissolve into atoms. "That wasn't supposed to happen..." he muttered. Author's Note More language translation! Yay! Heт (pronounced 'nyet') = No О, моя голова (pronounced O, moya glolova) = Oh, my head Übercharge, Pinkie Pie Style!The Medic followed the three girls toward the village. The blonde introduced herself as Applejack, and Rainbow Dash zoomed overhead, leaving a colorful trail behind her. "I don't believe it! That thing of yours is amazing!" The blue pegasus-girl said, zipping around in the sky. The Medic smirked. "Anozher suczessful procedure." he said proudly. However, he looked down at the Medi-gun, which started to emit small sparks from the barrel. The meter's needle on the side of the barrel was twitching, and the device emitted a low hum. "Ztrange... healing zat vone injury fully charged ze device..." Medic muttered. Fluttershy curiously looked up at him. "What does that mean?" the quiet girl asked. Medic snapped out of his trance. "Vell... ze Übercharge allows for a short while of pure power und vitality. It's zaved my friends und I zo many times." The Medic then looked around. The village he had entered looked like something from a storybook. Houses made from bricks and roofs coated with straw. The civilians were even more eclectic. A lively group. A girl carrying a mail bag flew through the air in a winding pattern, then smacked into the ground. She got back up, and continued flying as if she had done so a hundred times. But for once, the Medic was seen as the odd character. Another young girl stopped and peered through the streets, looking straight at Medic. Her hair was curly, and bright pink. Not the same shade of pink as Fluttershy, but like a solid rose pink. Her clothes were also pink. Pink belly shirt, pink sneakers, and pink sweatpants with small yellow stripes. The rosy girl let out a large gasp, and hung in the air, which seemed to defy physics. "Oh my gosh! You must be new here, 'cause I know everyone in Ponyville! And I don't know you, so you must be new here!" She said, rushing in front of the Medic, hardly stopping for a breath. "Uh... nice to meet you?" Medic replied, leaning away from her. She was persistent. "What'cha got there? Is this supposed to be a cannon? I've got a cannon just like it, but I use it for parties!" She said, poking at the Medi-gun and looking at it. "Pinkie Pie, stop! Yah might break it!" Applejack warned. "It helped Rainbow and we might need it again!" she said, trying to restrain her hyperactive friend. "It helped Rainbow Dash?! Ooooh, neat-o!" She said, even more excited than before. "Did it save her from a forest fire? Or a ravenous manticore?!" Pinkie squealed, tugging it against Medic. "Fräulein, please! Zhis is a very zensitive device!" He said, hoping that she wouldn't do something they'd all regret. "You talk funny! Where you from? What's this do?" Pinkie asked rapidly. Her fingers unknowingly slipped onto the trigger. With a surge of power, the Medi-gun connected with Pinkie Pie, and coated her in a metallic red shell, and her eyes glowed an unnatural gold. Trembling with energy, Pinkie inexplicably rocketed up into the sky. However, the Medic, glowing in the same red hue, was pulled upward as well, the beam of the Medi-gun towing him like a rope. "WWHHHHEEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she rushed up into the clouds. However, the Übercharge faded in a few seconds, and the concept of gravity returned to Pinkie. "Sorry." She said to Medic before the two of them tumbled downward. Pinkie grabbed Medic's wrists, and several balloons seemed to inflate behind her, acting as a parachute. "Never do zhat again." Medic grumbled while he slowly drifted downward. "Okie Dokie, Lokie!" She said, for nothing would dampen her enthusiasm. As they reached the ground, Rainbow Dash helped them land. "Sorry about Pinkie Pie." she said. "She can be rather..." "Spontaneous?" Medic asked. "I was going to say random, but that works too." She said. "By ze vay, vhere did my Medi-gun go? I know I must have dropped it vhen I fell." Medic said, looking around. As if on cue, small chunks of metal scraps landed around them, a few of them smoldering and smoking. Everyone glared at Pinkie Pie. "Heh heh. Oops." She chuckled. <><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Heavy sat up, his forehead dripping with cold sweat. He looked up, finding himself in a forest. The trees around him bore apples. Tons of apples. The orange sun shone through, indicating that evening had arrived. He stood up, seeing a barn at the edge of the orchard. He then heard a voice behind him. "Yah been out quite a while." The voice was deep and southern. He turned, expecting to see the Engineer. Instead, he saw a man, leaning against a wheel barrow full of apples. He was just as burly as Heavy, with a head of dirty blonde hair. His face was rugged and chiseled, freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose. He chewed on a piece of straw and his arms were crossed. He wore a pair of work gloves, a red wool fleece with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of jeans, worn at the knees and stained by grass and dirt. He aslo sported a pair of leather boots. "Where is Heavy? How long was Heavy out?" Heavy asked, rubbing his forehead. "Ya'll at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah saw yuh fall out of the sky and yah been layin' 'ere for 'bout an' hour." He said. "Might ah ask who you are?" "I am Heavy Weapons Guy. And this... is my-" He looked down expecting to find Sasha in his hands, but the only thing that followed him through the respawn system... was a sandwich. The stranger chuckled. "Yur lunch?" He said. Heavy just tucked the sandwich away. However, he had a thought. He realized that Medic might have been killed before disappearing. If something had happened during respawn, Heavy might have ended up where Medic disappeared to. "Tell me. Have you seen anyone new around here? Heavy is looking for friend." Heavy asked. The farmer scratched his chin, which had a little stubble. "Ah didn't see no one new, but mah sis Applejack did. She said that this new guy appeared in the town and help her friend recover." Heavy's eyes widened. "That must be Medic! Can you take Heavy to town?" He asked. "Ah'd love to, Heavy feller, but ah got a little apple buckin' to do. Gotta finish this here harvest before ah go anywhere else." he replied. He then delivered a solid roundhouse kick to a nearby tree, causing it to shake and the apples to fall into buckets below. The Heavy watched him knock the fruits effortlessly, then looked around. A small number of trees still bared apples, but the further he looked, more trees were picked entirely of the apples. "If yur willin' to help, we'd be finished in a few minutes." Heavy looked at the nearest tree. He then glanced at his hands, and balled his fists. He drove a devastating punch into the trunk. The apples rained down from the branches, leaving the entire tree bare of its fruit. "Nice work, pardner." The other man said. "We could use a feller like you 'round 'ere." He held out his hand. "Glad to help." The Heavy replied. "Name's Big Mac. Let's finish up the rest of this here orchard, then we'll look for your friend." Grim OddsThe BLU Spy the Engineer killed followed the Heavy shortly. But he did not wind up at the Sweet Apple Acres. He sat up to find himself in a bedroom. A rather frilly bedroom, at that. It had lacy ribbons on the windows, the bed, and the decor. There was a work bench with a sewing machine, lengths of thread and yarn, and neatly folded piles of cloth. There were mannequins wearing half finished dresses. The Spy couldn't help but admire the quality of them. He leaned out the window. The Spy saw a few people pass by, but they weren't aware of the Spy's location. "Where am I? I have to find a way out, and make sure I'm not spotted." The Spy thought. He hit a small button on his watch, and in a matter of seconds, he faded, becoming completely invisible. As an extra precaution, he used a disguise kit to change his appearance. However, the disguise kit only allowed the Spy to change shape of the other mercenaries on the opposite team. So, he simply shifted to his crimson counterpart, the RED spy. It was a start. The Spy quietly descended the stair case, and found himself at a much more fashionable floor. More puffy curtains and sequenced ribbons. "What kind of place is this? I should be on the battlefield, not some shallow dress shop." He opened the front door, even more confused. The once war-barren desert he came from was replaced by a simple town. The Spy slowly walked through the rural village, when a strange sight caught his eye. At first, the Spy heard a commotion amongst the people. Then, he saw a young girl and a man shoot up into the air, glowing with a red energy. Curiosity took over as he swore he had just seen the Medic. However, being invisible, a girl collided with him with out even knowing. Both fell to the ground. The girl was laying on top of the Spy's transparent body, so it appeared as if she was hovering mere inches off the ground. "Ugh, watch where you're going, you ruffian!" The girl said, before a look of shock filled her face as she saw no one there. She had a rather elegant essence to her. Mascara that sprang off her delicate blue eyes, purple hair curled down her shoulders, and a white, sleeveless dress that exposed a mark on her bicep, three diamonds that shimmered in the sunlight. "Apologies." The Spy said, as his invisibility wore off, revealing his red suit and mask appear before the girl's eyes. Seeing this, she jumped off and brushed the dirt from her dress. "Ah! What do you think you're doing? More importantly, what are you doing?" She asked. The Spy stood up, adjusting his tie. " I truly am zorry, mademoiselle." He said slyly. He thought he might be able to persuade her, use her as an ally to help take down the REDs. But first, he'd have to use a little subterfuge. " I was just passing by and I couldn't help but notice zhat lovely boutique over there." He said. "My boutique? You really think it's lovely?!" The girl said, a wide grin appearing on her face. "That was yours? Well, I must zay madam, you zertainly have wonderful taste." The Spy said, putting a cigarette in his mouth and setting it alight. "Might I ask your name, miss?". "Rarity..." she said, feeling wooed by the charming presence of the Spy's manners and gallantries. "A fine name. Well, I'm afraid I must be off." Spy said, casually walking away. "Wait! Are you sure you have to leave? I'd love to introduce you to my friends!" Rarity said, calling out to him. The Spy smirked. "Well, I zuppose I could. It would be rude to deny a lady's invitation." He said, turning back to Rarity. Rarity blushed and smiled. "Magnifique! I'm sure you'd be a wonderful friend!" she said, tugging Spy by the wrist, leading him toward a large house made from a tree in the middle of the town. "Zure... friends..." Spy said, grinning maliciously and patting the butterfly knife hidden in his pocket. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Engineer watched the bodies of the Heavy and Spy dissolve into atoms. "That wasn't supposed to happen..." he muttered. The Engineer had seen his teammates die several times, and their bodies always slowly faded as they respawned. But this time, their corpses just vanished bit by bit. What was happening with the respawn system? The Engineer was interrupted as an explosion shook the building's foundations. The tremor shook the Engineer off the perch, and fell three stories down, onto the harsh, rocky ground. As the pain filled his leg with numbness, he looked up. Standing over him was a BLU Solider. He wore combat boots, a couple grenades on a strap, and a WWII helmet that covered his eyes. A rocket launcher rested at his side, the barrel smoking. "Howdy, partner. Looks like your'e in a real pickle here." He said, mocking the Engie's southern drawl. His voice was rough and gravely. "Listen here, grease monkey. We're both American, so I'm gonna let you waddle back to your base without a fight. But when we cap that point, don't expect any truce." " Ah ain't gonna let you cap that point, rocket-boy." The Engie said, standing up pulling a pistol out of his holster. The Solider simply sucker punched the Engineer, then kicked the pistol away as it hit the ground. "I don't think so, maggot. We still have our Medic and Heavy. Yours are long gone." The Solider chuckled. The Engineer's eyes widened, limping away. "H-how did you-" "Our Engineer found a way to sabotage the respawn system. So your kind are stuck God-knows-where, and we take over the maps without a problem." "Joke's on you, son. Your Spy and Scout are also stuck there." "Our Scout respawned perfectly. Granted, our Spy's missing, but it doesn't matter. It was a fluke. And we won't need his help when your entire team is dead anyway. Now..." He said, pointing the rocket launcher at the Engie. "Go crawl back to your mama before I waste more ammo." "No good sunava bitch..." The Engie muttered as he limped toward the bunker. He opened the door, and the RED Sniper and Scout helped him to a bench. "What happened out there, hardhat? Where's Doc and the Tank?" The Scout asked. He wore a black cap, with a small headphones with a miniature microphone. He wore only a red T-shirt, with a dogtag necklace. His hands were wrapped in white linen, like boxing tape. There was a backpack slung over one shoulder, with a single strap. The Scout wore track shoes and windpants, like he was ready to play baseball rather than fight a war. "Heavy and Sawbones.... the BLUs got our respawn system screwed up, so now they're stuck somewhere." The Engie sighed. He lay on the bench, making sure his leg didn't suffer any further pain. "We're gonna get slaughtered...." "You can say that again. The rest of our crew fled to the Dustbowl. Our Demoman, our Pyro, everyone." The Sniper replied. The Australian wore a pair of sunglasses and an outback style hat. A pair of sideburns ran down his face along with a scar across his cheek. He wore a brown vest, with four tracer bullets sticking out of his breast pocket. On his crimson shirt, he wore an insignia of a crosshair on both his sleeves. There was a case on his back, which held his rifle. The Engie grunted, exasperated. "Aw, hell. What are we supposed to do now?" "The final control point is under BLU control." The Administrator announced in the speakers above. Then, the door slid open. The BLU Soldier walked in, carrying his rocket launcher. He pointed it at the three remaining REDs, and chuckled. "Say your prayers, hippies." The Solider pulled the trigger, blasting them all with a single rocket. Snipin's a good job, mate.The minute the Scout respawned, he knew he was tumbling down something soft and wet. His eyes shot open, and his eyes blurred as he could tell he was falling. Dangerously fast. His hands caught something, and he decided to grab it. As his hands tightened, he jerked to a stop. As the Scout regained his bearings, he looked around. He was surrounded by an open, blue sky and white clouds. In fact, he was surprised to see what he was hanging onto was a cloud. It was like a mass of cotton suspended in the air, and able to hold the Scout's weight. But he looked down, and he fell his heart drop into his stomach. He was floating at least a hundred feet in the air, and the cloud saved his life. However, being a little acrophobic, he clung to that cloud for dear life. "How did I get way up here? What the hell happened?" The Scout thought, panicing. Then, he did the first thing that came to mind when he was in danger (besides running), yell for help. "Someone get me down! Help!" He cried. He felt the cloud slip at his fingers, and began to look back down at the ground. The vertigo got to him, and he let go without realizing. He screamed as he shot downward, flailing his arms and legs as the he raced ever closer to the ground. Just then, something caught him. In stead of falling straight down, he was now moving forward. He opened his eyes, and found that someone had grabbed him at the waist. He was flying through the air, or at least the person who caught him. They descended slowly, and soon Scout's feet hit the ground, breathing heavily and his heart pounding in his chest. "What in Equestria were you doing up there?" said the person who caught him. It was none other than Rainbow Dash, hovering a few feet of the ground. The Scout was on his knees, clenching his stomach. "I was asking myself the same thing..." The Scout muttered. When he looked up at his savior, his eyes widened. Not only was he surprised to see the girl to have wings, but seeing her oddly colored hair made his eyes water, making him rub them. "Wassa' matter? You're not cryin', are ya?" Rainbow Dash asked, landing in front of the Scout. "N-no! I just had somethin' in my eye. What's your name?" He said, hoping to change the subject. "Name's Rainbow Dash. Fastest pegasus in Equestria." She boasted, showing off her big blue wings. "I'm Scout." He said, getting up onto his feet. "Look... thanks... for saving my life..." he said reluctantly. In all his time as a mercenary, he never really appreciated whenever people have saved him. "Not a problem." Rainbow Dash said. She'd done a few bold things around her friends, mostly for attention. But she was caught off guard as Scout pulled a wooden baseball bat from his bag, and handed it to her. "I wan't you to have this. It's my way of saying thanks." He explained. As Rainbow Dash held the bat in her hands, she turned it to see the inscription, a cursive lettering that read Sandman. "You sure you want me to have this?" Dash asked, her eyes filled with skepticism. "Of course. It's the least I could do." Scout replied. "So, fastest one around, eh?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Yeah. You think you'd do better?" "I'm the fastest one back where I'm from." Scout taunted, crossing his arms. Rainbow Dash turned back to Ponyville, which was a distance away. "I'll race ya. First one to the house shaped like a tree is the winner." she said, pointing toward the village. Without another word, Scout took off running. Rainbow Dash was impressed by his sudden take-off, but gave him a ten second head-start. After that, she rocketed after him. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Sniper awoke to something poking at his face. He opened his eyes, and tried to look around. He was hanging upside down, his foot caught in a branch overhead. He attempted to pull himself up to dislodge it, but he was poked a second time. He looked back, and from his disoriented view, he saw a boy. He looked to be no older that 13 and his hair was bright green and jutting straight up. "What are you doing?" The boy asked, holding a stick. "What am I doing? I'm hangin' from a branch while some kid is jabbin' at me! What's it look like?" he grumbled sarcastically. "Spike, what's going on?" A voice said. As the Sniper turned his head up, he saw a girl walk in front of him. Her hair was a dark shade of brown, with streaks of purple highlights in her hair. She wore a similar purple sweater vest over a white long-sleeve shirt, and a plaid skirt. If the Sniper didn't know any better, he'd say he was looking at a school girl. "Nothing, Twilight. This guy just started falling through our tree, so I'm just making sure he's O.K." the boy, presumably Spike said, holding his stick up to prod him again. "Well, you could start by gettin' that bloody thing outta my face!" The Sniper replied, swatting the stick away. "Could ya help me down, miss?" he asked, as the blood was starting to go to his head. The girl nodded, and waved her hand. The Sniper raised an eyebrow as her hand glittered in a purple aura, and then he felt something moving at his ankle. The brach slid away from the Sniper, letting him fall onto the ground. He sat up, intrigued. "Holy dooley... what in blazes was that?" He asked, picking his hat up off the ground. "Magic." She replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Magic." The Sniper replied, skeptic. "Yup." "As in, wands and potions magic." "Nobody uses wands. And only Zecora uses potions." She scoffed, as if it was common knowledge to everyone. The Sniper rolled his eyes. Just then a noise sounded overhead. The unmistakable noise of an owl hooting. The three of them looked up, and of course, an owl flew overhead. It carried a small roll of parchment in it's talons and just kept circling the tree-house. "Owldysseus! You get down here now!" Twilight shouted at the bird. "What's all the trouble about?" Sniper asked Spike. "Twilight's just upset 'cause her pet owl took off with her letter to the Princess... again." the young boy replied. The Sniper raised an eyebrow. "Princess, eh? I think I could help you out, miss." He said proudly. Twilight looked up to him with big, hopeful eyes. "You can?" she asked. "No worries. I'll have 'im down in a jiff." Sniper said. He readied, his rifle, pointing it at the owl. Twilight then pointed the barrel downward quickly, before the trigger was pulled. "What do you think you're doing!?" She yelled. "I was just gettin' your bird down, like you wanted!" he shouted back. "Well, I didn't mean for you to kill him!" "What was I supposed to do, ask 'im nicely?!" "It would be better that shooting him!" "You'd be lucky if I just clipped his wing! And that would've been an accident..." Before the heated squabble could pick up anymore, a gust of wind blew over their heads, and none other than Rainbow Dash landed beside them, holding the roll of parchment. "Looking for this?" She boasted. "Thank, Rainbow Dash. At least someone can do it without killing a pet!" Twilight said, directing the last part toward the Sniper. "Piece a' piss..." he muttered. The Scout followed shortly after, panting and sweating profusely. "(gasp wheeze) Hey, Sniper..." he managed to cough out. "Scout." he replied, nodding his head. "Let's get this group together. I've seen a few other guys like this around town." Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight as they stepped back into her house. As the Scout regained his breath, he stood back up. "Hey, you get a look at that Rainbow chick? She's a real piece of work." He said smugly. The Sniper nearly choked. "Are you daft in the head? She looks like she's only twenty-two!" "Uh, hello? You forget who you're talkin' to?" The Scout said, motioning toward his face. "Even in another world, you're still an egomaniac..." The Sniper grumbled as they stepped inside. Schweinhunds!Before the sun fully set over Ponyville, the REDs regrouped at Twilight's abode. With formal introductions and explanations taken care of, the Engineer called for everyone's attention. "Alright, boys. Listen up. The BLU's have taken Gravel Pit, and we're stuck here 'cause they rigged our RESPAWN system to drop us here." The Engie said, reviewing what he had heard from the Solider to Medic and Heavy. The Spy held a straight face. The other mercenaries had no idea he was a member of BLU, so he just played along. "RESPAWN?" Twilight Sparkled asked, raising an eyebrow. "Long story." Sniper replied. "So, where are we?" The Heavy asked, taking a bite from his Sandvich. "This is Ponyville. Right in the center of Equestria." Pinkie said, chewing on a similar sandwich. The Heavy looked down, and saw his Sandvich was gone. Pinkie giggled as the truth struck him. "You guys really like your horse names." Scout said. "What do ya mean by that?" Rainbow Dash asked, stretching her neck. "What do I mean? Listen to yourselves! 'Pony'ville, 'Equestria'. You even called yourself a pegasus!" Scout fired back. "Point taken. But what are ya gonna do about it?" "Enough." The Medic said sternly. "Now, i zhis place anywhere near ze Dustbowl? My guess is ze BLU's hope to take zhat as well." "Yur right, doc. But Ah'm not sure. This place 'aint on any map of ours. It's like another version of Earth." Engie said. "As weird as it sounds that ya'll are from a different planet... I think you might have a shot at gettin' back to-...wherever ya'll are from." Applejack said, scratching her chin. "What do you suggest?" The Spy asked as he puffed some smoke out of his cigarette. "Twilight, you've done transporting spells before, haven't you?" Rarity suggested. "Perhaps there's something that would work on these... fellows." "Well, I have. Doing it once is hard enough, let alone six times. And we don't know where they're supposed to go. I'd need something from their original world." Twilight said, leaving through her spellbooks. The Medic raised an eyebrow. He pulled out a piece of metal from his shattered Medi-gun. "Zhere's zhis. It belonged to a device I brought here until zomebody experimented vith it. I held onto it zince." The Heavy looked back at Pinkie. "Little pink girl broke Medic's gun?" He asked. Pinkie Pie chuckled. "Eh heh... sorry." "That could work. But It'll take about a day to focus my magic on it." The Engineer and Spy chuckled. "Yeah...Magic." The Engie whispered. "Good. We wait and then we go home." The Heavy said, crossing his arms. The Medic had a solemn look on his face and held his tongue. It wasn't long until the Heavy caught on. "Doctor, what's wrong?" Medic snapped out of his thought, and sighed. "I do not vish to leave..." He said quietly. A dead silence hung in the air. Everyone, even the Spy, had either a quizzical or a shocked look on their face. "What? We can go home. You can get back to... uh, Oktoberfest or what ever it is you do." The Sniper said, clearly confused by what the Medic had said. "Home? Even if we go back to zhat war, I wouldn't see Stuttgart again. None of us vill go home." Medic replied. "Whoa, whoa, what?! What are ya sayin', doc?" Scout asked, panicking at what might happen. "Zhink about it. Ze war is nearing it's end. Ze BLUs are gaining control of maps like Steel and Lakeside. Zhey've taken our intelligence. Vhat do ve have? Ve only have ze Dustbowl and Badwater left." Medic theorized. "From vhat I understand, our Demoman, Pyro, and Solider are fleeing from map to map, not wanting to be stuck here as well. Zhey might have surrendered. Once ze BLUs take zhose, we vill lose ze var. Ze Administrator vill have no use for us any more, and when we get back, it vill be too late. Our RESPAWN system vill shut down, and zhey vill kill us. Permanently. No zecond chances." "Medic has gone mad. Medic has no proof." Heavy stated. "Ah'm afraid Sawbones is right. If we go back now, there wont be anything left to fight for. If we're not killed, Saxton will make us prisoners of war." The Enige said. The other's eyes widened at the mention of Saxton Hale. "Besides, here ve are safe. Zhere are no weapons here, no war. It's nearly paradise..." Medic added. He looked out the window, glancing at the full moon. "What if we take some of the maps behind their backs? They'd never know we'd be back, so they'd be caught off guard." Scout said, hoping to make a last-second plan. "But of course. Zhey'd never see it coming." The Spy smirked. "Very well. We go back to Gravel Pit. Take back points." Heavy said. The Medic sighed, exasperated. "If you vish to die, zhen go. I von't ztop you." The Medic said. "Doc, be realistic here. You don't have to stay here." The Sniper said. "But I can't go back there. Auf hedersen." The Medic responded. He walked out of the house, bringing the silence back. The girls just sat there, silent in disbelief. "What are we gonna do know? If the Medic doesn't follow us, we will be killed." The Scout said grimly. "We should get some rest. It's gonna be a loooooong trip back." The Engie said. "Rest? Where? Ah doubt you got places to stay already." Applejack said. The mercenaries glanced back, remembering they were in their presence. "Oh! Uh, right. Ah guess we could sort that out." The Engie replied, nodding his hardhat to the cowgirl. "Dibs on the big guy!" Pinkie Pie said, excitedly, hopping onto the Heavy's shoulders. "It'll be the best slumber party ever! You got anymore of those sandwiches?" She asked him. Heavy sighed. "Fine. As long as pink one stays quiet." "Okie, dokie, lokie!" She squeaked. Heavy set her down and the two walked out the door. Twilight looked at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, go check on that doctor guy. He could use a little company." Fluttershy just nodded, and walked out quietly. However, the Spy had turned invisible while no one was watching, and slipped out as well. "Where'd the Spy go?" The Scout asked. Rarity looked around as well for him. "He always does that. I'm sure he's got it taken care of." The Sniper responded. He then cleared his throat. "Now... about the rent in this place..." He said, glancing at Twilight. "One, don't shoot my owl. Second, you're on the floor." Twilight coldly said, walking up the stairs. The Sniper shrugged, and set his rifle against a bookcase. Finally, Scout and Rainbow Dash exchanged looks. "Uh... you mind if -" "No! I don't mind!" Rainbow Dash said quickly, then rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... no big deal." <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Medic walked through the quiet, dark town. He then stopped and sighed as he realized he had no where to storm off to. "Fess..." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Medic?" A voice sounded behind him. He turned, expecting one of his teammates to try and reason with him. But instead, there was shy, innocent Fluttershy. "You seem a little distraught." She softly said. "Oh... hello, Fluttershy." Medic sighed. He kept walking, and the girl trailed behind him with her wings. "You don't have somewhere to stay, do you?" Fluttershy asked. "No. It's been a vhile zince I was anyvhere near 'home'." He replied. "I heard you say you didn't want to leave. You should have a home if you stay." The Medic raised an eyebrow. "How did you-... oh, right. I forgot you were even zhere." He apologized. "Look, how about you get some sleep at my house? I'm sure you could work things out with your friends." She said, looking up at him with her big blue eyes. "Vell, alright. It's a ztart." The Medic replied. Fluttershy led him to a quiet, natural spot near the edge of Ponyville. There was a tree-house not unlike Twilight's. A quiet stream flowing beside it, and a clear view of the night sky overhead. It looked like another story book-esque house, complete with flowers and small animals. The inside was like a quiet little cabin. The Medic set down his medical backpack, and slowly sat down on the couch. "Um... well... goodnight." Fluttershy said, moving upstairs. The Medic lay himself down, his feet reaching over the edge of the couch's armrest. It was the best he could get, for now. He began to achieve something he had not gotten in a long time. A good night's rest. Danke schön...Rainbow Dash had somehow convinced and brought Scout up toward her home in Cloudsdale, despite his acrophobia. A huge mistake. Unbeknownst to her, the Scout snored like a lawnmower running over a bed of nails. After a few sleep deprived hours, she couldn't take it. She snuck out of her bedroom, grabbed the Sandman, and drifted down to the ground. Perhaps a little exercise would tire her out. Rainbow Dash grabbed a small stone, measuring it's weight in her hand. It seemed nice and light. She tossed it in the air, and swung the wooden bat, emitting a loud CRACK and sending the stone flying. In the minimal light, Rainbow Dash could make out the stone sailing through the air, landing somewhere near Fluttershy's house. As she flew toward it to retrieve another stone, she could hear some commotion inside. She gently crept in through an open window... <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> A short while earlier.... The Medic could feel something small and furry pounding his face, lightly and repeatedly. He sat up quickly, adjusting his glasses. The was a rabbit sitting on his lap, angrily crossing its arms. Confused, the Medic just stood up, and the rabbit curled up where the Medic was sitting. "Dumme Kaninchen ..." he muttered. The Medic wandered out to a balcony, looking up toward the moon. He leaned on the rail, and after a small amount of time staring at it, he could faintly make out the shape of a horse's head, with a long horn. The Medic had seen the man in the moon a hundred times, but he'd never seen any unicorn shapes in the moon. "The moon is a very strange place..." a soft voice said. The Medic turned, seeing Fluttershy standing behind him. "You have quite a talent for zneaking up on me like zhat." he said, getting tired of her constantly popping behind him. "Sorry. My bunny Angel likes to sleep on the couch. I should have mentioned that earlier." She said, standing next to him. The Medic rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're upset that your friends are leaving you." Fluttershy deduced, seeing the look in Medic's eyes. "I von't say you're wrong. Zhis place... it's so beautiful. No vars, no violence. I couldn't possibly give zhis opportunity up." The Medic said, gazing over the town. "Well, there was war here." Fluttershy muttered. "Zhere vas?" Medic asked, intrigued. Fluttershy then pointed up at a tall mountain behind the village. There was a city glowing in the moonlight, with tall towers, and a castle hanging on the side of the mountain. "That's Canterlot. It's where Princess Celestia ruled for over a thousand years. She's vanquished evil forces with an army, to protect all of Equestria. They say there's a part of the mountain where they bury the fallen soldiers." Fluttershy explained. "Fallen soldiers..." he repeated. "I can't remember ze last time I vasn't at var. Dying over und over, being brought back just to zuffer more. I zwear, it hurts more every time." "Zhen zhis will feel familiar." A voice said behind them. Before anyone could react, the Medic jostled, then fell to the floor. Fluttershy felt her heart stop for a moment as her face filled with horror and fear. As she bent over to the Medic, he was wheezing, and coughing blood on the floor with a faint, irregular pulse. Fluttershy looked up, and towering over them, was the Spy. He looked just as Fluttershy saw him last, but wearing blue in place of red. Small wisps of smoke curled of his suit as he flicked his bloody butterfly knife around, and it wasn't long before Fluttershy pieced it all together. "You monster! You betrayed him!" She yelled, tears dripping from her eyes and as she stood up to him. "On the contrary..." He said, pulling out a revolver and pointing it at the girl. She recoiled at the sight of the gun, and cowered back. "I never really was on your side. Now, if you don't mind, there's a little disposal that needs to be taken care of." He chuckled, pulling the hammer of the gun back. Before anything else happened, a solid THWACK sounded as the Spy dropped the revolver, and slumped on the floor like the Medic. Standing behind him was Rainbow Dash, holding the Sandman in her hands, and breathing heavily. "Fluttershy... I... I didn't know he was..." Rainbow stammered. "Go get Twilight! Tell her we need help, now!" Fluttershy cried. Without any hesitation, Rainbow Dash nodded and soared off for assistance. "It's going to be alright... Twilight will get here, she'll fix you up, I promise." Fluttershy whimpered, leaning over the Medic. She placed a hand under his head to support it, her other hand grasping Medic's tightly. His white shirt was stained with blood, along with a small smear of blood at the corner of his mouth. "No... it's not. It looks like I've zpent my time here..." Medic coughed, his eyes flickering. Fluttershy's face was soaked with her tears. "No, please! Don't go!" she bawled. "Thank you, Fluttershy. Thank you for being my friend here..." he whispered weakly. "Danke schön... na, na... Danke schön..." he sang softly before his eyes slowly shut and his voice gave out. For a brief moment, the night was quiet, all but the sound of Fluttershy's sobbing. Author's Note I guess I should translate a little. Dumme Kaninchen= Stupid rabbit A Mercenary's PromiseThe following morning, a group of people walked up the foggy mountain, past Canterlot. The group consisted of the six girls, and the remaining four mercenaries. A solemn silence hung over them. The Heavy tugged a carriage behind him, carrying a large wooden box, holding the Medic's body. On the way up the mountain, Fluttershy seemed the most upset. She whimpered with sobs ever since she witnessed the Medic's death last night. The Engineer seemed conflicted as well. Again, when someone respawned, their remains slowly faded away into nothing. And yet, they were tugging the Medic up the mountain right now. The Engie considered this to just be some anomaly in this world, but he might just be convincing himself that. The group reached a high spot on the mountain, and three figures stood, awaiting them. The first was a perfect definition of the word radiant. She was a tall, tan woman. Her hair was long and flowed in the wind, glimmering a pale green and light blue, covering one of her eyes. She wore a flowing white dress, with a golden sun emblazoned on the chest. She also wore a crown that shined, even in the cloudy atmosphere. A large pair of white, feathery wings were folded behind her. Another woman stood beside her. She was a little shorter, and younger than the woman in white. Her skin was paler, and her hair consisted of shades of dark blue, and was held from her eyes by a black tiara. Her dress was in the same style of the older woman, but was colored in more dark blues, with a crescent moon shape on the dress. She also had a pair of wings, but they were smaller, and colored the same shade of dark blue. The last figure was a complete oddball. It was a man, a little taller than the white woman. His face was slightly wrinkled and his eyes were an unnatural yellow. He had black, almost villainous hair, with a stripe of white across his head and gray sideburns paired with a goatee. This man seemed very asymmetrical. His right arm was covered in what looked like a bronze armor, while his left arm looked dried and burnt, wrapped in a white cloth. He wore a gray-green vest, where a black tie was tucked underneath. He wore a pair of tuxedo pants, with only one dress shoe. His left foot had a big boot that added more weight than it needed. Over his shoulders, he wore a cape, half like a fur coat, the other like a tattered black sail torn from a ship. "Princess Celestia." Twilight said, kneeling before the white woman. The other girls bowed, and the mercenaries soon caught on, bowing too. "Twilight Sparkle. I am sorry to hear what happened to your friend. Although he was here a short time, he seemed very important to you." Celestia spoke. Her voice was commanding and authoritative, yet motherly and demure. "Isn't that right, Fluttershy?" The mis-matched man asked. Fluttershy raised her head to him, fighting back more tears. "Yes..." she whimpered. "Discord, you know how sensitive Fluttershy is. Give her a break." The younger woman said. "As you command, Princess Luna." Discord replied sarcastically. Celestia glared at the other two. "Enough." She turned back to the girls. "And who are these? Newcomers?" she asked, referring to the mercenaries. The Sniper looked up to her. "Uh... that's right, yer majesty!" he said, trying his best not to insult a princess. "They're good friends of the doctor." Rarity added. "Until..." "Until he was backstabbed by a no good, two-timing-!" The Engineer said, but Applejack put her hand on his shoulder, insisting he shouldn't finish that sentence. "I understand. He was unjustly betrayed, and we shall make his death known." Celestia said. She waved her hand, which glowed a light orange. The coffin lifted from the carriage, and hovered over a spot on the ground. As the casket lowered, the dirt underneath it moved out of the way, being repeled so the box would fit into a hole in the earth. Once the casket was secure, the dirt filled the hole again, sealing it away. "Now... I heard you are from a different world than ours?" Luna asked, curious. "да. It is true." The Heavy said. The princesses and Discord exchanged a few looks, then nodded. "Well, there might be a way to help you four." Discord said, stroking his goatee. "Can you bring Medic back?" Scout asked excitedly. "No. There is no magic to revive the dead. But we could bring you back to where you came." Celestia replied. The REDs mumbled amongst themselves, before turning back. "Alright. Ah guess we'd be on our way." The Engie said, bracing for anything to happen. The three rulers raised their hands, emitting a glowing energy starting to cover the mercenaries. The Engie nodded, tipping his hardhat. "See ya'll around." He said, before they dissolved into thin air. <><><><><><><><><><><><> Epilogue "Mission begins in sixty seconds..." The Administrator spoke above them. The Engineer looked around. They were in the RED Dustbowl base, holding a shotgun in his hands. Around him were eight other mercenaries. Eight. Including the Medic. The REDs rushed out, excited to be back and start fighting again. The Medic and Engie stayed behind, curious. "Doc?" "Hello, Engineer. I guess I'm doomed to fight und die forever." The Medic said, pessimistic. "Doc, look. We're both men of science. So, between battles, what do you say?" "Zay to vhat?" "We look for a way back to... uh..." The Engie muttered, trying to remember the name. "Equestria." "Equestria, right. We could use our war funding. Fight a way to control the glitch. The glitch that sent us there in the first place." "Mission begins in thirty seconds..." The Medic scratched his chin. After a little thought, he nodded and held out his hand. "I'm in. Ve'll be zhere in no time." He said. The Engie shook his hand, and smiled. "Alright, Sawbones. Let's take Dustbowl back first." He said. The Engie picked up a red metal box, carrying it over his shoulder. "Ya know, I bet those gals are finding a way to reach us right now." The Medic smirked, and prepared for his return to Equestria. Author's Note Woo! After 8 chapters, it's done! Now, I want to point out; This does take place after the episode where Discord is 'reformed'.
Friendship begins in 60 seconds..."Gravel Pit", New Mexico, U.S.A August 17th, 1963 1100 hours The desert region was a quiet, hot wasteland. Until a man by the name of Zephiah Mann left this chuck of land to his two sons, Redmond and Blutarch, before he passed away. The two brothers each hired nine different mercenaries to fight the other and take the entire mass of land left by their father for themselves. This particular mass of land, known as Gravel Pit, was a rich quarry of granite and a few iron reserves. Redmond's mercenaries, the Reliable Excavation Demolition team, (or RED for short), had taken Gravel Pit, and defending themselves from the BLU team, Builders League United. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> "Hurry, doctor! BLU team is taking point!" a member of the RED team yelled. He was bulky, bald, wore a bandolier of large bullets, and carried a ridiculously enormous gatling gun, which he named 'Sasha'. The stereotypical Russian. He wore a thick vest over a red shirt, bearing a fist emblem on the sleeves shoulder.This was the Heavy Weapons Guy. He was a quiet man, but it was wise to never upset him if you felt like keeping your face. He glowed with a crimson light from the man following him. The person following the Heavy had his hair perfectly coifed, a small pair of spectacles resting on his nose, and wore a white lab coat with red rubber gloves splattered with blood. In his hands, he held a small cylindrical device, spewing a glowing red energy, which connected to the Heavy's body. The device was connected to a backpack, which was marked with a red cross insignia. "Übercharge at 80%!" The German doctor called out, reading a small meter on the barrel of his device. He went by many names. Medic, Doctor, Doc, even "Sawbones". His device enabled the Medic to heal injuries in a matter of seconds, and take his brothers-in-arms to the peak of health. The Heavy and Medic had worked side by side for many years, sharing victories and losses against the BLU team. They rushed to a "Control Point", with was critical to defend if they were going to stop the BLUs from taking over. The Control Point was concealed in a wooden shack, sporting a large satellite dish on the roof. Upon reaching the shack, the Heavy readied his gun, spinning the barrel as he prepared to turn the corner. The point was empty, so the Heavy relaxed and slowed the gun. "Where are cowards? Control Point was under attack a minute ago." Heavy asked, as he swore he had heard the sound of gunfire and explosions recently. The Medic sighed, switching off his Medical Gun, causing the Heavy's red aura to fade. "Zhey must be at ze ozher control point. Zhe BLUs might have heard us coming." Their eyes suddenly widened as a faint beeping broke the silence. The Heavy looked up at the low ceiling. A group of blue spheres stuck to the ceiling, with small spikes protruding from their surface. "Doctor!" The Heavy yelled, pushing the Medic out of the cabin. The beeping quickened, and in a flurry of light and heat, the Heavy was gone. The Medic lay on the rough ground, attempting to prop himself up. The cabin was set ablaze, making smoke roll out from the windows. As his vision returned from the blast, he could see the ground and door of the cabin smeared with blood. And something else was in the middle of the flames. A person. He wore a suit that covered his entire body in a blue coating. The stranger had two incendiary grenade strapped to his chest, and on his back was a silver oxygen tank. But what really frightened the Medic was the mask. The mysterious figure was known only as the "Pyro". He wore a black gas mask, which shielded his eyes and had a small respiratory valve over his mouth. He carried a flamethower, which was composed of a propane tank, a car muffler and a handle, like that of a gas pump. The Pyro tossed it aside, and reached behind him, pulling out a rusty axe crudely wound with barbed wire. "Schiße!" The Medic muttered. The doctor attempted to stand up and run, but his leg was severely injured from the explosion. The Pyro slowly walked over to the Medic, towering over him and staring at him through the haunting gas mask. "Nein... nein, I beg you... bitte...." The Medic pleaded, hoping the maniac's humanity would reach through. However, this was not the case. The Pyro raised the axe over his head, and tried to speak through the mask's respirator. "Mphmpmhpm Fphpmh Mpphfm." He mumbled, as that was the only sound he could make. The Medic shut his eyes tight as the Pyro swung the axe downward.... <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> All of the mercenaries were familiar with the respawn system. It was an acronym for "Reanimating Emulation Software for Preserving Authorized Weaponry and Neurons." It was designed by Zepheniah Mann, but built by both Redmond and Blutarch to aid them in the war. It's purpose was to bring a deceased person back to life, by taking their neural brain patterns and planting them in a carbon copy of the person. Both the BLU team and the RED team utilized the respawn system to revive their mercenaries to be killed over an over, and allowed them to be brought back and keep fighting where they left off, bringing them back to the teams base. Medic awoke to a sound he had not heard in a long time. The sound of birds singing. He had a pet dove, Archimedes, who cooed whenever the Medic was around, but this sound was different. The gentle hum of the respawn device cooling down was not there. The Medic expected to find himself laying on the linoleum tile floor of the base, staring up at the ceiling. But as the Medic sat up, he realized something was wrong. He looked around, finding himself at the edge of a forest, with lush trees and the sun shining with out any clouds in the sky. "Vhere am I?" he thought to himself. He found himself on a hill, staring down at a small village below. He could barely make out people walking the streets. "Perhaps I could find some answers down zhere." He looked down, and saw the Medi-gun laying at his feet. Normally, the Medic carried a bonesaw and a small gun to fire syringes that followed him through the respawn system. The only thing that followed him was the Medi-gun. The Übercharge gauge read 0%. The sound of hurried wingflaps approached him, from the forest behind him. "Watch out!" a voice said. The Medic turned, but something ran into him. The Doctor tumbled down the hill, and along with whatever collided into him. When the two of them skidded to a stop, the Medic fumbled around for his glasses. "Dummkopf! Can't you learn to vatch vhere you are going?" He said, exasperated. "I'm so sorry, mister! Here's you're glasses..." The voice said. It was light and feminine, something the Medic hadn't heard in a long time. Medic reached out in front of him, picking up the glasses. "Danke..." he said. With his glasses clearing his vision, he looked at the person. It was a girl, somewhere in her early 20's. Her hair was long and curled, and a particular blonde shade that it almost cast a pink hue. The girl wore a yellow sweater, which looked at least two sizes too big. Her eyes were bright blue, and was partially obstructed by her hair. "Please forgive me, mister! I didn't mean to! I'm a horrible flyer..." The girl said. The Medic brushed the dust off his coat. "No, I'm zorry. I zhouldn't have lashed out at you like zhat. But just out of curiosity... did you zay 'flyer'?" Medic asked, intrigued. The girl nodded. Behind her, two feathery yellow wings unfurled, catching Medic by surprise. "What's wrong? Haven't you seen a pegasus-girl before?" The girl asked. Medic just stared in awe, his jaw hanging open. "A-a-a pegasus? No, zhose are only myth..." The Medic said. "Well, they are real..." The girl said, leaning forward and holding out her hand. "I'm Fluttershy. I really like your cutie mark." She said. The Medic nearly let out a chuckle. "My vhat?" he asked. Fluttershy pointed to the red cross emblem on the Medic's shoulder. "Your cutie mark. See, here's mine." Fluttershy gently brushed her sweater down, revealing an image on her bare shoulder, three pink butterflies. "This means I'm good with animals... what does yours mean?" She asked. The Medic soon caught on with Fluttershy's explanation, and thought he would play along. "Vell... I guess it means I am a doctor. I help people vith injuries." Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Injuries? Oh, no! I forgot why I was in such a rush! I saw my friend Rainbow Dash crash over here a while ago!" She said, taking off a few feet off the ground. She then turned to the Medic. "Oh, wait! You're a doctor, right? Would you please help my friend? She could be hurt!.... if that's alright with you." She said sheepishly. The Medic looked down at the Medi-gun, which landed a short distance away. He thought about the Heavy, and how he would be holding up at the front lines without him. He picked the Medi-gun up, and looked at Fluttershy. The Heavy needed him, but so did she. The Medic was aware that he was stuck in this world. A world free from war. And someone needed his help. He held the Medi-gun, as he made his choice. "Take me to your friend." Author's Note For those of you who don't speak german: Schiße = shit Nein = No bitte = please Danke= Thank You Dummkopf = fool
The NewcomerFluttershy flew through the air, a few feet off the ground. The Medic ran behind her, still marveling at the fact that a girl was effortlessly gliding in the wind in front of him. "We're almost there!" Fluttershy called out. As they came over the next hill, he could see the problem. They appeared to have reached an apple orchard, and one of the larger trees had fallen over, scattering red apples on the ground. Two girls were by the fallen tree. One was girl lying on her back. Her hair was a colorful spectrum, ranging down from red to purple. She wore a light blue tank top along with some track shorts. Her face was contorted with pain as her hands grasped her shin, which was stained with blood. The girl also possessed a pair of wings, light blue and one seemed to be bent at a wrong angle. The second girl kneeled beside her friend, patting her on the shoulder. She wore a leather cowboy hat, which covered her sandy blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She wore an orange top that sat on top of a white blouse. "Hold on, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy's here. And she brought help." The blonde said, her voice heavy with a southern accent. "Gah! My leg!" The injured girl groaned, before she looked up at the Medic. "Not to worry. I'm a doctor." He said proudly. He kneeled down and moved Rainbow Dash's hands away from her leg, revealing a bleeding gash. "Nozhing too zevere. I can fix zhis." He said, aiming the Medi-gun at the girl. "Wait, what are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash said, panicking as she stared down the machines barrel. The Medic switched on the device, allowing the beam of red light to seep into her wound. Rainbow Dash flinched, but then felt her wound's pain dull. The three girls watched as her gash started to heal. The blood began to drip back in, the muscles reattached fiber by fiber, and finally, the skin sealed itself shut. In addition to that, her wing started to bend back to its original position. "Vell, how do you feel?" Medic asked, as the Medi-gun shut down. Rainbow Dash slowly stood up, staring at her leg and shaking it as if she was never hurt. "Wow... how did yah do that?" The blonde girl asked, obviously impressed. "Zhis device is zpecifically used for healing fatal injuries quickly. I use it all ze time back vhere...." The Medic paused. He was unsure wether or not to reveal his military work to a group of girls... especially ones he just met. "Back where what?" Rainbow Dash asked. Medic sighed. "Vell, I von't lie. I use zhis machine for var." he said solemnly. The three girls simply exchanged nervous and confused looks. "War?" Fluttershy said, inhibition and innocence taking over. The doctor swallowed and took a deep breath. "I've been fighting ze zame var for zo long... I've seen my comrades die before me. I've even died myzelf, coming back again and again to repeat it all. I've even died just getting here." He said solemnly. Fluttershy gingerly stepped toward him. "I'm sorry. But now that your here, you wont have to worry about that." She said softly. The Medic looked down to Fluttershy who had a gentle smile on her face. "Danke, Fluttershy." he said, smiling back. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Heavy Weapons Guy returned at the base, seconds after pushing Medic away from the bombs. "О, моя голова" he muttered. He sat up, cricking his neck and picking up his Mini-gun. He stood by the door, waiting for Medic to respawn so they could continue their duties. But after a few minutes, nobody respawned with him. Speakers over head spoke in an authoritative tone. "Attention. BLU team has captured Control Point A. Ten minutes left in the mission." The voice said. It was the "Administrator", a woman who watched both the RED and BLU teams fight through the use of cameras planted everywhere. She was also the one in charge of the respawn system and funded both teams with weapons. The Heavy wandered out of the base, looking for any sign of Medic. Up on the tower which held Point C, the last control point in Gravel Pit, he saw someone waving down at him. It was another member of RED, the Engineer. He wore a yellow hard hat with some welding goggles, as well as a pair of overalls smeared with motor oil, and a thick rubber glove on his right hand. Around his waist was a tool belt, and he carried a monkey wrench in his hand. "Howdy, pardner." He said from his three-story perch. The Heavy waved back, wandering toward the tower. He climbed the spiraling ramp to reach the top. As he did, the Engineer greeted him. The Engineer had built a level 2 sentry gun, a medium sized turret with two rapid firing guns that fired on sight, and dispenser, a bulky mechanical box which hummed of medi-beams and provided ammunition. "Hey Heavy. Yah seen Medic 'roud here? Ah reckon he'd respawn by now." Heavy shook his head. "Нет. Doctor would be with Heavy if he had come back. BLU team is advancing and we are missing team member." The sentry picked up motion at the bottom of the tower and fired a few rounds. The Engineer and Heavy looked down, and saw the body of a BLU Scout drop dead. "Huh. Them Scouts. They're quick. But not quick enough." The Engineer taunted. However, with their attention diverted, someone snuck up behind them. "Ahem." they said. The two turned back, and found themselves looking at Medic. "Doctor! You are alive!" Heavy cheered, crushing the Medic with an enormous bear hug. As he let go, the Medic, grinned and stepped over to the sentry. "I see zhat ze control is zafe under your vatch, Engineer." The doctor said. The Engie chuckled. "You bet, Sawbones. Aint nothin' getting past me 'n my machines." He gloated. What neither the Heavy or Engineer did not expect was the Medic's next move. He seemingly pulled an electronic sapper out of nowhere, and quickly jammed it into the sentry's circuits. "Medic is Spy!" Heavy yelled. Before he could fire Sasha, the Spy quickly turned and fired his revolver, plugging a bullet right in the Heavy's forehead. The firing of the revolver caused the Medic's appearance to change. In a quick puff of smoke, the doctor shifted into a man wearing a blue tuxedo, gloves, and a mask that hid all but his eyes and mouth. The russian dropped like a stone, falling to his knees before toppling over and letting a pool of blood drip from his skull. The Spy then turned to the Engie, and readied another shot. However, the mechanic took a mighty swing with his wrench, smashing into the Spy's skull. The blow killed him instantly. As two corpses cluttered the control point, the Engineer watched the bodies dissolve into atoms. "That wasn't supposed to happen..." he muttered. Author's Note More language translation! Yay! Heт (pronounced 'nyet') = No О, моя голова (pronounced O, moya glolova) = Oh, my head
Übercharge, Pinkie Pie Style!The Medic followed the three girls toward the village. The blonde introduced herself as Applejack, and Rainbow Dash zoomed overhead, leaving a colorful trail behind her. "I don't believe it! That thing of yours is amazing!" The blue pegasus-girl said, zipping around in the sky. The Medic smirked. "Anozher suczessful procedure." he said proudly. However, he looked down at the Medi-gun, which started to emit small sparks from the barrel. The meter's needle on the side of the barrel was twitching, and the device emitted a low hum. "Ztrange... healing zat vone injury fully charged ze device..." Medic muttered. Fluttershy curiously looked up at him. "What does that mean?" the quiet girl asked. Medic snapped out of his trance. "Vell... ze Übercharge allows for a short while of pure power und vitality. It's zaved my friends und I zo many times." The Medic then looked around. The village he had entered looked like something from a storybook. Houses made from bricks and roofs coated with straw. The civilians were even more eclectic. A lively group. A girl carrying a mail bag flew through the air in a winding pattern, then smacked into the ground. She got back up, and continued flying as if she had done so a hundred times. But for once, the Medic was seen as the odd character. Another young girl stopped and peered through the streets, looking straight at Medic. Her hair was curly, and bright pink. Not the same shade of pink as Fluttershy, but like a solid rose pink. Her clothes were also pink. Pink belly shirt, pink sneakers, and pink sweatpants with small yellow stripes. The rosy girl let out a large gasp, and hung in the air, which seemed to defy physics. "Oh my gosh! You must be new here, 'cause I know everyone in Ponyville! And I don't know you, so you must be new here!" She said, rushing in front of the Medic, hardly stopping for a breath. "Uh... nice to meet you?" Medic replied, leaning away from her. She was persistent. "What'cha got there? Is this supposed to be a cannon? I've got a cannon just like it, but I use it for parties!" She said, poking at the Medi-gun and looking at it. "Pinkie Pie, stop! Yah might break it!" Applejack warned. "It helped Rainbow and we might need it again!" she said, trying to restrain her hyperactive friend. "It helped Rainbow Dash?! Ooooh, neat-o!" She said, even more excited than before. "Did it save her from a forest fire? Or a ravenous manticore?!" Pinkie squealed, tugging it against Medic. "Fräulein, please! Zhis is a very zensitive device!" He said, hoping that she wouldn't do something they'd all regret. "You talk funny! Where you from? What's this do?" Pinkie asked rapidly. Her fingers unknowingly slipped onto the trigger. With a surge of power, the Medi-gun connected with Pinkie Pie, and coated her in a metallic red shell, and her eyes glowed an unnatural gold. Trembling with energy, Pinkie inexplicably rocketed up into the sky. However, the Medic, glowing in the same red hue, was pulled upward as well, the beam of the Medi-gun towing him like a rope. "WWHHHHEEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she rushed up into the clouds. However, the Übercharge faded in a few seconds, and the concept of gravity returned to Pinkie. "Sorry." She said to Medic before the two of them tumbled downward. Pinkie grabbed Medic's wrists, and several balloons seemed to inflate behind her, acting as a parachute. "Never do zhat again." Medic grumbled while he slowly drifted downward. "Okie Dokie, Lokie!" She said, for nothing would dampen her enthusiasm. As they reached the ground, Rainbow Dash helped them land. "Sorry about Pinkie Pie." she said. "She can be rather..." "Spontaneous?" Medic asked. "I was going to say random, but that works too." She said. "By ze vay, vhere did my Medi-gun go? I know I must have dropped it vhen I fell." Medic said, looking around. As if on cue, small chunks of metal scraps landed around them, a few of them smoldering and smoking. Everyone glared at Pinkie Pie. "Heh heh. Oops." She chuckled. <><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Heavy sat up, his forehead dripping with cold sweat. He looked up, finding himself in a forest. The trees around him bore apples. Tons of apples. The orange sun shone through, indicating that evening had arrived. He stood up, seeing a barn at the edge of the orchard. He then heard a voice behind him. "Yah been out quite a while." The voice was deep and southern. He turned, expecting to see the Engineer. Instead, he saw a man, leaning against a wheel barrow full of apples. He was just as burly as Heavy, with a head of dirty blonde hair. His face was rugged and chiseled, freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose. He chewed on a piece of straw and his arms were crossed. He wore a pair of work gloves, a red wool fleece with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of jeans, worn at the knees and stained by grass and dirt. He aslo sported a pair of leather boots. "Where is Heavy? How long was Heavy out?" Heavy asked, rubbing his forehead. "Ya'll at Sweet Apple Acres. Ah saw yuh fall out of the sky and yah been layin' 'ere for 'bout an' hour." He said. "Might ah ask who you are?" "I am Heavy Weapons Guy. And this... is my-" He looked down expecting to find Sasha in his hands, but the only thing that followed him through the respawn system... was a sandwich. The stranger chuckled. "Yur lunch?" He said. Heavy just tucked the sandwich away. However, he had a thought. He realized that Medic might have been killed before disappearing. If something had happened during respawn, Heavy might have ended up where Medic disappeared to. "Tell me. Have you seen anyone new around here? Heavy is looking for friend." Heavy asked. The farmer scratched his chin, which had a little stubble. "Ah didn't see no one new, but mah sis Applejack did. She said that this new guy appeared in the town and help her friend recover." Heavy's eyes widened. "That must be Medic! Can you take Heavy to town?" He asked. "Ah'd love to, Heavy feller, but ah got a little apple buckin' to do. Gotta finish this here harvest before ah go anywhere else." he replied. He then delivered a solid roundhouse kick to a nearby tree, causing it to shake and the apples to fall into buckets below. The Heavy watched him knock the fruits effortlessly, then looked around. A small number of trees still bared apples, but the further he looked, more trees were picked entirely of the apples. "If yur willin' to help, we'd be finished in a few minutes." Heavy looked at the nearest tree. He then glanced at his hands, and balled his fists. He drove a devastating punch into the trunk. The apples rained down from the branches, leaving the entire tree bare of its fruit. "Nice work, pardner." The other man said. "We could use a feller like you 'round 'ere." He held out his hand. "Glad to help." The Heavy replied. "Name's Big Mac. Let's finish up the rest of this here orchard, then we'll look for your friend."
Grim OddsThe BLU Spy the Engineer killed followed the Heavy shortly. But he did not wind up at the Sweet Apple Acres. He sat up to find himself in a bedroom. A rather frilly bedroom, at that. It had lacy ribbons on the windows, the bed, and the decor. There was a work bench with a sewing machine, lengths of thread and yarn, and neatly folded piles of cloth. There were mannequins wearing half finished dresses. The Spy couldn't help but admire the quality of them. He leaned out the window. The Spy saw a few people pass by, but they weren't aware of the Spy's location. "Where am I? I have to find a way out, and make sure I'm not spotted." The Spy thought. He hit a small button on his watch, and in a matter of seconds, he faded, becoming completely invisible. As an extra precaution, he used a disguise kit to change his appearance. However, the disguise kit only allowed the Spy to change shape of the other mercenaries on the opposite team. So, he simply shifted to his crimson counterpart, the RED spy. It was a start. The Spy quietly descended the stair case, and found himself at a much more fashionable floor. More puffy curtains and sequenced ribbons. "What kind of place is this? I should be on the battlefield, not some shallow dress shop." He opened the front door, even more confused. The once war-barren desert he came from was replaced by a simple town. The Spy slowly walked through the rural village, when a strange sight caught his eye. At first, the Spy heard a commotion amongst the people. Then, he saw a young girl and a man shoot up into the air, glowing with a red energy. Curiosity took over as he swore he had just seen the Medic. However, being invisible, a girl collided with him with out even knowing. Both fell to the ground. The girl was laying on top of the Spy's transparent body, so it appeared as if she was hovering mere inches off the ground. "Ugh, watch where you're going, you ruffian!" The girl said, before a look of shock filled her face as she saw no one there. She had a rather elegant essence to her. Mascara that sprang off her delicate blue eyes, purple hair curled down her shoulders, and a white, sleeveless dress that exposed a mark on her bicep, three diamonds that shimmered in the sunlight. "Apologies." The Spy said, as his invisibility wore off, revealing his red suit and mask appear before the girl's eyes. Seeing this, she jumped off and brushed the dirt from her dress. "Ah! What do you think you're doing? More importantly, what are you doing?" She asked. The Spy stood up, adjusting his tie. " I truly am zorry, mademoiselle." He said slyly. He thought he might be able to persuade her, use her as an ally to help take down the REDs. But first, he'd have to use a little subterfuge. " I was just passing by and I couldn't help but notice zhat lovely boutique over there." He said. "My boutique? You really think it's lovely?!" The girl said, a wide grin appearing on her face. "That was yours? Well, I must zay madam, you zertainly have wonderful taste." The Spy said, putting a cigarette in his mouth and setting it alight. "Might I ask your name, miss?". "Rarity..." she said, feeling wooed by the charming presence of the Spy's manners and gallantries. "A fine name. Well, I'm afraid I must be off." Spy said, casually walking away. "Wait! Are you sure you have to leave? I'd love to introduce you to my friends!" Rarity said, calling out to him. The Spy smirked. "Well, I zuppose I could. It would be rude to deny a lady's invitation." He said, turning back to Rarity. Rarity blushed and smiled. "Magnifique! I'm sure you'd be a wonderful friend!" she said, tugging Spy by the wrist, leading him toward a large house made from a tree in the middle of the town. "Zure... friends..." Spy said, grinning maliciously and patting the butterfly knife hidden in his pocket. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Engineer watched the bodies of the Heavy and Spy dissolve into atoms. "That wasn't supposed to happen..." he muttered. The Engineer had seen his teammates die several times, and their bodies always slowly faded as they respawned. But this time, their corpses just vanished bit by bit. What was happening with the respawn system? The Engineer was interrupted as an explosion shook the building's foundations. The tremor shook the Engineer off the perch, and fell three stories down, onto the harsh, rocky ground. As the pain filled his leg with numbness, he looked up. Standing over him was a BLU Solider. He wore combat boots, a couple grenades on a strap, and a WWII helmet that covered his eyes. A rocket launcher rested at his side, the barrel smoking. "Howdy, partner. Looks like your'e in a real pickle here." He said, mocking the Engie's southern drawl. His voice was rough and gravely. "Listen here, grease monkey. We're both American, so I'm gonna let you waddle back to your base without a fight. But when we cap that point, don't expect any truce." " Ah ain't gonna let you cap that point, rocket-boy." The Engie said, standing up pulling a pistol out of his holster. The Solider simply sucker punched the Engineer, then kicked the pistol away as it hit the ground. "I don't think so, maggot. We still have our Medic and Heavy. Yours are long gone." The Solider chuckled. The Engineer's eyes widened, limping away. "H-how did you-" "Our Engineer found a way to sabotage the respawn system. So your kind are stuck God-knows-where, and we take over the maps without a problem." "Joke's on you, son. Your Spy and Scout are also stuck there." "Our Scout respawned perfectly. Granted, our Spy's missing, but it doesn't matter. It was a fluke. And we won't need his help when your entire team is dead anyway. Now..." He said, pointing the rocket launcher at the Engie. "Go crawl back to your mama before I waste more ammo." "No good sunava bitch..." The Engie muttered as he limped toward the bunker. He opened the door, and the RED Sniper and Scout helped him to a bench. "What happened out there, hardhat? Where's Doc and the Tank?" The Scout asked. He wore a black cap, with a small headphones with a miniature microphone. He wore only a red T-shirt, with a dogtag necklace. His hands were wrapped in white linen, like boxing tape. There was a backpack slung over one shoulder, with a single strap. The Scout wore track shoes and windpants, like he was ready to play baseball rather than fight a war. "Heavy and Sawbones.... the BLUs got our respawn system screwed up, so now they're stuck somewhere." The Engie sighed. He lay on the bench, making sure his leg didn't suffer any further pain. "We're gonna get slaughtered...." "You can say that again. The rest of our crew fled to the Dustbowl. Our Demoman, our Pyro, everyone." The Sniper replied. The Australian wore a pair of sunglasses and an outback style hat. A pair of sideburns ran down his face along with a scar across his cheek. He wore a brown vest, with four tracer bullets sticking out of his breast pocket. On his crimson shirt, he wore an insignia of a crosshair on both his sleeves. There was a case on his back, which held his rifle. The Engie grunted, exasperated. "Aw, hell. What are we supposed to do now?" "The final control point is under BLU control." The Administrator announced in the speakers above. Then, the door slid open. The BLU Soldier walked in, carrying his rocket launcher. He pointed it at the three remaining REDs, and chuckled. "Say your prayers, hippies." The Solider pulled the trigger, blasting them all with a single rocket.
Snipin's a good job, mate.The minute the Scout respawned, he knew he was tumbling down something soft and wet. His eyes shot open, and his eyes blurred as he could tell he was falling. Dangerously fast. His hands caught something, and he decided to grab it. As his hands tightened, he jerked to a stop. As the Scout regained his bearings, he looked around. He was surrounded by an open, blue sky and white clouds. In fact, he was surprised to see what he was hanging onto was a cloud. It was like a mass of cotton suspended in the air, and able to hold the Scout's weight. But he looked down, and he fell his heart drop into his stomach. He was floating at least a hundred feet in the air, and the cloud saved his life. However, being a little acrophobic, he clung to that cloud for dear life. "How did I get way up here? What the hell happened?" The Scout thought, panicing. Then, he did the first thing that came to mind when he was in danger (besides running), yell for help. "Someone get me down! Help!" He cried. He felt the cloud slip at his fingers, and began to look back down at the ground. The vertigo got to him, and he let go without realizing. He screamed as he shot downward, flailing his arms and legs as the he raced ever closer to the ground. Just then, something caught him. In stead of falling straight down, he was now moving forward. He opened his eyes, and found that someone had grabbed him at the waist. He was flying through the air, or at least the person who caught him. They descended slowly, and soon Scout's feet hit the ground, breathing heavily and his heart pounding in his chest. "What in Equestria were you doing up there?" said the person who caught him. It was none other than Rainbow Dash, hovering a few feet of the ground. The Scout was on his knees, clenching his stomach. "I was asking myself the same thing..." The Scout muttered. When he looked up at his savior, his eyes widened. Not only was he surprised to see the girl to have wings, but seeing her oddly colored hair made his eyes water, making him rub them. "Wassa' matter? You're not cryin', are ya?" Rainbow Dash asked, landing in front of the Scout. "N-no! I just had somethin' in my eye. What's your name?" He said, hoping to change the subject. "Name's Rainbow Dash. Fastest pegasus in Equestria." She boasted, showing off her big blue wings. "I'm Scout." He said, getting up onto his feet. "Look... thanks... for saving my life..." he said reluctantly. In all his time as a mercenary, he never really appreciated whenever people have saved him. "Not a problem." Rainbow Dash said. She'd done a few bold things around her friends, mostly for attention. But she was caught off guard as Scout pulled a wooden baseball bat from his bag, and handed it to her. "I wan't you to have this. It's my way of saying thanks." He explained. As Rainbow Dash held the bat in her hands, she turned it to see the inscription, a cursive lettering that read Sandman. "You sure you want me to have this?" Dash asked, her eyes filled with skepticism. "Of course. It's the least I could do." Scout replied. "So, fastest one around, eh?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Yeah. You think you'd do better?" "I'm the fastest one back where I'm from." Scout taunted, crossing his arms. Rainbow Dash turned back to Ponyville, which was a distance away. "I'll race ya. First one to the house shaped like a tree is the winner." she said, pointing toward the village. Without another word, Scout took off running. Rainbow Dash was impressed by his sudden take-off, but gave him a ten second head-start. After that, she rocketed after him. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Sniper awoke to something poking at his face. He opened his eyes, and tried to look around. He was hanging upside down, his foot caught in a branch overhead. He attempted to pull himself up to dislodge it, but he was poked a second time. He looked back, and from his disoriented view, he saw a boy. He looked to be no older that 13 and his hair was bright green and jutting straight up. "What are you doing?" The boy asked, holding a stick. "What am I doing? I'm hangin' from a branch while some kid is jabbin' at me! What's it look like?" he grumbled sarcastically. "Spike, what's going on?" A voice said. As the Sniper turned his head up, he saw a girl walk in front of him. Her hair was a dark shade of brown, with streaks of purple highlights in her hair. She wore a similar purple sweater vest over a white long-sleeve shirt, and a plaid skirt. If the Sniper didn't know any better, he'd say he was looking at a school girl. "Nothing, Twilight. This guy just started falling through our tree, so I'm just making sure he's O.K." the boy, presumably Spike said, holding his stick up to prod him again. "Well, you could start by gettin' that bloody thing outta my face!" The Sniper replied, swatting the stick away. "Could ya help me down, miss?" he asked, as the blood was starting to go to his head. The girl nodded, and waved her hand. The Sniper raised an eyebrow as her hand glittered in a purple aura, and then he felt something moving at his ankle. The brach slid away from the Sniper, letting him fall onto the ground. He sat up, intrigued. "Holy dooley... what in blazes was that?" He asked, picking his hat up off the ground. "Magic." She replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Magic." The Sniper replied, skeptic. "Yup." "As in, wands and potions magic." "Nobody uses wands. And only Zecora uses potions." She scoffed, as if it was common knowledge to everyone. The Sniper rolled his eyes. Just then a noise sounded overhead. The unmistakable noise of an owl hooting. The three of them looked up, and of course, an owl flew overhead. It carried a small roll of parchment in it's talons and just kept circling the tree-house. "Owldysseus! You get down here now!" Twilight shouted at the bird. "What's all the trouble about?" Sniper asked Spike. "Twilight's just upset 'cause her pet owl took off with her letter to the Princess... again." the young boy replied. The Sniper raised an eyebrow. "Princess, eh? I think I could help you out, miss." He said proudly. Twilight looked up to him with big, hopeful eyes. "You can?" she asked. "No worries. I'll have 'im down in a jiff." Sniper said. He readied, his rifle, pointing it at the owl. Twilight then pointed the barrel downward quickly, before the trigger was pulled. "What do you think you're doing!?" She yelled. "I was just gettin' your bird down, like you wanted!" he shouted back. "Well, I didn't mean for you to kill him!" "What was I supposed to do, ask 'im nicely?!" "It would be better that shooting him!" "You'd be lucky if I just clipped his wing! And that would've been an accident..." Before the heated squabble could pick up anymore, a gust of wind blew over their heads, and none other than Rainbow Dash landed beside them, holding the roll of parchment. "Looking for this?" She boasted. "Thank, Rainbow Dash. At least someone can do it without killing a pet!" Twilight said, directing the last part toward the Sniper. "Piece a' piss..." he muttered. The Scout followed shortly after, panting and sweating profusely. "(gasp wheeze) Hey, Sniper..." he managed to cough out. "Scout." he replied, nodding his head. "Let's get this group together. I've seen a few other guys like this around town." Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight as they stepped back into her house. As the Scout regained his breath, he stood back up. "Hey, you get a look at that Rainbow chick? She's a real piece of work." He said smugly. The Sniper nearly choked. "Are you daft in the head? She looks like she's only twenty-two!" "Uh, hello? You forget who you're talkin' to?" The Scout said, motioning toward his face. "Even in another world, you're still an egomaniac..." The Sniper grumbled as they stepped inside.
Schweinhunds!Before the sun fully set over Ponyville, the REDs regrouped at Twilight's abode. With formal introductions and explanations taken care of, the Engineer called for everyone's attention. "Alright, boys. Listen up. The BLU's have taken Gravel Pit, and we're stuck here 'cause they rigged our RESPAWN system to drop us here." The Engie said, reviewing what he had heard from the Solider to Medic and Heavy. The Spy held a straight face. The other mercenaries had no idea he was a member of BLU, so he just played along. "RESPAWN?" Twilight Sparkled asked, raising an eyebrow. "Long story." Sniper replied. "So, where are we?" The Heavy asked, taking a bite from his Sandvich. "This is Ponyville. Right in the center of Equestria." Pinkie said, chewing on a similar sandwich. The Heavy looked down, and saw his Sandvich was gone. Pinkie giggled as the truth struck him. "You guys really like your horse names." Scout said. "What do ya mean by that?" Rainbow Dash asked, stretching her neck. "What do I mean? Listen to yourselves! 'Pony'ville, 'Equestria'. You even called yourself a pegasus!" Scout fired back. "Point taken. But what are ya gonna do about it?" "Enough." The Medic said sternly. "Now, i zhis place anywhere near ze Dustbowl? My guess is ze BLU's hope to take zhat as well." "Yur right, doc. But Ah'm not sure. This place 'aint on any map of ours. It's like another version of Earth." Engie said. "As weird as it sounds that ya'll are from a different planet... I think you might have a shot at gettin' back to-...wherever ya'll are from." Applejack said, scratching her chin. "What do you suggest?" The Spy asked as he puffed some smoke out of his cigarette. "Twilight, you've done transporting spells before, haven't you?" Rarity suggested. "Perhaps there's something that would work on these... fellows." "Well, I have. Doing it once is hard enough, let alone six times. And we don't know where they're supposed to go. I'd need something from their original world." Twilight said, leaving through her spellbooks. The Medic raised an eyebrow. He pulled out a piece of metal from his shattered Medi-gun. "Zhere's zhis. It belonged to a device I brought here until zomebody experimented vith it. I held onto it zince." The Heavy looked back at Pinkie. "Little pink girl broke Medic's gun?" He asked. Pinkie Pie chuckled. "Eh heh... sorry." "That could work. But It'll take about a day to focus my magic on it." The Engineer and Spy chuckled. "Yeah...Magic." The Engie whispered. "Good. We wait and then we go home." The Heavy said, crossing his arms. The Medic had a solemn look on his face and held his tongue. It wasn't long until the Heavy caught on. "Doctor, what's wrong?" Medic snapped out of his thought, and sighed. "I do not vish to leave..." He said quietly. A dead silence hung in the air. Everyone, even the Spy, had either a quizzical or a shocked look on their face. "What? We can go home. You can get back to... uh, Oktoberfest or what ever it is you do." The Sniper said, clearly confused by what the Medic had said. "Home? Even if we go back to zhat war, I wouldn't see Stuttgart again. None of us vill go home." Medic replied. "Whoa, whoa, what?! What are ya sayin', doc?" Scout asked, panicking at what might happen. "Zhink about it. Ze war is nearing it's end. Ze BLUs are gaining control of maps like Steel and Lakeside. Zhey've taken our intelligence. Vhat do ve have? Ve only have ze Dustbowl and Badwater left." Medic theorized. "From vhat I understand, our Demoman, Pyro, and Solider are fleeing from map to map, not wanting to be stuck here as well. Zhey might have surrendered. Once ze BLUs take zhose, we vill lose ze var. Ze Administrator vill have no use for us any more, and when we get back, it vill be too late. Our RESPAWN system vill shut down, and zhey vill kill us. Permanently. No zecond chances." "Medic has gone mad. Medic has no proof." Heavy stated. "Ah'm afraid Sawbones is right. If we go back now, there wont be anything left to fight for. If we're not killed, Saxton will make us prisoners of war." The Enige said. The other's eyes widened at the mention of Saxton Hale. "Besides, here ve are safe. Zhere are no weapons here, no war. It's nearly paradise..." Medic added. He looked out the window, glancing at the full moon. "What if we take some of the maps behind their backs? They'd never know we'd be back, so they'd be caught off guard." Scout said, hoping to make a last-second plan. "But of course. Zhey'd never see it coming." The Spy smirked. "Very well. We go back to Gravel Pit. Take back points." Heavy said. The Medic sighed, exasperated. "If you vish to die, zhen go. I von't ztop you." The Medic said. "Doc, be realistic here. You don't have to stay here." The Sniper said. "But I can't go back there. Auf hedersen." The Medic responded. He walked out of the house, bringing the silence back. The girls just sat there, silent in disbelief. "What are we gonna do know? If the Medic doesn't follow us, we will be killed." The Scout said grimly. "We should get some rest. It's gonna be a loooooong trip back." The Engie said. "Rest? Where? Ah doubt you got places to stay already." Applejack said. The mercenaries glanced back, remembering they were in their presence. "Oh! Uh, right. Ah guess we could sort that out." The Engie replied, nodding his hardhat to the cowgirl. "Dibs on the big guy!" Pinkie Pie said, excitedly, hopping onto the Heavy's shoulders. "It'll be the best slumber party ever! You got anymore of those sandwiches?" She asked him. Heavy sighed. "Fine. As long as pink one stays quiet." "Okie, dokie, lokie!" She squeaked. Heavy set her down and the two walked out the door. Twilight looked at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, go check on that doctor guy. He could use a little company." Fluttershy just nodded, and walked out quietly. However, the Spy had turned invisible while no one was watching, and slipped out as well. "Where'd the Spy go?" The Scout asked. Rarity looked around as well for him. "He always does that. I'm sure he's got it taken care of." The Sniper responded. He then cleared his throat. "Now... about the rent in this place..." He said, glancing at Twilight. "One, don't shoot my owl. Second, you're on the floor." Twilight coldly said, walking up the stairs. The Sniper shrugged, and set his rifle against a bookcase. Finally, Scout and Rainbow Dash exchanged looks. "Uh... you mind if -" "No! I don't mind!" Rainbow Dash said quickly, then rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... no big deal." <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The Medic walked through the quiet, dark town. He then stopped and sighed as he realized he had no where to storm off to. "Fess..." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Medic?" A voice sounded behind him. He turned, expecting one of his teammates to try and reason with him. But instead, there was shy, innocent Fluttershy. "You seem a little distraught." She softly said. "Oh... hello, Fluttershy." Medic sighed. He kept walking, and the girl trailed behind him with her wings. "You don't have somewhere to stay, do you?" Fluttershy asked. "No. It's been a vhile zince I was anyvhere near 'home'." He replied. "I heard you say you didn't want to leave. You should have a home if you stay." The Medic raised an eyebrow. "How did you-... oh, right. I forgot you were even zhere." He apologized. "Look, how about you get some sleep at my house? I'm sure you could work things out with your friends." She said, looking up at him with her big blue eyes. "Vell, alright. It's a ztart." The Medic replied. Fluttershy led him to a quiet, natural spot near the edge of Ponyville. There was a tree-house not unlike Twilight's. A quiet stream flowing beside it, and a clear view of the night sky overhead. It looked like another story book-esque house, complete with flowers and small animals. The inside was like a quiet little cabin. The Medic set down his medical backpack, and slowly sat down on the couch. "Um... well... goodnight." Fluttershy said, moving upstairs. The Medic lay himself down, his feet reaching over the edge of the couch's armrest. It was the best he could get, for now. He began to achieve something he had not gotten in a long time. A good night's rest.
Danke schön...Rainbow Dash had somehow convinced and brought Scout up toward her home in Cloudsdale, despite his acrophobia. A huge mistake. Unbeknownst to her, the Scout snored like a lawnmower running over a bed of nails. After a few sleep deprived hours, she couldn't take it. She snuck out of her bedroom, grabbed the Sandman, and drifted down to the ground. Perhaps a little exercise would tire her out. Rainbow Dash grabbed a small stone, measuring it's weight in her hand. It seemed nice and light. She tossed it in the air, and swung the wooden bat, emitting a loud CRACK and sending the stone flying. In the minimal light, Rainbow Dash could make out the stone sailing through the air, landing somewhere near Fluttershy's house. As she flew toward it to retrieve another stone, she could hear some commotion inside. She gently crept in through an open window... <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> A short while earlier.... The Medic could feel something small and furry pounding his face, lightly and repeatedly. He sat up quickly, adjusting his glasses. The was a rabbit sitting on his lap, angrily crossing its arms. Confused, the Medic just stood up, and the rabbit curled up where the Medic was sitting. "Dumme Kaninchen ..." he muttered. The Medic wandered out to a balcony, looking up toward the moon. He leaned on the rail, and after a small amount of time staring at it, he could faintly make out the shape of a horse's head, with a long horn. The Medic had seen the man in the moon a hundred times, but he'd never seen any unicorn shapes in the moon. "The moon is a very strange place..." a soft voice said. The Medic turned, seeing Fluttershy standing behind him. "You have quite a talent for zneaking up on me like zhat." he said, getting tired of her constantly popping behind him. "Sorry. My bunny Angel likes to sleep on the couch. I should have mentioned that earlier." She said, standing next to him. The Medic rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're upset that your friends are leaving you." Fluttershy deduced, seeing the look in Medic's eyes. "I von't say you're wrong. Zhis place... it's so beautiful. No vars, no violence. I couldn't possibly give zhis opportunity up." The Medic said, gazing over the town. "Well, there was war here." Fluttershy muttered. "Zhere vas?" Medic asked, intrigued. Fluttershy then pointed up at a tall mountain behind the village. There was a city glowing in the moonlight, with tall towers, and a castle hanging on the side of the mountain. "That's Canterlot. It's where Princess Celestia ruled for over a thousand years. She's vanquished evil forces with an army, to protect all of Equestria. They say there's a part of the mountain where they bury the fallen soldiers." Fluttershy explained. "Fallen soldiers..." he repeated. "I can't remember ze last time I vasn't at var. Dying over und over, being brought back just to zuffer more. I zwear, it hurts more every time." "Zhen zhis will feel familiar." A voice said behind them. Before anyone could react, the Medic jostled, then fell to the floor. Fluttershy felt her heart stop for a moment as her face filled with horror and fear. As she bent over to the Medic, he was wheezing, and coughing blood on the floor with a faint, irregular pulse. Fluttershy looked up, and towering over them, was the Spy. He looked just as Fluttershy saw him last, but wearing blue in place of red. Small wisps of smoke curled of his suit as he flicked his bloody butterfly knife around, and it wasn't long before Fluttershy pieced it all together. "You monster! You betrayed him!" She yelled, tears dripping from her eyes and as she stood up to him. "On the contrary..." He said, pulling out a revolver and pointing it at the girl. She recoiled at the sight of the gun, and cowered back. "I never really was on your side. Now, if you don't mind, there's a little disposal that needs to be taken care of." He chuckled, pulling the hammer of the gun back. Before anything else happened, a solid THWACK sounded as the Spy dropped the revolver, and slumped on the floor like the Medic. Standing behind him was Rainbow Dash, holding the Sandman in her hands, and breathing heavily. "Fluttershy... I... I didn't know he was..." Rainbow stammered. "Go get Twilight! Tell her we need help, now!" Fluttershy cried. Without any hesitation, Rainbow Dash nodded and soared off for assistance. "It's going to be alright... Twilight will get here, she'll fix you up, I promise." Fluttershy whimpered, leaning over the Medic. She placed a hand under his head to support it, her other hand grasping Medic's tightly. His white shirt was stained with blood, along with a small smear of blood at the corner of his mouth. "No... it's not. It looks like I've zpent my time here..." Medic coughed, his eyes flickering. Fluttershy's face was soaked with her tears. "No, please! Don't go!" she bawled. "Thank you, Fluttershy. Thank you for being my friend here..." he whispered weakly. "Danke schön... na, na... Danke schön..." he sang softly before his eyes slowly shut and his voice gave out. For a brief moment, the night was quiet, all but the sound of Fluttershy's sobbing. Author's Note I guess I should translate a little. Dumme Kaninchen= Stupid rabbit
A Mercenary's PromiseThe following morning, a group of people walked up the foggy mountain, past Canterlot. The group consisted of the six girls, and the remaining four mercenaries. A solemn silence hung over them. The Heavy tugged a carriage behind him, carrying a large wooden box, holding the Medic's body. On the way up the mountain, Fluttershy seemed the most upset. She whimpered with sobs ever since she witnessed the Medic's death last night. The Engineer seemed conflicted as well. Again, when someone respawned, their remains slowly faded away into nothing. And yet, they were tugging the Medic up the mountain right now. The Engie considered this to just be some anomaly in this world, but he might just be convincing himself that. The group reached a high spot on the mountain, and three figures stood, awaiting them. The first was a perfect definition of the word radiant. She was a tall, tan woman. Her hair was long and flowed in the wind, glimmering a pale green and light blue, covering one of her eyes. She wore a flowing white dress, with a golden sun emblazoned on the chest. She also wore a crown that shined, even in the cloudy atmosphere. A large pair of white, feathery wings were folded behind her. Another woman stood beside her. She was a little shorter, and younger than the woman in white. Her skin was paler, and her hair consisted of shades of dark blue, and was held from her eyes by a black tiara. Her dress was in the same style of the older woman, but was colored in more dark blues, with a crescent moon shape on the dress. She also had a pair of wings, but they were smaller, and colored the same shade of dark blue. The last figure was a complete oddball. It was a man, a little taller than the white woman. His face was slightly wrinkled and his eyes were an unnatural yellow. He had black, almost villainous hair, with a stripe of white across his head and gray sideburns paired with a goatee. This man seemed very asymmetrical. His right arm was covered in what looked like a bronze armor, while his left arm looked dried and burnt, wrapped in a white cloth. He wore a gray-green vest, where a black tie was tucked underneath. He wore a pair of tuxedo pants, with only one dress shoe. His left foot had a big boot that added more weight than it needed. Over his shoulders, he wore a cape, half like a fur coat, the other like a tattered black sail torn from a ship. "Princess Celestia." Twilight said, kneeling before the white woman. The other girls bowed, and the mercenaries soon caught on, bowing too. "Twilight Sparkle. I am sorry to hear what happened to your friend. Although he was here a short time, he seemed very important to you." Celestia spoke. Her voice was commanding and authoritative, yet motherly and demure. "Isn't that right, Fluttershy?" The mis-matched man asked. Fluttershy raised her head to him, fighting back more tears. "Yes..." she whimpered. "Discord, you know how sensitive Fluttershy is. Give her a break." The younger woman said. "As you command, Princess Luna." Discord replied sarcastically. Celestia glared at the other two. "Enough." She turned back to the girls. "And who are these? Newcomers?" she asked, referring to the mercenaries. The Sniper looked up to her. "Uh... that's right, yer majesty!" he said, trying his best not to insult a princess. "They're good friends of the doctor." Rarity added. "Until..." "Until he was backstabbed by a no good, two-timing-!" The Engineer said, but Applejack put her hand on his shoulder, insisting he shouldn't finish that sentence. "I understand. He was unjustly betrayed, and we shall make his death known." Celestia said. She waved her hand, which glowed a light orange. The coffin lifted from the carriage, and hovered over a spot on the ground. As the casket lowered, the dirt underneath it moved out of the way, being repeled so the box would fit into a hole in the earth. Once the casket was secure, the dirt filled the hole again, sealing it away. "Now... I heard you are from a different world than ours?" Luna asked, curious. "да. It is true." The Heavy said. The princesses and Discord exchanged a few looks, then nodded. "Well, there might be a way to help you four." Discord said, stroking his goatee. "Can you bring Medic back?" Scout asked excitedly. "No. There is no magic to revive the dead. But we could bring you back to where you came." Celestia replied. The REDs mumbled amongst themselves, before turning back. "Alright. Ah guess we'd be on our way." The Engie said, bracing for anything to happen. The three rulers raised their hands, emitting a glowing energy starting to cover the mercenaries. The Engie nodded, tipping his hardhat. "See ya'll around." He said, before they dissolved into thin air. <><><><><><><><><><><><> Epilogue "Mission begins in sixty seconds..." The Administrator spoke above them. The Engineer looked around. They were in the RED Dustbowl base, holding a shotgun in his hands. Around him were eight other mercenaries. Eight. Including the Medic. The REDs rushed out, excited to be back and start fighting again. The Medic and Engie stayed behind, curious. "Doc?" "Hello, Engineer. I guess I'm doomed to fight und die forever." The Medic said, pessimistic. "Doc, look. We're both men of science. So, between battles, what do you say?" "Zay to vhat?" "We look for a way back to... uh..." The Engie muttered, trying to remember the name. "Equestria." "Equestria, right. We could use our war funding. Fight a way to control the glitch. The glitch that sent us there in the first place." "Mission begins in thirty seconds..." The Medic scratched his chin. After a little thought, he nodded and held out his hand. "I'm in. Ve'll be zhere in no time." He said. The Engie shook his hand, and smiled. "Alright, Sawbones. Let's take Dustbowl back first." He said. The Engie picked up a red metal box, carrying it over his shoulder. "Ya know, I bet those gals are finding a way to reach us right now." The Medic smirked, and prepared for his return to Equestria. Author's Note Woo! After 8 chapters, it's done! Now, I want to point out; This does take place after the episode where Discord is 'reformed'.
