Chapters Author's Note
Special Thanks to Freyr for editing
Out in the Cold*
“Twili!” Shining Armor greeted his younger sister.
“Shiny! So good to see you,” Twilight said.
“I just wish it could be under better circumstances,” Shining Armor began. “Something has the ponies that work at the edge of the Crystal Empire spooked,” he said.
“Yes, we got your message and Celestia sent us here to help. You don’t think it could be Sombra again, do you?” Twilight asked.
“I’m not sure what it is,” Shining said.
“But I’m sure that if you took a look it would calm all the crystal ponies down,” Cadence said entering the room.
“So what do you want us to check out?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“If you could talk to the ponies and see what has got them all in a huff, that would be great,” Cadence said.
“We’ll make sure everythin’s alright,” Applejack said.
“Thanks,” Shining Armor said.
Twilight and her friends left the palace and headed toward the outskirts of the empire, to the limit of the climate control’s reach. The only ponies that worked out this far were farmers.
“So what do you think it is?” Rarity asked.
“They probably just saw some shadows in the snow and got scared,” Rainbow Dash said.
“But what if there is something out there?” Spike asked.
“I’m sure whatever it is, it’s nothing to worry about,” Twilight said.
They arrived at the first farmers house and asked him to describe what he saw.
“I was working out in the field when I thought I saw something skittering around at the edge of the climate barrier. I went to investigate it. I couldn’t just leave it alone, what if it was somepony that needed help? But it wasn’t a pony, or anything else in Equestria,” he said, shaking like leaf at the memory.
“What did it look like?” Twilight questioned.
“It was about the size of a pony, but it was this weird pod thing. It scuttled around on three legs. There were dozens of them. When I tried to get a closer look, they started spitting these red globs of goo at me. As I ran, I got this,” he said showing a scar on his back leg.
“That looks like a pretty bad burn,” Twilight said.
“It was. It felt like my whole leg was gonna melt,” the stallion said.
“Ok, thank you for the information,” Twilight said.
“Those things sound scary,” Fluttershy whimpered.
“I would have just said he was seeing things until I saw that burn,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Let’s move onto the next witness,” Twilight said.
The next farmer was a mare, she didn’t even open the door all the way when Twilight knocked.
“W-what is it, what do you want?” the mare stammered out.
“We were hoping you could tell us about what you saw outside of the climate barrier,” Twilight asked.
The mare slammed the door and exclaimed, “NO! Not that, anything but that!”
“What happened?” Twilight asked.
“It was huge, and covered with spikes. And the claws...Oh the claws…” the mare said, her voice growing quieter through the door.
“That doesn’t sound like the last one,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“Did you get a good look at it?” Twilight asked.
The only answer that came from behind the door was soft whimpering.
“Twilight, do you think that it’s a good idea to keep looking into this?” Rarity asked.
“We have to, the accounts raise more questions than answers,” Twilight said.
“But Twilight, you heard that mare. She was scared for her life,” Spike said.
“And the burn mark on that stallion weren’t no fake one either,” Applejack said.
“We still have one more witness to question,” Twilight said.
When they arrived at the next farm, the owner, a stallion, was nowhere to be found.
Twilight knocked on the door and a mare answered.
“Hello, can I help you?” the mare asked nicely.
“Yes, have you seen the owner of this farm around, we want to ask him a few questions,” Twilight said.
“Oh... come inside,” the mare said, her mood changing in an instant.
“What happened?” Twilight asked.
“The owner is my husband. He was working out on the farm the other day when a few of the cows got out and wandered into the snow,” she began.
“Why would cows just wander off?” Applejack asked.
“They wander around all the time, but usually they stay inside the barrier,” the mare said.
“So what happened then?” Twilight asked.
“Let me show you…,” the mare said getting up and opening a nearby door.
Inside there was a stallion covered in bandages sleeping on a bed.
“Oh my…,” Rarity said weakly.
“Yes. The cows ran back with one of them carrying him on its back, covered with cuts and scratches,” the mare said. “When he finally came to, he said something about a swarm of bugs,”
“Bugs? Could she mean changelings?” Rainbow Dash questioned.
“Changelings wouldn’t do that,” Twilight said.
“Then what would?” Pinkie asked with a gulp.
“I... I don’t know,” Twilight said.
“Be careful you six. Something dangerous is out there,” the mare said as she saw them out.
“Thank you for your help. We will,” Twilight said.
“Three different stories, three different creatures, three hurt ponies. This ain't good,” Applejack said.
“I don’t like the sound of it either. I don’t know of anything that could have matched the descriptions of the creatures,” Twilight said.
“They couldn’t be illusions either. Illusions don’t leave burns, or ponies in bandages,” Spike said.
“If the creature that the mare described was a dragon, it would explain the burn on the first stallion. Though it would not account for the scratches on the third. And two of the three said something about a group of creatures,” Twilight said.
“Each report has some trait that matches something, but none of them make sense individually,” Rarity said.
“Yes, the scratches could have been from timberwolves, though that's a stretch in itself. The bugs could have been parasprites, but they don’t give ponies cuts and scratches like that. And nothing about the walking pods makes sense,” Twilight said.
“We should get back to the palace and tell Shining Armor and Princess Cadence about this,” Rainbow Dash said.
They returned to the palace, racking their brains for a solution to this perplexing problem.
“Twili, you’re back,” Shining Armor said.
“Yes, but the news is anything but good,” Twilight said dejectedly.
“What do you mean?” Cadence asked.
“We have two injured stallions and a mare scared out of her mind,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Oh my,” Shining Armor said as Cadence merely sat there with a look of utter disbelief on her face.
“Each of the three witnesses has a different story, and a different creature,” Twilight said.
“What kind of creatures?” Shining asked.
“One was a group of small pod like creature on three legs that spat some kind of burning goo. One was described as huge with spikes and large claws. The only description we could get from the third one was a ‘swarm of bugs’,” Twilight said.
“I’ve never heard of anything like them,” Shining said.
“Neither have I. Maybe Princess Celestia could tell us something,” Twilight suggested.
“Maybe…,” he said losing himself in thought.
“I’ll send a message,” Twilight said. “Come on Spike,” she said signaling her assistant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a while, the others were discussing what to do while Twilight tried to find something in the Crystal Empire’s library.
After a bit of time had passed, Shining Armor came looking of them.
“Have you seen Twilight around here?” he asked.
“Yeah, she was just readin’ over there,” Applejack said.
“Um, AJ, she’s not over there,” Shining Armor said looking in the direction the orange mare had indicated.
“Uh oh…,” Applejack said.
“Uh oh is right. I don’t see her around here anywhere,” Rainbow Dash said looking around while flying.
“She didn’t,” Shining Armor said with dread.
“She wouldn’t,” Spike said.
“She couldn’t,” Rarity said.
“I think she did…,” Fluttershy said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh this is very bad,” Shining said running toward the edge of the Crystal Empire.
“Why would she just run off out there by herself?” Applejack asked.
“She knew it is dangerous out there,” Rainbow Dash said.
Following the revelation that Twilight had gone out into the snowy wastes by herself Shining Armor and the rest of the Mane Six got geared up and went to look for her.
“Why can’t I come?” Spike asked.
“Its’ far too dangerous for you. Plus, you could freeze to death out there. You stay with Cadence in the palace, we’ll be back with Twilight," Shining Armor said as the six of them walked out into the snow and ice.
They walked in the direction that Shining could sense his sister’s magic for what seemed like hours until something happened.
“I lost her signal,” Shining Armor said with fear.
“What do you mean lost her signal. You're her brother,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I mean I can't pick her up anymore. There’s too much magical interference,” he said.
Just then the ground started to shake underhoof. After a few seconds of shaking a large creature began to claw its way out of the ground in front of them.
It was massive, easily four times Shining Armors size. It had two long arms bristling with spikes, each adorned with two large claws on the end. Each arm had a glowing bulge near the base of the arm. The body was slender with a bulbous abdomen colored a bright glowing orange. It had a small head with two orange horns growing out on either side of the head.
“What is that thing?!” Shining Armor yelled.
“Huge…,” Applejack said.
“Covered in spikes…,” Rarity said.
“And the claws…,” Fluttershy whimpered, eyes wide.
“THIS is what that mare was talking about!” Rainbow Dash said.
The creature gave out a roar as its head split into three segments that showed many rows of sharp teeth.
Despite being rather far away when it surfaced, it quickly closed the gap between them and raised its large foreleg up to swipe at the ponies.
A rocket hit the creature in the back . It screeched, turning around to face the new threat; a biped cloaked in armor.
The biped ran up to this monstrosity with a metal device in its hands.
He lifted an arm at the creature and a line shot out, hitting the creature in one of the bulges on the arm.
The line did little more than anger the creature, but the biped just jumped and allowed the line to pull him to the creatures limb; just as big as he was.
“Take this you ugly son of a bitch!” the creature yelled as the metal device in his hands flashed and made a succession of loud booms.
When the device had stopped making noise the creature’s arm had completely broken off, leaving the biped to jump backwards to safety.
“Riggs, you got this?” it asked back into the driving snow.
“Gladley,” a metallic voice said from the snow.
A huge metal monster lumbered out of the gloom and opened fire with twin shoulder mounted gatling guns.
The other creature writhed and screamed under the hail of bullets and finally burst, spilling an orange ichor on the snowy ground.
“Hell, yeah!” the metallic voice yelled.
“This is enough T-energy to last us a few days,” the biped said.
“What just happened?” Pinkie asked.
“Hey Riggs, found some strange creatures over here,” a voice said from behind them.
The ponies turned around to see another biped hefting a shotgun at them.
“They don’t look like Akrid,” the first biped said.
“Maybe some new kind, should I shoot em to find out?” the second biped asked.
“No you idiot! Those things don’t even have any T-energy signatures,” the metallic voice said, as the metal biped lumbered over.
They didn't know how they could defeat something that killed that monstrosity, but Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash and Applejack got into defensive stances around the others.
“They seem a whole lot smarter than Akrid,” the second biped said.
“Yeah, and a hell of a lot better looking,” the first said.
The metal giant now kneeled down and the faceplate moved up, showing a third biped sitting inside.
He disembarked from his suit of armor and walked over to join the others.
All three of them had armor with highlights that glowed the same color as the “akrid” thing that just attacked them, but they could be friendly right? They did just save them.
Pinkie Pie, always the outgoing pony, split from the group and sat down in front of the first biped and said, “Hi, my name’s Pinkie Pie. Thanks for saving me and my friends.”
“Well, I’ll be damned, it talks!” the second biped said.
“Can it Mike. Now, what are you?” the first biped asked.
“Why, we’re ponies of course,” Pinkie said.
“Pinkie, are you sure that its safe to be talking to these things?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, and I suppose that you would have prefered to deal with that Chryatis yourselves?” the biped called Mike said.
“What did I tell you about running your mouth Mike,” the first biped said.
”Let him go Roland, he won't get it through his thick skull,” Riggs said.
“So, what are you?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“We’re mercenaries. We work with the Rounders hunting akrid and collecting T-energy,” Roland said.
“We were out here looking for our friend when that, thing, attacked us,” Shining Armor said.
The bipeds were two feet taller than Shining Armor, but that didn’t intimidate him.
“Did your friend have any gear?” Roland asked.
“We don’t know. She might be out here all by herself with no gear on,” Applejack said.
“Are we really gonna help these ‘ponies’ Roland?” Mike asked.
“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m gonna keep your share of T-energy and leave you for the akrid!” Roland yelled at Mike.
“Do you have any way of finding her?” Roland asked.
“I can sense her magic, but I lost her signal before the akrid attacked,” Shining Armor said.
“Magic, oh-” Mike began but Roland cut him off with a glare.
“What happened?” Roland asked.
“There was too much interference before, but I can sense her now. That akrid must have been causing it,” Shining replied.
“Must be interference from the raw T-energy,” Riggs said.
“Do we have enough T-energy left to take a quick look around?” Roland asked.
“After that Chryatis, we could sit here chatting for hours. I would prefer if you didn’t though,” Riggs said.
“Ok then, Riggs you stay with the VS, Mike you're with me,” Roland said. “Lead the way uh…,”
“Shining Armor,” Shining said.
“Shining Armor.”
Shining Armor focused his energy on tracking Twilight’s magical signal.
“Woah, your new friend there just set off a T-energy spike,” Riggs said.
“What?” Roland and Shining Armor said at the same time.
“Can we move this along, I think my wings are starting to freeze up,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Not surprising considering you don't have any T-energy gear,” Riggs said.
“What is T-energy?” Rarity asked.
“T-energy. It’s warmth, it’s heat, and out here, it’s life,” Mike said.
“Huddle together or something while we look for your friend,” Roland said.
“Let’s go,” Shining Armor said.
They hurried off in search of Twilight while the rest huddled together for warmth.
“Here, I think I have a spare cell around here,” Riggs said.
He found a small canister and filled it with T-energy.
“This should help warm you up,” he said.
The canister radiated heat and was warm to the touch. The ponies gladly huddled around the new source of heat.
“So what other kinds of akrid are there?” Shining Armor asked.
“All kinds, but the Chryatis was one of the meaner ones, a cat-M,” Roland said.
“What’s a cat-M?” Shining asked.
“It’s an akrid that is smaller than a cat-G, but nastier than a cat-S,” Roland said.
“Like that!?” Shining Armor said as he saw a large armored creature roll at a faint purple glow.
“Yeah, that’s a Dongo, tough bastards, though not too bright,” Mike said.
“It’s going after Twilight!” Shining Armor exclaimed.
“Then we should hurry, a Dongo is not as nasty as a Chryatis, but it can still crush one of you easy,” Mike said.
They arrived to a large fight. One side was the Dongo and a swarm of smaller bug like akrid, on the other was Twilight and a squad of blue armor clad humans.
“Damn, what is NEVEC doing here?” Roland asked.
“It looks like whoever they are they’re helping Twilight,” Shining Armor said.
“Trust me, NEVEC doesn’t ‘help’ anyone,” Roland said.
Twilight was focusing on the smaller Trilids while the NEVEC soldiers were focusing on two Dongos.
“Lets get in, get Twilight, and get out,” Mike said.
“Alright, Mike you cover me while I get closer to Twilight. Once I’m close enough I’m gonna use my grapple to reel her in,” Roland said.
“Won’t that hurt her?” Shining asked.
“Aside from a bruise, no, and I’m sure it’s better than what NEVEC would do to her,” Roland said.
“Ah, Roland, we have a problem,” Riggs said on the communicator over gunfire.
“What’s going on?!” Roland demanded.
“We got a Hardballer tailing us, and this old GTT-01 can't outrun it for long,” Riggs said.
“Riggs get out of there, we have found a squad of NEVEC fighting some akrid,” Roland shouted over the intercom.
“What about my friends?” Shining Armor asked worriedly.
“They’re holding on but it won't take too much to shake that yellow one loose,” Riggs said.
“I just hope all this T-energy doesn’t attract-” Roland began but was cut off.
A giant form shot up out of the ground a few hundred meters off. It was massive, like a giant bearded worm.
“Shit!” both Roland and Mike swore at once.
“What is that!?” Shining Armor asked.
“A cat-G, an Undeep,” Roland said.
“We need an osprey here now!” Mike shouted.
“They’re still five minutes out,” Riggs said.
“Then head our way, maybe that undeep can keep the NEVEC busy,” Roland said.
“Alright. Nhg!” Riggs said as a bang came from the background.
“That almost hit us!” Rarity shouted.
“Come on, you can't be defenceless!” Riggs shouted.
“Let me at it!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“Are you crazy? That thing will tear you to shreds!” Riggs said.
“Shining Armor, we have to move now,” Roland said.
“I can cover you with a shield,” Shining said.
“What kind of shield?” Mike asked.
“The impenetrable kind,” Shining said.
“Alright lets go,” Roland said.
Shining Armor enveloped them in a purple dome of protection. It instantly drew the attention of the Trillids and the NEVEC soldiers. The Trilids simply broke against the shield, however the NEVEC had a rocket launcher with them and when it hit, the shield nearly broke.
“You have to drop the shield for me to grab Twilight,” Roland said.
“Okay,” Shining grunted lowering the shield.
Roland aimed his grappler and hit his mark, quickly pulling Twilight into his waiting arms.
“Twili!” Shining Armor said.
“Big brother!” Twilight greeted him with a hug.
“Sorry to break up this little reunion, but we have to deal with NEVEC and the akrid now,” Mike said.
“Look out!” Riggs said as his smoking VS came rumbling through, followed by a swerving hardballer.
There was something blue clinging to the white cockpit of the VS.
Rainbow Dash had attached herself to the front of the hardballer, obstructing the pilot’s view, causing him to plow straight into one of the charging Dongos.
The resulting collision flung the blue pegasus free of the now topled VS.
The smoking VS slid up to the small group and unloaded a group of slightly sooty ponies.
“You all came for me,” Twilight said.
“Roland, two minutes till the osprey gets here, though I doubt this bucket will last that long,” Riggs said.
"Leave it! We’re getting out of here!” Roland shouted and started running away from the fight.
Mike and Shining Armor were right on his heels, with the other ponies and Riggs not far behind.
The Hardballer VS had recovered by now and was slicing through the Dongos with its chainsaw, it would not be long before it would be after them.
After dealing with the Dongos, it stowed it’s chainsaw and turned to give chase to the ponies and mercenaries.
“We’re gonna need a miracle to get us out of this one!” Mike yelled.
They heard the sound of the VS getting closer, but could also feel the ground shaking.
“KEEP RUNNING!” Roland shouted.
The ground they had been on only moments prior now burst as the Undeep surfaced. The small band kept running as the poor pilot of the VS was devoured by the monstrosity.
“Look, there they are!” Riggs said as two helicopters flew into view.
They landed and the ten of them boarded the helicopters before taking off, leaving the Undeep and NEVEC behind.
“Roland what the hell did you just bring on my osprey?” the pilot asked.
“It’s a long story,” Roland said.
“Better be good to cost a VS,” the pilot said.
“It just might, Razer. It Just might,” Roland said.
“And the NEVEC?” Razer asked.
“You think they could survive an Undeep?” Roland countered.
“I meant what were they doin’ all the way out here? I bet you a week of T-energy that they weren't just seein’ the sights,” Razer said.
“Probably the same as us, investigating that odd T-energy reading,” Roland said.
The Osprey flew towards a valley with sides quickly getting higher than it was flying.
“So let me get this straight; you wandered into a blizzard, and ended up in the wastelands?” Roland asked.
“Yes,” Twilight replied. “We were investigating strange sightings of monsters, which we now know as akrid.”
“And you somehow ended up on E.D.N III from this ‘Equestria’?” Riggs asked.
“That’s what bugs me, I don’t think we were teleported anywhere,” Twilight said. “It’s almost as if our worlds just suddenly merged.”
“I find all this crap about colourful ponies a little hard to believe,” Mike said.
“Well, we’re sitting right in front of you pal,” Rainbow snorted.
“So where are we going?” Shining asked Roland.
“We’re going back to base. I’m sure that you all would like to see some hospitality,” he answered.
“Too bad we’re not going to be able to give it to you,” Riggs said, looking out behind the Osprey.
“An’ why’s that?” Applejack asked.
“We’re going to be moving out again as soon as we drop you off. We’re going to be going after a big source of T-energy in the jungle as soon as we report back.”
“Maybe we could go with you?” Pinkie suggested.
“I don’t think that command is going to see you as combat ready,” Roland said.
“And why not?” the pink mare asked.
“Cus’ you don’t even have harmonizers,” Mike said, holding up his arm to show the device strapped there.
“A harmonizer?” the ponies chorused.
“It’s a device that can heal wounds by using T-energy,” Riggs explained.
“Everyone has to have one,” Roland said.
“Well, if magic is related to this T-energy, then maybe we can just heal ourselves?” Twilight pondered.
“I doubt it,” Roland said. “Although, you may be able to power it by yourself.”
“Hey, we’re about five clicks out from the base,” Razor said over the comms.
“So, where could we get one of these harmonizers?” Rarity asked.
“If they’ve got extras, maybe we can outfit you with some at the base,” Roland said.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Riggs said, lifting his assault rifle.
Roland stood up and leaned out to see a swarm of trillids coming towards them.
“Everyone hold on, I’m gonna try an’ shake em’,” Razor said on the comms.
Roland and Riggs secured themselves to the Osprey with their tethers and leaned out to try and thin the swarm.
“How’d a swarm this big sneak up on us?” Riggs shouted as he stopped to reload.
“They probably hid in the canyon and we must have woke them up,” Roland said, doing the same.
The Osprey shifted as it banked around a corner, almost tossing a few of it’s pony occupants out.
“How much longer till we’re back at base?” Roland asked over the comms.
“Three minutes, assumin’ we make it that far,” Razor replied, righting the Osprey.
The trailing swarm of trillids rounded the corner after them and started to close the distance.
“Need a hand?” a voice crackled over the comms.
Two Ospreys descended behind the trillid swarm and opened up on them with twin gatlings, making quick work of the akrid.
“Thanks fer the save. We were in some pretty hot water,” Razor said over the comms.
“No problem Razor. But I think you owe me a drink,” the pilot of the other osprey said.
Razor chuckled, “After ya see what we have on board, you might be owing us a drink.”
The three Ospreys made their way out of the canyons and flew to a small base nestled on the peak of a ridge.
As they neared the base the ponies looked out to see the activity below.
There was a large open area where Ospreys were getting prepared to be loaded with VSs and small boats.Milling around were engineers, soldiers, and pilots, all going about their business.
“Now listen up, when we get down there, you probably won’t get the warmest reception, but try not to provoke anyone,” Roland instructed.
“Yeah, I don’t think you’ll like getting shot,” Mike said.
The Osprey slowed to a hover over the landing pad before slowly descending.
“Well, it’s showtime people, and, er, ponies,” Razor said and he cut the engines and got out.
Roland, Riggs and Mike got off the Osprey first, the ponies following closely behind them.
A few of the ponies shivered as a blast of wind swept over the air pad.
“When can we get someplace warm?” Rarity asked through chattering teeth.
“Just be glad no one's aiming at you right now,” Mike said over his shoulder.
A group of soldiers came over to Roland.
“What in the hell did you bring back to base?” The one in the lead questioned.
“To be completely honest, I’m not sure,” Roland said. “But a few of them can generate T-energy,” he said in a hushed tone.
“Did you say generate?” the leader questioned.
Roland nodded, “But if we want to find out more we’re going to have to keep them from freezing to death.”
“Yes, it’s rather cold,” Rarity whined.
“They talk?” the leader ask, bewildered.
“Yeah, and they might be a real asset if we can get them on our side,” Roland said.
“Alright,” the leader said, looking over the ponies, “Get them inside.”
The three soldiers led the shivering ponies inside the base. They received more than a few strange looks from passers by.
“Well, he seemed friendly,” Twilight commented as the door closed behind them.
“That’s Rex. He talks big, but he’s not a bad guy,” Roland said.
“So, Riggs, where do y’all keep these harmonizer gizmos you were talkin’ about?” Applejack asked.
“We’ve got an armory where we keep gear and weapons. We should probably get you outfitted with something,” he replied, taking off his helmet.
“You two can do that, I’m going to get something to eat,” Mike said, heading off in another direction.
“Well, I’m glad we got rid of that guy,” Rainbow snorted.
“Yeah, Mike’s got a pretty hard head,” Riggs said. “Well, let’s go. The armory is this way.”
The seven ponies followed Riggs and Roland through a few corridors and into a large room full of weapon and armor racks.
“We don’t have anything in pony size, but I’m sure we can figure something out,” Riggs said, going through an armor rack.
He pulled out a helmet and tossed it over to the ponies, “See if that fits.”
Rainbow picked up the helmet and tried it on while Rarity began to walk around, looking at the armor selections.
“Don’t you have anything a little less... drab?” she asked, trying to find something that wasn’t black or grey.
“Not here,” Riggs said, pulling out a suit of armor and splitting it into it’s separate pieces.
“Um, do you have any helmets that can fit over a horn?” Shining asked, trying to settle the helmet atop his head.
“Sorry, but it’s that or you’ll just have to wrap a scarf around your head or something,” Riggs said. “Here, this might fit something,” he said, setting down a few leg and arm guards.
Rainbow put them on and found that they fit her well.
“Hey, got anymore?” she asked, checking out her new armor pieces.
“I think I might be able to help with this project,” Rarity said, levitating the padded under layer so she could scrutinize it. “You wouldn’t happen to have a pair of scissors around would you?”
“I’ve got a knife if that helps,” Riggs said, holding out the implement.
Rarity gave a light sigh, “Well, it’s a little primitive, but it’ll have to do. Oh, and I will need some thread and a needle.”
“This isn’t exactly a tailor’s shop,” Riggs said.
“Do you want us to freeze to death outside?” Rarity questioned sharply.
Riggs groaned, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you,” she said, looking back over the underlayer and beginning her work.
While Riggs went to get something to sew with, Roland went over to a footlocker and pulled out a harmonizer.
“Here, this should attach to the arm guard here,” Roland said, helping Rainbow attach hers.
“Cool,” the rainbow pegasus said, looking over her new toy.
“It won’t work until you’ve got a tank to carry T-energy, but at least you’ve got it. There are a few more left, but not enough for all of you.”
“That’s okay, I didn’t really want one anyways,” Fluttershy said weakly.
“I think I’ll pass too,” Twilight said.
“Alright, that’s good. We only have four left,” Roland said, getting them out.
Shining, Applejack, and Pinkie took theirs while Roland set Rarity’s down on a bench near her.
Riggs soon came back with a box of sewing materials and set it down by Rarity.
“Thank you darling, now give me a moment...” she trailed off as she began to re-stitch the suit back together.
In no time, she had a pony shaped suit all ready to go.
“Here, try this on Rainbow,” she said, levitating the garment over to her.
Rainbow Dash took off her armor plates and slipped the suit on.
“It’s a little stiff, but it fits,” she said, testing out the joints.
“I thought so, but it should loosen up after a while,” Rarity said, starting on another.
“I think we’ll leave you to it,” Roland said. “Twilight, why don’t you come with me, you seem to know a lot. Maybe you can help fill the boss in.”
“Alright,” Twilight said reluctantly.
“I’ll go with you,” Shining offered.
“It’s alright, I’ll be fine by myself,” Twilight said.
Roland and Twilight turned and left the armory as Rarity worked on the second suit, this one tailored for Pinkie.
“So, Roland, what exactly are you intending on telling your boss?” Twilight asked as they walked down the hall.
“As much as I can before we have to leave. We don’t have a whole lot of time before we move out. There’s going to be a couple of different operations going on and command is going to be busy enough coordinating everything without anyone being late,” he replied.
“What kind of operations?” Twilight asked.
“We’re going to hit a T-energy source in the jungle. There’s a group of snow pirates that’s got a hold on it right now, but we’re going to clear them out and take the T-energy. There’s another group going out to hijack a NEVEC transport train. If they get the job done then we’ll have another big score of T-energy,” Roland explained.
“Snow pirates?” Twilight questioned.
“They’re kind of like us, searching for enough T-energy to sustain themselves, but they’re just a bunch of savages. Everyone out here who’s not NEVEC is considered a snow pirate,” he explained.
“And you just steal it from each other?” Twilight asked, a little put off.
“No, stealing it is only one way, and most of the time NEVEC is the target for everyone, but hunting akrid is another way to find T-energy.”
“So, you either have to hunt monsters, or steal to survive?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, that’s about it,” Roland said.
“That’s awful.”
“Maybe, but it’s how we survive. Hey, we’re almost to the command center.”
Roland opened a door and the two of them stepped into a medium sized room with a communications center on one side and a small group of monitors on the other. Standing in the center of the room was a table with a holographic map on it, and a figure standing behind it.
“Roland, I take it that this is one of the ‘ponies’ I’ve heard about?” the figure asked.
“Yeah, Twilight, this is the base commander, Parker,” Roland said, introducing him.
“Hello mister Parker, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she said, giving a slight bow of her head.
“Well miss Sparkle, from what I’ve been told you ponies just wandered out into the wastelands, with no gear, and managed to survive long enough to get rescued by Roland and his team. Is that right?”
“Yes. Well, kind of...” she said, shifting a little, “I was really the one who wandered off, my friends and brother just came looking for me.”
“And I’ve also head that you can blast a few trillids with, magic?”
“Yes, we can use magic. Well, by we, I mean unicorns,” Twilight said.
Parker gave a little groan, “This is going to get tiring...”
“Tiring?” Twilight asked, confused.
“Unicorns, are there any other names?” Parker asked, a little annoyed.
“Well, there are unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies,” Twilight explained.
Parker sighed and turned around, “It’s bad enough that we’re going to be calling you ponies. It sounds like we’re in some kind of kid’s fairy tale saying unicorns and pegasi...”
“I’m sorry, but it’s what we’re called, it’s not like we can just change it,” Twilight said, a little annoyed.
“It doesn’t matter right now. Roland, get ready to move out, and grab your team,” Parker instructed, turning back to face them.
“And what about them?” Roland asked, pointing to Twilight.
“What about them?” Parker asked.
“Well, Riggs is down in the armory outfitting a couple of them with armor and harmonizers,” Roland explained.
“You mean they’re going to fight?” Parker asked, stifling a laugh.
“Yeah, and I’d like to take one or two of them with us,” Roland said.
“Can they shoot?”
“Some can.”
“Can they fight?”
“Yes.”
“Then pick a couple to go with you. I’ll deploy the others to different operations,” Parker said.
“Yes sir,” Roland said. “Come on Twilight.”
The two walked out of the room, leaving Parker alone.
He gave a sigh, “Fighting ponies... now this I’ve got to see.”
Roland and Twilight headed back to the armory to check on the progress of everypony’s equipment.
“He didn’t seem to friendly,” Twilight said as they rounded a corner.
“He’s not most days, but he’s in charge.”
“Why?”
“Because, no other man around here has a head for tactics and logistics like Parker. That, and he’s been out here longer than most of us.”
“And how long have you been out here?”
“Hard to say exactly, most of us stopped caring a while ago.”
“But don’t you ever miss your homes? Or your families?”
“Some do, some don’t, some don’t have anything to go back to. Regardless of what they had before, this is home now.”
“I suppose that makes sense...”
Shortly after they arrived at the armory to see that Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Shining Armor, and Pinkie were all outfitted with armor and Rarity was just finishing her own suit.
“This might not be my finest work... but it should suffice for keeping everypony warm.”
Riggs looked up from where he sat at Roland who looked surprised to see four suits done so quickly.
Twilight looked at her friends’ new armor. Rainbow Dash had added little to the armor bits Roland had given her before, though her undergarb had a patch in the shape of her cutie mark on it. Applejack had a chest piece strapped to her suit for protection and arm and leg bits to cover her legs. She didn’t wear a helmet, just her usual stetson, but had red scarf to cover her face with. Pinkie’s armor looked a bit more patchwork, having small plates of armor draped over her sides for protection instead of a solid sheet. Shining Armor wore his suit much like his guard armor. He was big enough to have plates on his front and back as well as full leg protection. He had some goggles and a black headwrap to shield his face from the weather. Rarity’s suit didn’t have armor yet, just the plain suit, though it was adorned with a slight frill at the collar and the cuffs flared out a bit.
“Wow Rarity, these look great,” Twilight said.
“Thank you darling, but the selection of colors is simply dreadful. There’s nothing but grey black and red.”
“Somehow I don’t think you’ll be going out in the field,” Roland commented.
“And why not? Who says a lady can’t fight too?” she retorted.
“Well, for one, you’re soft as a marshmallow,” Riggs said, standing up. “And for two, you’d be more help at the base with your talents.”
Rarity huffed but did not seem overly bothered.
Mike ambled over to the doorway and looked in on the rag tag group of ponies. “Hey Roland, Boss wants four of ‘em for the ops. Wants em in the command center asap.” Then he ambled away.
“Well, looks like you can stay Rarity,” Roland said. “Twilight, you take whoever’s not coming with you and try to stay out of trouble.”
She nodded, “Alright...”
“Riggs, Shining Armor, Rainbow- ugh... We need better names for you.”
“How about callsigns?” Riggs suggested.
“Perfect. Hmm... Shining, how about Sparky?”
“Sparky?”
“And how about Ranger?” he said pointing to Applejack.
“Sounds good to me.”
“And Bluebird for you, Dash.”
“Bluebird? Yuck. How about just Dash? Or maybe something a little cooler.”
“Cooler? How about Frosty.”
Rainbowdash groaned, “Fine, at least it’s better than bluebird...”
“Ooh! Ooh! I know! Cupcake!” Pinkie said, giggling.
“Cupcake?”
“Or how about Short Stack?” Riggs suggested.
Pinkie shook her head and then gasped, “I got it! Firefly!”
Roland nodded, “Firefly it is.”
“Come on, we wasted enough time on this, Parker will be waiting,” Riggs said, heading to the door.
Roland nodded and the four ponies followed them out of the armory.
After a minute of walking, the group filed into the command center that was now dark, the holographic map being the only illumination..
“I’ve brought four of them like you asked,” Roland said.
“These are different from the one before,” Parker said. “And they have armor.”
“And harmonizers. But we don’t have t-energy canisters for them yet.”
“They can get those before they leave. Do these ones have names?”
“Yes, but we’ve given them callsigns for ease of use. This is Sparky, Ranger, Frosty and Firefly,” Roland said, pointing to Shining Armor, AJ, RD, and Pinkie in turn.
“That’s a little better than ‘Twilight Sparkle’,” Parker mused. We’re sending two with the main force in the jungle and two with the Waysiders taking the train.”
“Who is going where?” Shining asked.
“Roland, take Sparky and Firefly. The other two will be taking the train.”
Roland nodded, “What about the other three?”
“They’re staying here at the base. Send them to me and I’ll find a job for them.”
Roland nodded and headed out of the room with his team.
“Pay attention because I’m only going over this plan once. You’ll meet up with the group on the outskirts of this desert,” he said, pointing to the holographic map.
“Alrighty, then what?” Applejack asked.
“Then you hijack the train as it’s leaving the station. Your handler in the field will have more detailed orders.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Rainbow said.
“It is easy,” Parker snapped, “So don’t screw up!”
Rainbow snorted, “As if.”
“Get going or I’ll feed you to the arkid myself.”
Rainbow Dash and Parker glared at each other, daring one another to say anything more.
“Alright, let’s get goin’ RD,” Applejack said, pulling Rainbow Dash with her.
After they were outside of the command center, Rainbow Dash rounded on AJ.
“What was that for?”
“You don’t need to be gettin’ yerself into trouble right off the bat.”
“Did you hear that guy though? He’s such a jerk!”
“Well, right now he’s our boss. At least until we can find some way to get back to Equestria.”
Rainbow Dash snorted, “Fine. At least we don’t have to put up with him out there too.”
--
Twilight was looking at a VS in one of the hangers along with Rarity and Fluttershy.
“Well it’s design is certainly... utilitarian,” Rarity said, looking at the large grey machine.
“It looks kind of scary...” Fluttershy said.
“This whole place is a little scary. Big Monsters, humans who steal from each other to live and all these machines...” Twilight added.
“And their sense of fashion is simply horrifying,” Rarity chimed in.
“Rarity, I don’t think fashion is exactly high on their priorities,” Twilight admonished.
A mercenary walked over while they were talking and jumped onto the VS.
“Hey, get outta the way!” he shouted as he powered it up.
Twilight and the others scurried out of the way as the VS started lumbering away to get outfitted with it’s weaponry. A standard GTF-11 Drion, getting loaded out with a rocket launcher and a gatling gun.
“You’re still hangin’ around here?” a somewhat familiar voice said from behind the ponies.
They turned around to see a man in a flight suit with a black bandana tied around his head.
“Sorry, do we know you?” Twilight asked.
He gave a laugh, “I’m the one who saved your and Roland’s skins earlier. My name’s Razor, in case you forgot.”
“Roland told us to try and stay out of the way...” Fluttershy murmured.
“So you’re just standin’ around in a hangar takin’ a gander at the VS’s?”
“Well, there are people running around inside the base, and it’s cold outside,” Twilight said.
“Well you best be finding someplace quiet, we’re heading out in five minutes and you’re liable to get stepped on if you sit around gawkin’ at things like that.”
“Is there a library?” Twilight asked.
“A library? Out here?” Razor almost broke out laughing. “You’d be better off tryin’ to warm yourself up by rollin’ in the snow!”
Twilight looked a little put off by that, and the folded back ears gave Razor the hint.
“But, if you want something to look at, I’m sure there are some maps or Akrid data that could use some lookin’ over.”
Twilight visibly perked up at that. “And where could we find those?”
“Command probably. Or communications. Talk to Parker, he’ll know right where you can go.”
Twilight’s ears drooped again. As excited as she was to learn something about this place, she didn’t like Parker’s abrasiveness. “Thank you Razor.”
“No problem Sparkles.”
“It’s Twilight Sparkle.”
Razor shrugged, “Eh, close enough.”
He then proceeded to walk off towards the door, leaving the three ponies with little to do but go back to the base proper.
--
Roland, Shining Armor, Pinkie, Riggs and Mike were all piling into an Osprey that was ready for takeoff.
“Alright, does everyone know the plan?” Roland asked, checking his rifle.
“We fly with the rest of the group into the jungle and deploy at the designated location,” Shining said.
“Right.”
“Sparky, Firefly, you’re equipment all good?” Riggs asked the two ponies.
Shining nodded, “My rifle looks all good. This suit is holding up as well.”
“And my “party favors” are ready to party!” Pinkie said.
Mike chuckled dryly, “I’m sure the welcoming party will be ecstatic.”
“Cut the chatter people, it’s show time,” Roland said, closing the door to the Osprey.
Everyone took a seat as the Osprey’s engines revved up and began to rise into the air.
--
“You two ready back there?” the pilot called back to his unusual passengers.
“Yeah, we’re ready to go,” Applejack said.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” Rainbow added.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash stayed on their hooves as the Osprey lifted off the ground and started to fly south, away from the base and the rest of the ospreys.
“You think we’re ready for this?” Applejack asked RD.
“Pfft, are we ready? Are we ever! Now that I can fly, there’s no way that some stupid Akrid thing is going to stop me.”
“It’s not them Ah’m worried about, it’s these humans. Ah’m not sure Ah trust ‘em.”
“That Parker guy was a jerk, but the rest don’t seem too bad.”
“But what about these ‘Waysider’ fellers we’re supposed to work with?”
“What about them?”
“From what he said, they just sound like a bunch ‘o bandits.”
“From what he said, they’re all bandits. But what choice do we have? There’s no way back to the Crystal Empire as far as we know. These guys haven’t tried to shoot us yet. Plus, they did save us from freezing.”
“Ah know... but somethin’ just don’t sit right with me...”
“How much longer until we get there?” Shining Armor asked.
The Osprey had been flying for just over ten minutes, the endless white landscape passing by through the view port.
“Razor, eta?” Roland said over the comms.
Razor chuckled over the comms, “Look out your window.”
Roland opened the door and everyone inside was greeted with a panoramic view of a steaming jungle. There were some mountains close by and the fleet of Ospreys were flying over a large lake.
“Wow....” Pinkie said breathlessly, looking out over the landscape.
“Things have been warming up lately...” Roland said, “Makes it easier to get t-energy.”
“Heads up, Akrid activity ahead, a lot of it,” Razor called over the comms.
That was unnecessary, however; everyone could see a massive swarm of trillids flying up from the jungle canopy and heading right for the fleet.
“That’s a hell of a lot of akrid!” Mike said, standing up and attaching his grapple to the osprey.
He and Roland grabbed their rifles and started shooting at approaching arkid.
Soon, the sky was in chaos; Osprey’s were exploding, sending shrapnel and whirling blades flying through the air. Trillid swarms were weaving between helicopters, searching for open doors and soft spots to skewer. Mercenaries were trying desperately to shoot down as many as they could, but the swarm was too much.
“Damnit!” Roland swore, “If this keeps up, we risk losing the whole operation!”
As the fleet began to break down into a panicked mass, those pilots who could manage dropped boats into the water before attempting to flee.
“We need to get out of here!” Riggs shouted, picking up his rifle to help out.
Shining Armor made a force field around the Osprey, “I don’t know how long I can hold this against so many.”
Mike and Riggs attached grapples and lowered themselves down into a boat below along with Pinkie.
“Sparky, let’s go!” Roland cried, attaching his own grapple.
At that same second, a nearby Osprey took a trillid to the air intake and on of the engines exploded, sending the flaming mass tumbling towards their Osprey.
Shining Armor stood ready to try to hold it back but Roland didn’t give him the chance. He detached his grapple and tackled Shining Armor right out of the Osprey, sending them plunging into the water below as the two Ospreys above collided in a massive fireball before crashing into the water.
After a few moments, the two surfaced and swam over to the waiting boat.
“Cutting it close there, aren’t you, boss?” Riggs said, hauling Roland into the boat.
Roland gave him a look as Pinkie helped Shining crawl into the boat.
After the two sopping wet soldiers were inside the boat, Mike started up the engines and they started heading towards the shore among flaming debris from the fleet.
“Is this normal?” Shining Armor asked, shaking the wetness from his mane.
“Hardly. There shouldn’t be this many akrid around,” Roland said, checking his rifle.
“Something’s got them more active,” Riggs said.
“That just means more target practice,” Mike added, steering the boat to shore.
“Pink- I mean, Firefly, are you alright?” Shining asked the usually bubbly mare.
For a good ten seconds, she said nothing, just looked out over the water at the wreckage of the fleet. Then her mane and tail slowly deflated, going straight and smooth.
“Uh oh...”
“What’s wrong with her?” Mike asked.
“I’m going to kill every last one...” Pinkie said darkly.
“Pinkie...?” Shining Armor began, but was cut off by her grabbing a shotgun that washed up on the beach and cocking it.
“It’s party time,” she said in a malicious voice.
“Alright people, our mission is to break through the enemy lines and get to the mining facility deeper inland,” Roland said, looking over a small digital map. “After that, we sabotage the mine and head to the designated location for extraction.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” Riggs said.
Mike and Riggs fell in behind Roland as he lead the way into the jungle. Shining hesitated as he watched Pinkie stalk off behind them and brought up the rear.
He had read a letter from Twilight about the happy-go-lucky mare’s dark side, but this was more frightening than he imagined it. He’d have to make a mental note to never, ever, get on her bad side.
As they began getting into the trees, they could see a few trillids weaving between the trunks of the trees, while three legged sepias crept across the ground.
“Looks like we’ll need to do a little exterminating,” Mike said.
Roland and Riggs fired off a few bursts at the trillids, bursting the fragile akrid with little trouble.
Seeing the two akrid approaching, Pinkie let out a battle cry and charged at the tripedal creatures. They seemed almost perplexed as they stopped their advance, though they soon decided she was a threat after she leaped at them, firing her shotgun twice.
Everyone could only watch as Pinkie destroyed the two akrid. They weren’t stunned by the ferocity of the pony, they weren’t even stunned by the large smear that was left afterwards. Everyone could do nothing but watch because the shotgun that Pinkie was using shot lethal blasts of confetti.
After the colorful confetti settled, everyone was staring at Pinkie, and after a moment, they let out a collective, “Damn.”
After that little demonstration, the team began to move on, taking are of the small packs of sepia and trillids.
After running through a sizable pile of ammunition, the team came upon a clearing where another team was catching it’s breath.
Roland walked up to the other squad’s leader while Riggs and Shining armor went over to a small red metal post.
“It’s a data post,” Riggs explained. “It can map the area and gives us a place to communicate and regroup with the rest of the force.”
“And they’re just sitting out in the middle of nowhere like that?”
Riggs kneeled by the post and started to activate it, changing it from a cylinder into a mini antenna. “Most of these are leftover from when this planet was a mining colony.” He stood up and checked that the map was updated with the post’s information. “But that was a long time ago.”
“And they’ve lasted this long?”
“Yeah, these things are pretty-”
Riggs was cut off by the sound of an Osprey appearing above the canopy and descending to drop off a fresh batch of mercenaries.
“Do you feel that?” Shining asked.
“Feel what?”
Before he could answer, a large clawed arm burst from the ground right underneath the Osprey. As it batted aside the helicopter, the rest of the beast followed, revealing a very large chryatis covered with bright red armor spikes.
The clearing burst into panic as the chryatis let out a scream and began attacking the mercenaries. Many of the mercenaries stood back and shoot at it in panicked bursts; however, Roland sprang into action and shot his grapple at a nearby tree and ascended to get a better angle on the beast.
“Hit the weak spots on the arms!” he screamed as he shot at the chryatis’ head, drawing it’s attention.
Riggs and Shining Armor began shooting at the large glowing spots on the beasts large, scyth-like arms while Mike charged out, clad in a suit of power armor that had been left nearby. Riding on top of his shoulders was Pinkie, both of them firing their shotguns at the creature’s glowing abdomen.
The chryatis took notice and swung around, sweeping one of it’s large arms at the two.
The blow hit Mike square and sent him rolling backwards while Pinkie jumped off and latched onto the arm.
Roland kicked off from the tree as the akrid tried to shake off the pink pony and landed on it’s back.
“Eat this!” he shouted as he anchored himself to the creature’s back and shoot at the weak point in the leg that Pinkie was attached to.
The chryatis screamed as the bullets ripped through the soft flesh and the arm tore from it’s socket, falling away and falling to the ground. It began thrashing in an attempt to throw off Roland.
By this time, Mike had gotten back to his feet and lobbed a grenade towards the creature. “Roland, heads up!”
Roland saw the glowing orange sphere and shot it out of the air, creating a blast right in the beast’s face, though it sent him tumbling off.
The chryatis turned to face the armored shotgunner and charged at him, attempting to trample him. As it passed the arm it left behind, Pinkie jumped up and grabbed onto the brightly glowing abdomen.
“Tough son of a bitch...” Mike said as the chryatis stopped short and began thrashing to dislodge the pony.
The chryatis gave a screech of rage and spun around, charging at a large tree. At the last second it turned on it’s good forelimb and smashed it’s abdomen, and Pinkie against the tree.
“Pinkie!” Shining cried as the limp pony slid off the abdomen and landed on the ground with a thud. He galloped into the clearing, firing his rifle as he ran, peppering the creature with bullets.
As he passed a fallen mercenary, he picked up a second rifle and rolled onto his back, sliding under the beast and unloading the full fury of his rifles directly into it’s abdomen.
The creature screamed and writhed as the bullets tore into it. It’s convulsions soon ceased as it’s boy began to freeze, leaving a large ice sculpture standing in the clearing.
After a few moments, the body cracked and shattered, letting a large pool of t-eng flow out onto the jungle floor.
Shining Armor got to his hooves and ran over to Pinkie, where Roland was already stooped over her.
Roland could see the look of horror in Shining armor’s wide eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. He pressed a button on Pinkie’s harmonizer and it began to whirr to life, a bright green ring lighting up.
“She’ll live.”
Shining looked at him in disbelief, “What?”
Riggs walked over and began charging something, “I’ve seen people survive worse.”
Shining looked between the two of them like they were crazy. “I’ve seen ponies get hurt before! They don’t recover after something like this!”
“They’ve never had a harmonizer...” Roland said as the device on Pinkie’s foreleg quieted.
Shining Armor looked at Pinkie with shock. Her legs was back in it’s socket and her chest looked healed. She still looked like she was in pain, but her injuries were all healed.
“Just as I thought,” Riggs said, shooting a beachball sized orange orb at her.
“What are you doing!?” Shining Armor cried as he tackled Riggs.
“Relax, Sparky, I gave her some more t-eng. She’ll need it to get back into fighting shape.”
Roland showed Pinkie the button on her harmonizer and she pressed it weakly, activating it again. In no time at all, she looked to be in better shape than before.
Shining got off of Riggs and went over to Pinkie, “Are you okay?”
She surprised him by lunging forward and hugging him.
“Looks like it,” Roland said.
She then turned to him and tackle hugged him in turn, her mane and tail puffed up again.
“Thank you so much for saving me! I was so scared I was going to die!” she sobbed.
Roland was trying hard not to fall over backwards at the extra weight, but supported the crying pony. “As long as you’ve got thermal energy and a harmonizer, dying is going to be pretty hard.”
Shining Armor looked at his own harmonizer and saw a small readout with numbers showing his t-eng reserves. 306 units. The four digit readout made that number look small.
“How much had it taken to heal Pinkie...” he wondered.
“Alright, alright! Enough of the water works. We still have a mission to do,” Roland said, setting down the pink pony.
Pinkie wiped her eyes and nodded.
“Alright everyone. This setback is going to cost us. Riggs, how is the operation going?”
“Looks like the other groups are running into some heavy resistance. Our rout looks a lot clearer,” he replied.
“Alright. There should be a small encampment of snow pirates ahead, so be ready.”
“Let’s get going then,” Mike said and reloaded his shotgun.
