Twilight's Experiments: The War of Mann Co.by MIKEANTHONY321ChaptersArrivalDistributionArena ModeControl Points ModeKing of the Hill ModePayload ModeAttack/Defend ModeSpecial Delivery ModeCapture the Flag ModeMann vs. Machine Mode (Part 1)Mann vs. Machine Mode (Part 2)Mann vs. Machine (Part 3 (The Final Wave!))Now What?-AUTHOR ANNOUNCEMENT-ArrivalEquestria was experiencing a rather dark and stormy afternoon. Lightning flashed, followed by the loud boom of thunder. Rain came pouring down, pelting buildings and any unfortunate ponies that happened to be rushing around outside. Most of the land had suffered a massive drought just a few days prior, so the pegasi scheduled a tropical storm to make up for it. Because of the dry, cracked dirt that covered much of the ground, low-lying parts of various towns had received flood warnings, and had been advised to move to higher ground. Ponyville, the town adjacent to the famed Sweet Apple Acres, was suffering the worst of the storm. The mayor, along with a few government officials, buckled down in wait of a massive clean-up operation. Several buildings were on the brink of collapse. Yet even under the crushing power of the elements, seven ponies ran through the streets of the town, trying to reach the library before the storm got the better of them. None of them looked very happy. ……………………………… After waiting about twenty minutes, the door to Twilight Sparkle’s home finally received a knock. Jittery, she asked her assistant Spike to answer it for her. Acknowledging her request, the small dragon ran for the door, turned the knob, and greeted the soaking wet visitors that stood angrily on the other side. Rainbow Dash was the first one to enter, followed by the other six in the following order: Applejack, Big Macintosh, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Zecora. Although unhappy about having to rush over on short notice in the pouring rain, the six were forgiving, and willing to hear whatever it was Twilight had to say. Except Rainbow Dash of course, who was ready to strangle whoever got on her last nerve. “This had better be good, Twilight. I won’t be able to fly for a week with my wings wet like this!” She exclaimed. “Whoa, calm down there sugarcube. If Twilight wanted us here during a big storm, it must be for a good reason.” Applejack reasoned. “I brought you all here on account of a new experiment that I have devised!” Twilight announced. Everyone except Rainbow Dash and Rarity oohed and awed. “Ooh, what is it, what is it? Oh, I can’t wait!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “It’s a trans-dimensional teleportation spell. If it works, we shouldn’t be in Equestria anymore.” Twilight answered. This earned gasps from everyone in the room, even Spike. “Where exactly would it take us?” Rarity asked. … “Well first of all, somewhere where it’s not raining.” Twilight answered. The group let out a sigh of relief. Anywhere without rain was good at this point. “Well, that’s good. What is this place like?” Fluttershy asked. “Well, has anyone heard of a human? Mythical creatures that walk on two legs?” Most of the group nodded their heads. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Twilight. Humans? We’re not four-year-olds.” “The place we’d be going to has living humans as their dominant species. You’d be surprised; humans have intelligence that’s unmatched by any other species.” Twilight explained. “Is it a happy place with lots of partying?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight shrugged. “I’m not sure. After all, it is an alternate universe.” … “Let’s pick up the pace. I’d kind of like to see this new place.” Zecora suggested. “Okay then. I’d like everyone to form a circle around me please.” Twilight ordered. The seven ponies did as they were told, and formed a circle around Twilight. Spike stood next to her anxiously. “Spike, you too. Join the circle.” Twilight whispered to him. “Really? I get to be in one of your experiments?” He asked. “Yeah, why not? I’m also going to this alternate universe, so we can’t just leave you behind.” Twilight replied. Following her orders, Spike eagerly joined the circle in between Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Twilight ordered them all to hold each other’s hooves. … Once they had done so, Twilight began the spell. A steady stream of magic flowed from her horn, and began to travel downwards toward the ground. When it had touched the hardwood floor, it spread out, enveloping the ground that they were all standing on, and dying it a deep purple. The group standing around Twilight watched in wonder and awe at the floor as the magic swirled around them like a whirlpool. The purple hue on the floor began to change to black, and before anyone in the group could react, the floor opened up. The group suddenly screamed as they fell into a dark abyss. ……………………………………… They weren’t falling for long, however. The darkness they were falling in opened up, and they landed on hard, concrete ground. After recovering from the breath that was knocked out of them, the group stood up, and looked around. They appeared to be on a bridge that connected a large red barn and a blue factory. The barn even had the word “RED” printed on it, and the factory had the word “BLU” written on it. The bridge crossed over a ravine that seemed to have no bottom. Stars dotted the sky, as it was nighttime. “Where are we?” Fluttershy asked. “Beats me. I’m pretty sure this is not the location I intended to be teleported to.” Twilight responded, sounding confused. “Hey, I may have gotten a C in English back in school, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how you spell the word ‘blue’.” Rainbow Dash observed, pointing at the factory. “That’s an acronym. Below the word ‘BLU’, it says ‘Builders’ League United’.” Twilight replied. “And over on that barn, it says “Reliable Excavation Demolition’.” Applejack added. Big Mac shook his head. “Gee, that’s a fight just waiting to happen.” … The group heard an alien voice. “Hey, what’s with the colored horses? This doesn’t make any freaking sense.” They all turned toward the sound of the voice, and saw a teenage human wearing a headset and a blue shirt. He carried a baseball bat with the word ‘BONK!’ on it in his hand. “Colored horses? That’s for babies!” Came another unfamiliar voice. After hearing the response, a much bigger and older-looking man came out of the factory. He was completely bald, and very wide. He wore the same color shirt with a golden fist badge embroidered on the bicep. A chain of bullets hung around his shoulder, and he carried a giant minigun in his two hands. They all just kind of stared at each other in amazement. The two humans have never seen colored ponies, and the colored ponies have never seen humans. It was a moment that would be remembered by both groups for a long time. The moment was gone however when more humans began to come out of the factory and the barn to observe the scene. Everyone coming out of the factory wore blue, and everyone coming out of the barn wore red. There were so many different kinds of humans. There was a thick-armored man with a rocket launcher and an oversized helmet, a guy wearing an optical mask that had a flamethrower, a guy with a hard hat and a wrench, a German-looking guy with a strange power pack on his back and a long trench coat, an Australian guy with a hat and a sniper rifle, a black man with a bulletproof vest and a sticky-bomb launcher, and a masked man in a suit with a knife in his hand. The strangest thing was that there was two of every kind of human; one wearing each color. After the moment of confusion and wonder, the blue guy wearing the hard hat stepped forward, and held out his hand. “Welcome to Mann Co., partner.” He greeted. To be Continued… Author's Note I'm back! Although, I technically never left... I hope you enjoy the second installment of the Twilight's Experiments franchise! Distribution“Who are ya? And what are ya doin’ here in our fine DoubleCross?” The red-wearing black man asked. “DoubleCross? This place is called DoubleCross?” Rarity asked. “Aye.” The blue-wearing black man added. “Where are ya from?” “Before we answer that, could you all please give us your names? It’s kind of difficult to distinguish all of you.” Twilight asked. Acknowledging her request, all eighteen of the mysterious men gave them their names. The teenager was named Scout, the armored rocket-launcher was Soldier, the mask-wearing flame-bearer was Pyro, the hard hat was Engineer, the minigun-wielder was Heavy, the black man was Demoman, the trench coat-wearer was Medic, the Australian rifle-bearer was Sniper, and the masked and suited guy was Spy. Go figure. “Well…now what are we supposed to do? We’re in the middle of some place we’ve never seen, in front of a bunch of creatures we don’t know, on a bridge that leads over Celestia-knows-what.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Maybe you can just get out of here. We need to get to the next arena for the next battle mode.” Red Scout answered rudely. “Wait!” The Blue Spy interjected, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “They might be of some use.” “How? They don’t even have fingers to shoot a gun.” Red Scout argued. Fluttershy gasped at the word ‘gun’ being mentioned. This didn’t look like a universe that she would enjoy. “That can be worked around. We might be able to add them among our ranks.” The Blue Spy added. “Alright little babies, who’s ready to get split up for good?” Red Heavy laughed. … The group of ponies shuddered. The thought of being split up and forced to fight each other seemed unbearable. “Wait, you can’t just expect us to break apart from each other! We’re friends!” Spike exclaimed. This just made the eighteen men laugh. “We have no friends here, mate. It’s all just cold-blooded killing.” Blue Sniper replied with a chuckle. The group gasped. This was going to be a long and treacherous journey. … Since there were nine newcomers, which was an odd number, the teams had to settle who would get the bigger half. The ponies expected there to be a coin toss or Rock Paper Scissors, but boy were they wrong. The Spy from both teams walked up in front of each other, and raised their Ambassadors. At a precise moment, Blue Soldier yelled, “Draw!” Suddenly, a loud gunshot fire slammed into everyone’s eardrums as Red Spy’s bullet passed through Blue Spy’s skull. Blue Spy crumpled to the ground, blood pouring out of the wound on the side of his head. All of the ponies gasped. Fluttershy began to cry. “I…I can’t believe you killed him! Now what are we going to do?” Applejack asked in horror. … As if in answer to her question, another Blue Spy came running out of the factory as if nothing had happened. He looked down at his own corpse, and shook his head. “Nice shot. I acknowledge your speed and accuracy.” He said. The ponies were dumbfounded. He was shot right in the head, and walked out of it like it was nothing! “Let me inform you on a little something. In this world, you respawn if you die. It’s as simple as that.” Red Engineer explained. Red Spy’s victory meant that team RED would get five ponies on their team, and team BLU would get four. Team RED also got first pick on who they wanted on their team, and what class they’d play as. The agreement was that this same routine would happen after each round, when the teams are scrambled. “You, big red pony! You come over here and fight with me as a Heavy!” Red Heavy exclaimed. “Eeyup.” Big Mac replied. He turned, waved goodbye to Applejack, and walked over next to Red Heavy as part of the RED team. “Hey, Skittles! You look like a strong fighter. Come fight for team BLU as my fellow Scout!” Blue Scout ordered. “Aw, yeah! This is going to be awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She flew over to Blue Scout, and slapped him a high five. … This method of distribution went on for the next ten minutes. Big Mac, Zecora, Pinkie Pie and Rarity ended up on team RED, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike joined team BLU. Big Mac was a Heavy, Zecora was a Demoman, Pinkie Pie was a Pyro, Rarity was a Spy, Rainbow Dash was a Scout, Applejack was a Engineer, and Spike was a Soldier. Twilight and Fluttershy were the only ones left. “Ay, mate! You look you got a keen eye; come snipe alongside me for team BLU!” Blue Sniper exclaimed. Twilight turned to Fluttershy with a tear in her eye. “I’m so sorry this had to happen. I’ll try not to shoot at you, okay?” Fluttershy nodded sadly as she watched Twilight walk over to Blue Sniper’s side. She was the last one picked, just as she predicted. “You don’t look like the kind that likes to shoot. How about you help me heal my team, and work for team RED?” Red Medic suggested. There was a weight to be lifted off her shoulders. She wouldn’t have to shoot anybody. She could go around doing what she did best: healing. … “Now we have two things left to do. First, we have to arm our new recruits with weapons. And second, we have to show up at Well tomorrow for an Arena battle!” Red Spy declared. “And the winner of that battle will get the bigger half of the recruits for the next battle, which will be Control Points at the Badlands!” Blue Soldier added. After these declarations, the two teams split up and walked away in different directions. Twilight seemed very confused. “Um…sorry to bother you, uh…Sniper, but what exactly is going on?” “Don’t you worry mate, when we get you your weapons, we’ll inform you on everything. And when we get to the battlefield tomorrow, stay by me so you know the best spots to camp out.” Sniper replied. Twilight sighed. Even knowing that they were going to respawn, she couldn’t bear the thought of having to shoot at her own friends. To be Continued… Author's Note Now it's time to get this party started! Arena ModeIt is recommended that you listen to a specific song while reading this chapter, and all the chapters that come after it. The link to the music will be posted right at the moment where the music should be listened to. You'll find the link pasted in this chapter where it should be listened to. If the music stops playing, just replay it in the new tab. Of course, all of this is optional. Battle Arena #1: Well (Arena) The first thing the split group of ponies expected was a long walk from the DoubleCross to the Well. In reality, it took almost no time at all. The Engineers could somehow build teleporters, so apparently that’s how these humans get around. Anyway, this whole ‘RED vs. BLU’ thing was really making Twilight nervous. Before they had left, Sniper went to the resupply box, and gave her a giant sniper rifle. He also gave her a machete-looking thing, and a few empty jars. Lastly, they all got fitted into authentic Builders’ League United uniforms. Now she was standing with the rest of team BLU in the resupply lockers at the Well, waiting for the Arena battle to start. A grown man had just given her a sniper rifle, so this was not going to end well. “By the way Mr. Sniper, I never got to ask you. What are these empty jars for?” She asked. Blue Sniper looked down at her. “Well mate, as a Sniper, you’re going to be camping out for a bloody long time. If you ever need to use the bathroom, you use those jars. And then, later on, you can throw them at enemies to deal mini-crits!” He replied. Great, so now blood isn’t the only thing that’s going to be spilled all over the battlefield. That’s just lovely. Twilight turned toward Rainbow Dash. “How are you doing over there?” She saw Rainbow Dash jogging in place next to Blue Scout, holding a scattergun and looking happier than when she performed her first Sonic Rainboom. “Are you kidding? This is the best thing to ever happen to me! I’m going to have so much fun blowing dudes’ heads off with this gun!” Rainbow Dash eagerly replied. Twilight turned toward Applejack, who seemed to be getting a long explanation lecture from the Blue Engineer. “Everything going good for you so far?” She asked. Applejack glanced over at her. “Oh, just a minute sugarcube. I’m trying to understand what this nice man is telling me.” There were a lot of ups and downs to being an Engineer, so Blue Engineer was trying everything he could to make Applejack understand the concept of sentry guns and dispensers. Lastly, Twilight turned to Spike. She couldn’t exactly see his face, because it was covered with an army helmet that looked like a big iron bowl. She also never thought she’d get a view of the baby dragon holding a rocket launcher. “Are you sure you can handle this, Spike?” Spike pushed the helmet up a little bit so he could see Twilight’s face. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, if we respawn, it can’t be that bad, can it?” … Blue Soldier turned toward them. “Actually, there’ll be no instant respawning in Arena Mode. Everyone who dies stays dead until the round is over.” “…We do respawn though, right?” Spike asked. “Yes, after the round.” Blue Soldier replied. … Suddenly, a woman’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Mission begins in ten seconds.” Twilight and her three friends tensed up, ready for battle. The other standard team BLU members let out battle cries. “5…4…3…2…1……FIGHT!” The woman on the loudspeaker announced. The main doors to the resupply room opened, and everyone on both teams ran out into the open battlefield. ……………………………………… Playing with Danger .................................................... The first thing Twilight did was look for Blue Sniper. When she found him standing not far from resupply, she heard him tell her to follow him. So that’s just what she did. Blue Sniper led her to a spot that got a perfect view of the action, but was secluded enough so they won’t get noticed. At least she hoped. After she got into position and knelt down, she put the scope of the rifle up to her eye. What she saw was a magnified view of the battlefield many yards away. A crosshair centered the rifle’s target. “Okay mate, now I want you to…” … Twilight waited patiently for Blue Sniper to finish his sentence. After a few seconds, when she still didn’t hear anything, she looked away from the scope to see his limp body lying dead on the ground. A bullet hole was clearly visible in his forehead, and blood leaked out of it. Apparently the Blue Sniper just got sniped. Once Twilight remembered that you don’t respawn in Arena Mode, she began to panic for a second. “Okay, calm down. He’ll come back after the round. Just focus on doing my job.” She whispered. She put her eye back up to the scope. In the crosshair, she noticed the Red Sniper standing off in a far corner on the other side of the battlefield. “He must’ve been the one that sniped the Blue Sniper…” She thought. She breathed slowly, and took steady aim. When she got the center of the crosshair steadily locked onto Red Sniper’s head, she pulled the trigger. Suddenly, in her view, she saw Red Sniper’s head explode in a fine mist of red that sailed through the air for a solid five feet. She had killed him, and now he wouldn’t respawn until the end of the round. … She breathed again. “That’s one down…” Suddenly, she felt a white-hot pain shoot up through her spine and all over her body. Right before she could scream at the sudden sensation of pain, she fell forward, dead in a matter of seconds. Shortly after, Rarity appeared behind her from thin air, wearing a red suit and mask. She casually removed the blade from Twilight’s back. “My my darling, you’re going to have to be quicker than that.” Rarity chuckled, disappearing into an invisible state once again. ………………………………………… Big Mac was finally beginning to get the hang of using the big heavy minigun that he possessed. Although it was extremely oversized and overweight, he felt that he was the only one of his team besides the other Heavy that could handle it. He ran as fast as he could without dropping the minigun into the center building. He figured that’s where the most players were, so he’d have more targets to shoot. He entered the main doors, and turned a corner, and started getting peppered with bullets and rockets from a blue sentry gun. He noticed Applejack standing next to it, wearing a hardhat and a pair of overalls. He also noticed her laughing. He quickly hid behind the corner in which he had entered, breathing heavily. If he got hit with one more bullet, he’d surely be out of the round. “Yeehaw! I bet those bullets sting, don’t they brother?” He heard Applejack taunt. He grunted angrily under his breath. Soon after, he heard Applejack cry out in pain, and then the sound of a thud on the ground. Confused, he stepped back into the main building to see what it came from. He saw Applejack lying dead on the ground with a knife in her back. Red Spy stood behind her, destroying the sentry gun with an Electro Sapper. Once his work was done, he glanced up at Big Mac, and disappeared. … Before Big Mac could do anything else, he was shot hard through his hip by a scattergun bullet. He took the shot like a colt, and didn’t even cry out. He just fell to the ground, and dropped the minigun. Rainbow Dash, the firer of the bullet that killed off the brunt farmer, howled like a hyena. “Yeah, take that farmboy!” She yelled. ……………………………………… Unfortunately, team RED’s only professional Medic was killed a few seconds prior by Blue Soldier’s rocket launcher. Now, team RED’s entire healing force relied on Fluttershy alone. She stood awkwardly next to the resupply locker, quivering in fear, holding a syringe gun that she didn’t plan on using. That’s how she spent most of the round so far. Suddenly, she heard that strange woman announce something over the loudspeaker. “Alert! The Control Point is now available for capture!” She didn’t exactly know what a Control Point was, but it didn’t matter at the moment. She heard a voice calling for a Medic. She pulled out The Vaccinator, a special medi-gun that had been granted to her by the Red Medic. Hunting out the voice, she spotted Red Soldier, who appeared to be in need of help. She quickly flew over to him, and pulled the lever on The Vaccinator. A steady stream of red smoke was emitted from the tool, focusing on Red Soldier. Immediately, his wounds seemed to disappear, and he was back on his feet like nothing had happened. “You deserve a medal, doc!” Red Soldier exclaimed. Fluttershy smiled at his compliment. “Now come on, follow me!” He added. Red Soldier ran off toward the center building, with Fluttershy overhealing him from behind. … By the time they had actually reached the building, two of Fluttershy’s four Ubercharges were ready for use. “Um…I’m fully charged, if you want to…” She began. “I’m ready! Charge me, doc!” Red Soldier exclaimed. Fluttershy pulled the lever on her power pack, and both of them began to glow very bright red. Miniature bolts of red lightning flew off of both her and Red Soldier as they stormed the main building, killing off a barrage of BLU fighters with rockets before they could capture the Control Point. “Whoa! Fluttershy, how are you doing that?!” Rainbow Dash asked. She got out her scattergun, and started desperately shooting at both of them, with no effect. While this was going on, she quickly flew back and forth, dodging all of Red Soldier’s rockets. … Right when Red Soldier had to reload, Fluttershy’s Ubercharge had run out. However, Rainbow Dash also had to reload at that exact moment. Red Soldier had finished reloading right before Rainbow Dash, because he had less ammo to put in his launcher. He shot a rocket at Rainbow Dash, which hit her directly in the gut, blowing her to pieces. Blood flew in all directions, pelting Fluttershy and Red Soldier. “Thanks for the aid, doc! But we still have one more to kill…” Red Soldier said. “Are we the only ones left on team RED?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes. But there’s only one fighter left on team BLU, and I think we can take them. Are you ready?” Fluttershy’s recent Ubercharge had pumped her up. She had never felt so confident in her life. “I’m ready.” She replied. … Red Soldier ran for the Control Point with Fluttershy overhealing him in the meantime. The Control Point activated, and steadily began to turn red. “Come on…come on…almost there…” Suddenly, Red Soldier was headshot by an Ambassador bullet. He cried out, and fell to the ground. Fluttershy gasped loudly, and tried to heal him back to life, with no avail. The Control Point was still turning red, and had seconds to go before team RED won the Arena battle. However, Fluttershy’s confidence had completely vanished. A Spy was among her, and she needed to stay alive for just a few more seconds if her team was going to win the battle. She began to quiver violently again, and made little yelping noises out of pure terror. She pulled out her syringe gun, and aimed it at thin air, hoping to kill anyone who walked into its range. Suddenly, she was assaulted by a paralyzing pain that surged through all of her veins. She yelped loudly, and collapsed to the ground. … Blue Spy, who was standing behind her, removed the blade from her back, and brushed his shoulders. “What a shame. You got blood on my suit.” He mumbled. ……………………………………… Everyone on the battle field instantly respawned in their resupply lockers. The woman on the loudspeaker announced, “Victory goes to team BLU!” Everyone from team BLU and team RED walked out of their resupply lockers toward the main building where Blue Spy had made the final kill. Even Fluttershy respawned, and got a glimpse of her dead body. Team BLU lined up on one side of the building, while team RED lined up on the other side. Blue Spy, who got the final kill, got to begin with the choices for team BLU. “As the winners of the first Arena battle, I would like to begin our choices for team BLU’s recruits during the Badlands Control Points battle.” Blue Spy announced. Everyone in the building nodded. “To start, I would like Ms. Rarity to fight as Spy for team BLU. She has proven herself to be stealthy, cunning, and strategic during the battle that took place this evening.” Blue Spy ordered. Rarity, basking in the sunlight of the compliment that she had just received, walked over to the BLU side. Her red suit was to be changed over to blue for the next battle. … This procedure went on for the next ten minutes. All of the ponies kept their classes, but some moved teams. Team BLU now consists of Zecora, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Team RED now consists of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Big Mac, and Spike. “So now we meet tomorrow at the Badlands for a Control Points battle!” Red Soldier exclaimed. After everyone agreed, the two teams walked off in their own separate directions. To be Continued… Author's Note 2,200 words in one afternoon is a big deal for me! It took me FOREVER...... By the way, when the ponies are scrambled to each team after each battle, I determine who goes where by rolling dice. The orientations are completely random! Control Points ModeBattle Arena #2: Badlands (Control Points) By the time both teams got to the Badlands, Red Sniper had explained to Twilight how Control Points work. Five would be set up throughout the map. Two would belong to team BLU, and two would belong to team RED. One would be neutral. The teams’ most important Control Point would be locked until the previous one is captured. If a single team can advance across the map and take all of the Control Points, they win the round. Fortunately, there’s only a fifteen-second interval between respawns. “You got all that, mate?” Red Sniper asked. Twilight nodded. She looked around the resupply locker, and inspected her team. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash and Spike had switched teams with her, so they were still on her team. Applejack was replaced by Big Mac, and by the looks of the gun he was carrying, they’d probably be better off this way. Twilight kept telling herself over and over again to watch her own back during the round. After all, Rarity was still not on her team, and Snipers tended to be the number one target for backstabbing. Whenever she felt the time was right, she’d literally have to throw jars of her own piss at thin air, hoping to reveal a Spy. “This is just going to keep getting worse.” She muttered to herself. …………………………………… Over in team BLU’s resupply, Fluttershy was trying desperately to build her confidence for the Control Points battle. That knife from the previous battle burned like fire in her back, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to endure it again. “No hard feelings about my brutal assault on your back yesterday, right Ms. Fluttershy?” Blue Spy asked her. “Um…it’s fine, I guess.” She replied. She aimed her medi-gun at Blue Spy, and pulled the lever, giving him a quick overheal to start the battle. “I give my thanks, doctor.” Pinkie Pie came running up to Fluttershy, wielding her flamethrower. “Mmph! Mmm mmm MMM!” She yelled. “Oh, Pinkie Pie? I can’t hear you under your optical mask.” Fluttershy mentioned politely. Pinkie Pie lifted the optical mask, and spoke rather clearly in Fluttershy’s face. “Why can’t you overheal ME like that?” “Gosh Pinkie Pie, I didn’t know. You never asked. Besides…I’m kind of afraid of fire.” Fluttershy sheepishly responded. … Without saying a word, Pinkie Pie put her mask back on, and aimed the flamethrower at Fluttershy. She pulled the trigger, and a cloud of flames shot out of the weapon in terrifying amounts. Fluttershy squealed loudly, and covered her face with her medi-gun. However, she realized that the flames weren’t burning her. They collided with her body, but didn’t seem to make an impact. Pinkie stopped the flow of flames, and took her mask back off. “See silly, you can’t kill your own teammates!” She giggled. “Pinkie Pie, if you want to be overhealed so badly, please go ask Blue Medic. I want to overheal Blue Heavy so I can get a lot of points.” Fluttershy pleaded. “Thank you doctor!” Blue Heavy called, hearing their conversation. … Suddenly, the woman on the loudspeaker announced the ten-second warning. Everyone on both teams prepped for battle. Fluttershy ran over behind Blue Heavy, and began to overheal him with The Vaccinator. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” …………………………………. Playing with Danger …………………………………. Both teams let out battle cries, and marched out in pursuit of the first Control Point. The ones who stayed behind were the Spies and the Snipers. They had more important work to do. … Applejack knew that the first thing that would happen if she tried to get the Control Point was going to be bloody. So instead, she hunted out a spot near the Control Point that was out of the way, and got out her trusty wrench. “Okay y’all, I’m putting a dispenser right here!” She announced. Blue Scout gave her a thumbs-up as he ran by with his baseball bat. Close behind him was Blue Heavy, being healed by Fluttershy. As Applejack worked on the dispenser, Blue Engineer approached her location. “Mind if I take advantage of your dispenser?” He asked. “Be my guest.” Applejack answered. … Blue Engineer got out his wrench, and began to set up a defense mechanism. “Building a sentry!” He announced. Blue Engineer was working on a small, average sentry gun. In order to upgrade it to a rapid-fire, rocket-launching, Heavy-killing defense monstrosity, he would need more metal. That’s where Applejack’s dispenser came in. Not long after completing the dispenser, Applejack began to work on a sentry gun of her own. Both Engineers continued to work on sentry guns, getting more metal from Applejack’s dispenser. Soon, they were both fully upgraded. “Now what?” Applejack asked, wiping sweat from her forehead. “Now? Now we wait.” Blue Engineer replied with a smirk on his face. … Rainbow Dash and Red Scout ran onto the Control Point, scatterguns ablaze. Surprisingly, they managed to hold off team BLU’s defenses long enough to capture the first Control Point for team RED. They slapped a high-five, and began to run around the corner to the next Control Point. Suddenly, they were pumped so full of bullets and rockets from the Engineers’ sentry guns that they literally blew into pieces. Now it was Blue Engineer’s and Applejack’s turn to slap a high-five. ……………………………………… Spike ran out from team RED’s base toward the location of the newly-captured Control Point. He had to continuously keep pushing his helmet out of his face, because it would constantly droop down into his vision. He turned the corner that was just past the Control Point, and started getting hit with bullets from the two sentry guns. Noticing that he was being fired at, he quickly hid back around the corner. He thought for a second on what to do. Then he remembered what Red Soldier had told him earlier. He crouched, aimed the rocket launcher at his feet, and fired. He took slight damage, but was propelled high into the sky. From up here, he could clearly see the whole map. He quickly looked down to where the two sentry guns and the two Engineers were located, and fired again. It made a solid impact on Blue Engineer’s head, and blew everything up. Blue Engineer, Applejack, the two sentry guns, and the dispenser were destroyed. Spike fell back down to earth, landing firmly on his feet. He quickly reloaded his rocket launcher, and began to advance toward team BLU’s base. “Whoa, that was amazing!” He exclaimed. “Excellent work, soldier! Now our team can advance on team BLU!” Red Soldier added. He must’ve been right around the corner when Spike blew up the sentry guns. Spike smiled, and the two of them ran forward to the next Control Point. As they were running, Spike heard a noise behind him. He turned, and saw Twilight running up behind them. “Twilight, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be sniping?” He asked. “Yeah, but I had to take care of something first.” Twilight responded. She ran around behind Spike, and jammed a knife in his back. Spike gasped. The form of red-wearing Twilight was replaced by blue-wearing Rarity. “Sorry Spikey-Wikey, but I couldn’t let you take the Control Point.” She whispered in his ear. … Not long after Spike fell to the ground, Red Soldier noticed Rarity. “Spy! Attack!” He yelled. He fired a rocket at Rarity, and before she could cloak herself again, she was blown up by the impact. Using the temporary loss of the Spy as an advantage, Red Soldier quickly climbed the spiraled hill that led to team BLU’s first central Control Point. Aiming his rocket launcher, he was prepared to fight off anyone who got in his way. A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash came running around the corner. She began to climb the spiral hill, and joined Red Soldier in capturing the Control Point. Red Soldier shot Rainbow Dash with his rocket launcher. It blew up on contact with Rainbow Dash’s body, but nothing happened. “Hey man, what are you doing?” She asked. “Just checking for Spies.” Red Soldier replied. … As the Control Point began to turn red, the duo heard a clattering noise. Before they could distinguish what it was coming from, they were blown sky-high by the bombs that were strategically placed beneath them. Zecora appeared from a secluded corner, holding her bomb launcher. “If you had checked your feet, you wouldn’t have become dead meat.” She smirked. She launched some sticky bombs up onto the Control Point, and hid back in her corner. ……………………………………… After spending a long time in her camping location, Twilight decided that she would have to move if she was going to get any kills. She had already managed to fill up three jars, and had no one to throw them at. She was also getting strained from sitting in one position for too long. She packed up her three jars and her sniper rifle, and left the battlements that she had been sitting on for the entire battle so far. … Believe it or not, a more cozy second set of battlements was waiting for her right next to the neutral Control Point. Except when she looked at it, it appeared to have been taken over by her team. She set up her rifle in one of the windows, and put her eye up to the scope. When she looked around, she saw Blue Heavy pummeling through her teammates with his minigun’s rapid-fire. “Well we can’t have that, now can we?” She whispered to herself. She took steady aim, getting the crosshair fixed onto Blue Heavy’s head. When she felt that it was in the right position, she pulled the trigger. She saw blood fly out of Blue Heavy’s head, and she heard him cry out a little. She had headshot him. However, he was still alive. “What the…? How is that possible?” She exclaimed. She looked back through the scope. When she took a closer look, as Blue Heavy advanced onto team RED’s Control Point, she saw Fluttershy healing him from close behind. “Oh, Fluttershy. I’m sorry I have to do this.” She aimed the crosshair at Fluttershy’s head. When the lines matched up, Twilight pulled the trigger. However, right when she did so, Fluttershy moved forward a little. … As Fluttershy followed and healed Blue Heavy, she heard something whip by her ear. She smacked her ear, thinking it was a bug. Not long after, she heard another whip. “Um, Heavy? I think I’m being shot at.” Fluttershy mentioned quietly. Her voice sounded as if she was about to throw up. Very panicked, and barely able to stay choked down. “Get behind me, doctor!” Blue Heavy commanded. Fluttershy did as she was told. Right then, her Ubercharge was ready to go. “Charge me!” Blue Heavy exclaimed. Right before Fluttershy pulled the lever on her power pack, a bullet passed through her head, as well as Blue Heavy’s chest. They both yelped loudly, and collapsed to the ground. Blood poured out of their wounds. … Twilight cocked the rifle, put her eye back up to the scope, and smiled. “Two for one.” ……………………………………… Twilight’s brutal double kill allowed team RED enough time to capture team BLU’s first central Control Point. Only a couple fighters died from Zecora’s sticky-bomb defense. Since team RED only had one Control Point to go, they all advanced into team BLU’s base. The neutral Control Point zone was quiet. “Guess I’d better move inwards toward the action.” Twilight said to herself. … She packed up her stuff again, and turned to leave the battlement. However, the second she turned around, she saw Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway with her flamethrower. “Hey Twilight!” She exclaimed. Pinkie let loose on the flames, and after a brutal several seconds of screaming and writhing, Twilight burned alive. …………………………………… Big Mac intruded team BLU’s base, shooting his minigun like a madpony. In this desperate fit of rage, he managed to finish off team BLU’s Sniper, Spy, and Engineer. He even killed off Fluttershy and Rarity. Not long after his main intrusion, Red Medic had followed him in there, and began to overheal him. “Let’s capture zee Control Point and win zee round!” Red Medic exclaimed. He activated an Ubercharge that he had previously saved up, and the two of them became invincible. They walked onto the last Control Point, and it started to turn red. More RED reinforcements began to flood into the BLU base. However, by the time Red Medic’s and Big Mac’s Ubercharge had run out, Blue Medic had built one up. He overhealed Blue Heavy, and activated Ubercharge. Blue Heavy began to pepper team RED with bullets, and managed to kill almost everyone off. Meanwhile, the last Control Point had seconds to go before team RED won the battle. Red Medic hid behind Big Mac while continuing to heal him. Big Mac desperately kept firing his minigun, trying to hold off team BLU. Suddenly, his gun stopped firing. … “What’s wrong?” Red Medic asked. “I think I’m out of ammo!” Big Mac exclaimed in reply. The Blues’ Ubercharge had run out, but Blue Heavy was still firing. Big Mac began to take damage, and Red Medic’s healing would only go so far. Suddenly, a charged bullet passed through Blue Medic’s and Blue Heavy’s head. They collapsed to the ground, and dropped their weapons. Big Mac and Red Medic looked toward the direction of the bullet, and saw Twilight standing in the entrance to team BLU’s base with her rifle held up. She brought it to her mouth, and blew smoke from the nozzle. “Did I miss anything?” She asked. … Right then, the last Control Point was captured for team RED. They had won the battle. “Victory, team RED!” The woman on the loudspeaker announced. Everyone on team RED jumped around and cheered. Victory always felt good. …………………………………… After the battle, both teams lined up near the central Control Point, and began the second recruit exchange. Big Mac and Red Medic got to choose first for team RED, since they captured the last Control Point. The teams are now scrambled as follows. Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy are on team RED. Rainbow Dash, Zecora, Big Mac, and Pinkie Pie are on team BLU. … “And now, just as planned, we meet tomorrow at the Nucleus for a King of the Hill battle!” Red Soldier announced. The teams agreed on the terms, and walked off in separate directions. “King of the Hill! That sounds like fun.” Rainbow Dash thought to herself. To be Continued… Author's Note I had to go to church today, so this might've been a little rushed. After doing all the game modes, I plan on making this story go out with a bang! Who's up for Mann vs. Machine? King of the Hill ModeBattle Arena #3: Nucleus (King of the Hill) “So, you have to capture a Control Point, and hang on to it for a few minutes without the other team taking it over?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yeah, that’s it. When you’re a Scout, it’s quick and easy!” Blue Scout answered. After saying this, Blue Scout reached around in his seemingly-bottomless pocket, and pulled out a strange red and yellow soda can. In large red letters, the word ‘BONK!’ was imprinted on the side. “Um…are you sure that stuff is safe?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It’s Atomic Punch. Do you want a can?” Blue Scout replied. “Sure, I guess.” … Blue Scout handed the beverage to Rainbow Dash. She examined it closely. “Make sure you use that only when the time is right. It’s just as important to us Scouts as the Sandvich is to Heavies.” Blue Scout added. Rainbow Dash had seen a Heavy eating a Sandvich in the last round. The results were catastrophic for the other team. She smiled evilly, and gripped the can in her hoof. “I promise I’ll make excellent use of this.” …………………………… Meanwhile, in the other resupply, Rarity practiced flicking her butterfly knife out of the shaft. It made a loud metallic clanking noise when she did so, and she was worried that it might give her away. Red Spy noticed her concerns by the look on her face. He walked over to her. “If you want to stay hidden, I suggest you use this.” He said. Rarity glanced over at him as he handed her a large icicle. She took it very carefully, hoping not to break it. “Am I supposed to use this as a knife?” She asked, dismayed. “I assure you that if you do, the results will please you. Try it during the battle if you wish.” Red Spy explained. … Rarity shrugged, and pocketed the icicle. “Okay, if you insist.” “However, I must warn you. Try to stay away from that pink poofy friend of yours. Her flamethrower could spell disaster for your new weapon.” Red Spy added. … Without a ten-second warning, the woman on the loudspeaker suddenly began the countdown. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” … The resupply lockers opened, and both teams ran out into the battlefield. The ponies were dumbfounded by the large, spinning nuclear generator that hung over the Control Point. …………………………………… Playing with Danger …………………………………… Rarity, who had rapidly gotten good at being quick as well as stealthy, was already cloaked and invisible by the time she had left her resupply locker. She sported the Cloak and Dagger, so as long as she stood still, she could lie deep undercover in the middle of team BLU’s side of the battlefield. … Running around the entire battlefield, Rarity made her way to the region of team BLU’s resupply locker. Along the way, she had to keep stopping in order to recharge the Cloak and Dagger. Once she had made it around, she stood still, and patiently waited right in front of team BLU’s locker. Other team BLU members walked in and out, going about their business without even noticing her. She even saw Zecora and Pinkie Pie exit the resupply locker. After waiting for about ten seconds, the woman on the loudspeaker began to count down again, much to Rarity’s confusion. “5…4…3…2…1…Point is now available for capture!” She exclaimed over the entire battlefield. The large nuclear generator began to lift upward, revealing a small compartment underneath it that contained the Control Point. A cluster of bridges began to extend, connecting the battlefield to the compartment. As of now, any team could capture the Control Point. … Rarity knew that capturing Control Points is not something Spies are good at, so she stuck around BLU’s resupply to eliminate anyone that might get in team RED’s way. Right then, Blue Sniper exited the resupply locker, and went around to a pile of boxes that sat a few feet in front of her. He hid behind them, and began sniping some of team RED’s fighters. Rarity saw Blue Sniper headshot Fluttershy with her own eyes. This angered her greatly. Rarity uncloaked, and was now visible to any BLU team member who would happen to turn her way. She slowly approached Blue Sniper, and pulled out the icicle that Red Spy had given her. She took a deep breath, and plunged the tip of the icicle into Blue Sniper’s back. He reached around and grasped the wound, but before he could make a sound, his entire body froze into a giant ice statue. Not a noise was made, so no BLU fighters noticed the kill she had just made. “Excellent…I like this thing.” She whispered as she recloaked. … Right then, team RED had captured the Control Point. BLU fighters began to pour into the area of the Point, trying to capture it for themselves. However, they were efficiently held off by Spike and Applejack’s sentry gun. A large timer counted down from three minutes above team RED’s resupply locker. Caught up with all the action from the Control Point, Rarity hadn’t noticed Pinkie Pie, who had walked around and accidentally run into her, making her slightly visible. “Hey, I think I found a Spy!” Pinkie exclaimed. Rarity turned around toward Pinkie Pie. Then she looked down at herself, and saw that her cloak had been ruptured. Pinkie Pie lowered her flamethrower, aiming it right at Rarity. Rarity’s eyes went wide, and she gasped. “Pinkie, wait! No!” Ignoring her plea, Pinkie Pie pulled the lever, and a large plume of flames shot out of her weapon, engulfing Rarity. Rarity screamed loudly, which echoed throughout the battlefield. Then she fell to the ground and deteriorated from the flames that ate at her skin, until there was no more. … Rainbow Dash came running around the corner, following the sound of the scream that had just pierced her eardrums. She found Pinkie Pie standing over Rarity’s burning corpse outside of their resupply locker. “Hey Pinkie, nice job!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She held up her hoof, and they slapped a high five. ………………………………… Meanwhile, Twilight was standing in a similar spot as Blue Sniper was, right behind a few boxes that stood outside team RED’s locker. Snipers were also not good at capturing Control Points, so she left that job to the Soldiers, Scouts and Heavies. She noticed that Zecora and Blue Demoman were beginning to take over the Control Point as they armed it with sticky bombs. Taking steady aim, Twilight lined the crosshair with Blue Demoman’s head, and pulled the trigger. Right as the bullet left her rifle, Zecora moved in behind Blue Demoman. It passed through Blue Demoman’s skull, and went through to Zecora’s, killing them both. Twilight reloaded and put her eye back up to the scope without saying a word. Just then, she heard a suspicious noise. She put the rifle down, picked up a jar, and threw it behind her within a couple seconds. The jar broke when it hit the ground, and a splash of her ‘jarate’ flew into the air. Some of it settled, and dripped down an invisible silhouette. She had revealed a Spy. Blue Spy cried out in surprise as Twilight drove her kukri into him, finishing him off with a mini-crit. … She rolled her eyes, turned around, and continued to snipe. In the scope, she noticed Rainbow Dash. Right at that time, Rainbow Dash had noticed her as well. Twilight followed Rainbow Dash in the scope as she ran around the side of the battlefield, approaching her location. She got out another jar, and was prepared for the worst. Just before Rainbow Dash had gotten to Twilight, however, Fluttershy had noticed the commotion, and had walked around to Twilight with her Ubercharge ready. As Rainbow Dash raised her bat, ready to strike, Twilight and Fluttershy were engulfed in a vicious, familiar red glow. … Remembering the Ubercharge from the Arena battle, Rainbow Dash gasped, turned around in one step, and ran the other way. Going back to her scope, Twilight followed Rainbow Dash as closely as she could. When she thought Rainbow Dash lined up with the crosshair, she pulled the trigger. Rainbow Dash cried out in agony as a bullet suddenly entered her abdomen. She collapsed to the ground while in mid-dash, sliding forward for a few seconds while tracing blood. Then, she bled out. … Twilight removed her eye from the scope. “Oh, would you look at that! I got you right in the ovaries.” She exclaimed. Fluttershy chuckled. ………………………………… A few moments later, Rainbow Dash respawned in team BLU’s resupply locker. A large, angry frown was spread across her face. Just because she was dead didn’t mean she couldn’t hear Twilight’s taunt. “The ovaries, huh? We’ll see about that.” She grumbled. Seconds later, she heard loud laughter coming from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Blue Medic laughing at her. “You got shot in zee ovaries? Oh, zat is rich!” He laughed. … Without saying anything, Rainbow Dash walked up to Blue Medic, and whacked him upside the head with her baseball bat. After that, she walked over to Blue Sniper, swiped his jar of jarate, and threw it in Blue Medic’s face. … Running back out of resupply, Rainbow Dash once again headed straight for Twilight to get revenge. She noticed that Twilight had begun to scope her, and she knew she would get shot in a few moments. She got out her can of Atomic Punch, and quickly drank it down. Suddenly, her speed and strength were increased ten-fold. Running almost as fast as a cheetah, Rainbow Dash zipped over to Twilight’s location like a blurred streak. Twilight got out her SMG, and began to rapid-fire at Rainbow Dash. Every single bullet seemed to go right through her as she dodged them faster than a vibration. “Hold still!” Twilight grunted. Ignoring her, Rainbow Dash got out her baseball bat, and started whacking Twilight like an Engineer with his wrench. It didn’t take long for Twilight to be crumpled like trash paper, with broken bones covering her body. Before Twilight could choke out a noise, Rainbow Dash finished her off with her scattergun. … “The ovaries, huh? How about next time I shove my baseball bat right up your ass?!” Rainbow Dash yelled. ………………………………. Just after Twilight had respawned, team RED had won the battle. Sadly, team BLU never got the Control Point. “Victory team RED!” Came the announcement. Rainbow Dash noticed that all of her weapons had suddenly stopped working. Likewise, all of team RED’s weapons were glowing with energy, as they were all crit-boosted. … Twilight left resupply, and noticed Rainbow Dash standing off to the side with her hooves over her head. She strolled over to her, and beat her down with her kukri, enjoying the sounds of her scream. Once Rainbow Dash was dead, Twilight kicked her corpse into the large pit like a piece of leftover trash. After a few seconds, a splat was heard as the corpse hit bottom. “Revenge is better served cold, bitch!” Twilight yelled down at it. Red Soldier, who had been standing not far away, heard Twilight’s outburst. “Whoa, calm down, private. This is a respectful war we’re running here.” He ordered. Twilight didn’t care. It took a lot to upset her, but Rainbow Dash had really gotten on her last nerve. …………………………………. Since team RED had won the battle, they got to keep all of their recruits. No one changed teams after this battle. As both teams lined up to agree on battle terms, they noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash staring at each other, nostrils flaring. “Are you okay, mate?” Red Sniper asked Twilight. Twilight shook her head. “That little twerp is pissing me off. I’m going to end her.” Red Sniper shrugged. “We get that kind of hatred around here a lot. Use that anger to your advantage.” … “Yo Skittles, how are you doing?” Blue Scout whispered to Rainbow Dash. “Badly. I’m going to kill that egghead if it’s the last thing I do.” Rainbow Dash angrily replied through clenched teeth. … During the incident, the teams had agreed on meeting at the mountain of Upward for a Payload battle. After this agreement, they walked off in separate directions. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were still on opposing teams. A bomb had just been set, and both teams were silently waiting for its detonation. To be Continued… Author's Note Thought I should spice it up a little bit. Hope you enjoyed. :) Payload ModeBattle Arena #4: Upward (Payload) Early the next morning, all nine of the recruits were woken by their respective classes. None of them were happy about this. … “Yo Skittles, it’s time to get up!” Blue Scout exclaimed, tapping on Rainbow Dash with his baseball bat. Rainbow Dash swiped at him with her hoof, and reluctantly sat up. She yawned, and rubbed her head. “Come on man, I thought battles didn’t usually start until mid-afternoon.” She muttered. “Yeah, but this one’s different. A big storm is heading for Upward Mountain, so we got strict orders to start battle in the morning.” Blue Scout responded. “Strict orders? From who? I don’t take orders from anypony.” Rainbow Dash asked. “You know that crazy lady who always yells crap over the intercom? She’s our boss. No one knows her name, or has seen her face. She’s more mysterious than those backstabbing Spies.” Blue Scout answered. “And by the way, the word is pronounced ‘anybody’, not ‘anypony’.” “Anybody? That sounds weird.” ……………………………………… “So what do we do in Payload?” Fluttershy asked Red Medic shortly after being woken from a peaceful slumber. “Team BLU tries to getz a bomb to our base, and vee try to stop zem. Just follow my lead, and you should be okay.” Red Medic explained. During Red Medic’s explanation, Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice Red Demoman gulping down a large bottle of Scottish rum. She just hoped they weren’t having Zecora do the same thing. ……………………………… “Rise and shine, mate. We got big job to do today.” Red Sniper whispered. He nudged Twilight a couple times. “Ugh……five more minutes…” She mumbled. “No time for that, mate. Once we get everyone up and moving, we’re off to the resupply lockers. Are you ready to kill that rainbow-headed mate of yours?” “Why do you keep saying ‘mate’? Rainbow Dash and I are just friends.” “You don’t seem like friends to me. You two were at each other’s necks at the end of that battle yesterday.” “I hope she’ll learn to understand. After all, none of this killing is personal.” Twilight mentioned. “That’s a good point. Between you and me, I think Blue Medic and Red Heavy are gay for each other.” Red Sniper whispered. Twilight stared at Red Sniper with a confused look on her face. “What makes you think that?” “Think about it, mate. All of this battling that you’ve been doing is our entire lives. We’re not allowed to leave, change teams, nor have truces or anything. Every day, we kill, kill, and kill some more. It gets lonely sometimes.” Red Sniper explained. “Sounds tough.” Twilight responded. “And on top of that, you ponies are the only females we’ve ever came in contact with all our lives. Can you really blame Blue Medic and Red Heavy?” “No…I guess not. You see, the world we come from is just the opposite of yours. It’s all centered on friendship and harmony. In fact, yesterday was the first time Rainbow Dash ever snapped at me like that.” “A world like this can change you, mate. You just have to know how to use the hardships to your advantage. In about a week, the nine of you will be forced to fight off an almost-unstoppable menace by yourselves as a team.” Red Sniper explained. “An unstoppable menace? What do you mean?” Twilight anxiously asked. … “Mission begins in sixty seconds! Team BLU, report to your resupply locker!” The announcer exclaimed. … “I can’t tell you now. All I can say is that you eventually have to put your differences aside and learn to fight together. If you manage to do this, you will truly have the power to defend Mann Co. with a hoof tied behind your back. We will all be counting on you.” Red Sniper informed. After saying this, he headed for the BLU resupply locker to prepare for battle. Twilight nervously followed. …………………………………… Once she had arrived with Red Sniper, she met up with Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. All the other standard classes were there too, standing outside team BLU’s resupply locker in wait. Red Demoman armed the entrances with sticky bombs, while Applejack and Red Engineer built sentry guns around the base. Fighters from team BLU peered outside the doors and saw all the preparations being done. “Why are we allowed to walk around before battle while they have to stay in their resupply locker?” Spike asked Red Soldier. Red Soldier pointed to the cart sitting on the track that contained the bomb. “You see that cart there? It has a bomb in it, and our job is to prevent team BLU from pushing it to our base. We’re allowed just over a minute to prepare our defenses before team BLU is allowed to leave.” Red Soldier explained. Spike gazed up the mountain at the massive RED base that sat at the top. “This should be easy! How are they going to get this cart all the way up the mountain?” Spike smirked. “They have two Heavies, and two Scouts. They happen to be really good at pushing carts.” Red Soldier countered. Spike peered into team BLU’s locker, and saw Big Mac and Rainbow Dash talking to Blue Heavy and Blue Scout. “Oh…” … Suddenly, the announcer started the countdown. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” … Team BLU’s locker doors opened, and they ran out in pursuit of team RED’s defenses. Several of them were blown up immediately by Red Demoman’s sticky bombs. …………………………………… Playing with Danger …………………………………… Right as the battle started, Applejack’s sentry gun began to get peppered by Blue Heavy. She squatted behind it, and rapidly smacked it with her wrench to keep it intact as it shot back at him. Eventually, Applejack’s sentry gun won the battle. However, she was out of metal. Looking around, she saw that Red Engineer had built a dispenser on the other side of the base. She began to run over to it with all her might. Barely missing being shot by several rockets and rapid-fire bullets, she made her way to the other side, where her supplies were regenerated. However, when she turned around, she spotted Blue Spy disabling her sentry gun with an Electro Sapper. “Hey, you stupid Spy! Get away from my sentry gun!” She exclaimed. She pulled out her pistol, and fired it rapidly at the Spy. The Spy looked up, and gasped. Suddenly, he used his cloak, and was out of her sight. Ignoring the Spy for now, Applejack ran back toward her sentry gun as fast as she could. Just before she could get her wrench back out to make repairs, it was too late. The sentry gun exploded. Shielding her face from flying pieces of twisted metal, Applejack groaned. “What a great way to start a battle……” … Right then, she suddenly collapsed to the ground without making a noise. Blue Spy, who had reappeared just moments ago, removed his special knife from her back. He was disguised as her within seconds. “Why can’t every Spy have the privilege of using Your Eternal Reward?” He smirked. …………………………………… Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Blue Scout had begun to push the bomb cart with all their might. “Come on Skittles, push! We need to get this bomb to the hatch!” Blue Scout grunted. “Hey, I’m trying my hardest!” Rainbow Dash replied. … “Alert! Five minutes left in the mission! Five minutes left in the mission!” The announcer exclaimed. … “This is impossible! How are we going to get this thing up the mountain in five minutes?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Just keep pushing, and you’ll find out how!” Blue Scout answered. Right then, he was killed by Red Engineer’s sentry gun. … “Hey, I need a little help pushing the cart here!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Heeding her call, Blue Soldier, Big Mac, and Pinkie Pie ran over to help her out. With four fighters pushing, the cart began to move much faster. …………………………………. Twilight, who had been standing on a ledge a little further back, was approached by Red Sniper. “We need to keep them from getting the cart any further!” He exclaimed. “No dip, Sherlock. Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do this whole time?” Twilight annoyingly replied. “No mate, you don’t understand. If that cart passes our first checkpoint, the enemies receive an extra five minutes!” He explained. “Oh…well okay then.” … “Oh, and by the way…” Red Sniper added. He walked up to Twilight, and plunged a knife in her back. Without screaming, Twilight fell to the ground. The appearance of Red Sniper was replaced by the appearance of Twilight. “As you could see by looking at me, I murdered your filthy friend quite a while ago.” Blue Spy said. … Spike ran up to him. “Twilight, we have a problem. If they get the bomb to the checkpoint, they receive extra time!” “Hmm……that seems like a problem.” Blue Spy replied, playing along. “Hey, could you do me a favor?” “Um…yeah, sure.” Spike responded. “Could you please turn around?” “Uh…why?” “Just do it.” Spike reluctantly turned around, confused. Blue Spy gripped his knife, and sent it through the back of Spike’s war uniform. As Spike fell, Blue Spy took the appearance of him. … “What an idiot.” Blue Spy muttered, rolling his eyes. …………………………………… “The bomb is approaching a checkpoint! Stop them!” The announcer cried out. Fluttershy latched her Vaccinator beam onto Red Heavy as he advanced forward, assaulting the bomb-pushers with a barrage of bullets. For a while, team BLU’s fighters seemed to drop like flies. But right then, out of the wild blue, a sniper bullet whizzed by, piercing Fluttershy’s skull. She squealed, and fell to the ground. Blood leaked from her wound. Blue Sniper waved his hand in the air with a big smile on his face. “There ya go!” He exclaimed. … Red Heavy noticed the loss of his Medic, and turned toward Blue Sniper, sending bullets in his direction. However, before he could finish off Blue Sniper, he met the same fate as Fluttershy did moments ago. ………………………………. “The enemy has received additional time……” The announcer angrily confronted over the loudspeaker. The clock was now set for a little over nine minutes as the cart approached a small cave in the side of the mountain. This announcement was made just as Twilight had respawned in team RED’s resupply locker. This was hopeless! Everything her team tried just ended up foiled as the bomb advanced along the track toward their base. Destruction seemed inevitable. No. She had to move on. Keep fighting until the end. That’s what Red Sniper had taught her, and that is what was going to be necessary for whatever they would have to face later on. … With her determination re-fired, Twilight exited the resupply locker, and advanced toward the location of the bomb. ………………………………… Once she was in view of the bomb, she ducked down, and aimed the rifle toward the mob of BLU fighters who were pushing the cart in her direction. She wasn’t aiming at any specific target, so she fired in their general direction. Coincidentally, her bullet flew right into Rainbow Dash’s head, making her topple to the ground. The cart began to move significantly slower. “Oops, it appears I accidentally killed you again. Next time, try shooting first!” She exclaimed. Fluttershy ran by just then, giving Twilight an overheal on her way by. … As the cart loomed closer, Twilight switched to her SMG, and used it to rapid-fire at the remaining cart-assailants. As they began to notice her, she quickly threw a jar of jarate at them, covering all of them. Then she continued to shoot. Using this method, she efficiently killed off everyone who was currently pushing the cart. The cart stopped moving, and was lying stationary. … Red Sniper began to approach her. She glanced at him, and quickly began peppering him with bullets from her SMG. “Hey, what are you doing, mate?” He asked, confused. “Sorry. I thought you were a Spy.” She chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “Nah, it’s okay. I understand Blue Spy killed me earlier and probably looked like me.” … As Red Sniper continued on his normal business, Twilight spotted Rainbow Dash approaching the bomb. She took steady aim, put her eye to the scope, and fired. She missed her. As Rainbow Dash continued to get closer, Twilight pulled out her SMG, and began to fire. Rainbow Dash got out her baseball bat, ready to take out her unicorn nemesis. However, Twilight must’ve gotten lucky with her aim, because she ended up killing Rainbow Dash with her bullet spray. Twilight was now dominating Rainbow Dash. A symbol of two clashing fists would now appear above her head every time Rainbow Dash looked at her. Dominating! “Whoa…that was weird.” Before she could really think it over again, she was headshot by Blue Sniper. ………………………………. By the time most of team RED was on their feet again, team BLU had gotten the bomb out of the cave and past another checkpoint. The time was reset to nine minutes again. Blue Engineer barely had enough time to construct a sentry gun right next to the bomb. Now his team could push it along while being able to hold off team RED. Big Mac, Blue Heavy, and Blue Spy ran over to begin doing some nasty spawn-camping as Blue Engineer worked to upgrade his sentry gun. In the meantime, Rainbow Dash, Blue Scout, and Pinkie Pie pushed the cart along further. … Team BLU was mastering the concept of working together as a team. Without giving team RED a chance to defend, they had the cart along the next checkpoint, and were getting down to the last stretch of track before team RED’s base would be bombed. Since the bomb was further along now, fighters from team RED began to respawn in the final base instead of the resupply locker. Now that they appeared in a different area, they wouldn’t have to worry about being spawn-killed. Rarity ran out for some vain attempts at backstabbing, while Fluttershy ran around trying to patch up her team that was having trouble staying together. Twilight and Red Sniper hung back to kill from a distance. … Despite their team’s desperate attempts to keep the bomb away from the hatch, the kills kept wracking in, and the bomb grew ever closer. At one point, Red Sniper ran into the field to assist his team more directly. Twilight reluctantly hung back. Just as she put her eye up to the scope to make another kill, she was grabbed from behind. Her attacker spun her around, and gripped her tight by her collar. “So, you think this is funny?” Rainbow Dash growled through gritted teeth. “Grrgg……acckk……” Twilight choked. She grabbed at her collar with her hooves, trying desperately to loosen Rainbow Dash’s grip, as it was suffocating her. Rainbow Dash only tightened her grip, and lifted Twilight off the ground. She was now hanging by her collar. Twilight’s face started to turn blue. Her eyes rolled back in her head. “I am so sick of taking your crap. If we ever get out of this mess, don’t expect me to be your friend anymore. Screw the Elements of Harmony!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Still holding Twilight by her collar, Rainbow Dash walked over to the hatch, and shoved Twilight inside. Twilight fell down into the pit, and splatted on the bottom. Rainbow Dash had established a revenge kill. Revenge! … Right as this happened, Big Mac had pushed the cart over the edge of the hatch. It fell into the pit, and exploded in a dazzling array of smoke and fire as it hit bottom. Sparks, billows of smoke, and huge clouds of flame shot into the sky as team BLU had won the battle. ………………………………………. After the explosion, once all the fighters on both teams had respawned, they all lined up one side to another just as they always did. Since team BLU had won the battle, they would get the bigger half of the recruits. The new recruits were scrambled as follows. Zecora, Rarity, Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie are now on team BLU. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack are now on team RED. “The next battle will be Attack/Defend at the Gorge!” Red Soldier announced. The teams agreed on the terms, and walked off in separate directions. … Red Sniper sighed in exasperation. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were now on the same team. To be Continued… Author's Note Sorry about the late update. School's been really hard on me last week. Attack/Defend ModeBattle Arena #5: Gorge (Attack/Defend) Rainbow Dash stood as far away from Twilight as possible in team RED’s resupply locker as they waited for the next battle to begin. Twilight kept glancing over at her, only to see a look of annoyance and anger plastered on her face. Every time she saw this, she sighed. While this was going on, Red Soldier marched up in front of the group of RED fighters. “Alright men, team BLU is going to seize our base by capturing our two Control Points. All we have to do is prevent them from doing so for ten minutes, and victory is ours!” “Yeah!” They all shouted in reply. Red Soldier turned toward Rainbow Dash, who was standing away from the group. “Come on, private. We all stick together as a team!” “I will not fight alongside Twilight, and there is no way you can make me change my mind!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed defiantly. Red Soldier and the rest of team RED were taken back by this sudden rebellious response. “Oh no… Is not the time for little-babies to have little temper-tantrums!” Red Heavy groaned. “Yeah, mate. It’s either you fight on this team with my colleague, or we put you on spectate.” Red Sniper added. … “What in the hay does it mean to be on spectate?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It means to get taken out of the battle. You’ll be set to only watch the battle, and you won’t be able to fight. Once someone is put into spectate, we have no way to get them back out.” Red Spy explained. “Fine by me. It’s not like Scouts are good defenders anyway.” Red Engineer jeered. “Hey, feelings over here!” Red Scout exclaimed. … Finally, Rainbow Dash cut in. “Okay okay, fine! I’ll fight. Just keep me away from that piss-throwing freak!” “Well then… Bloody piker.” Red Sniper mumbled under his breath. …………………………… After team RED’s little group argument, their resupply doors opened. They were now permitted to run out into the battlefield to prepare their defenses for team BLU’s assault. “Mission begins in sixty seconds!” … Applejack and Red Engineer headed off to the sidelines to erect a few sentry guns. Fluttershy frantically scurried around, overhealing any nearby teammates as much as she could. Rainbow Dash bolted forward toward team BLU’s resupply, ready to take out as many fighters as she could once the alarm rang. Twilight sought out a secluded sniping location alongside Red Sniper. All the while, Zecora, Rarity, Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie waited in anticipation with the rest of their team in the BLU resupply locker. … Most of team BLU was pushing at the gates for freedom by the time the countdown had begun. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” … Team BLU busted out of their gates like a herd of hungry rhinos. Rainbow Dash began to shoot wildly at the advancing pack while running back and forth to avoid enemy fire, with little efficiency. She was quickly outnumbered, fourteen to one, and was killed almost instantly. Much to their demise. Secretly, Rainbow Dash’s plan was suicide at the hands of team BLU as a diversion to give Red Spy some cover. He had been hiding with the Cloak and Dagger in a corner, and was given the chance to crank out five backstabs before he was discovered. Now team RED was learning to fight with strategy. The battle was only just beginning. ……………………………………… Playing with Danger ……………………………………… After the massacre at the beginning of the battle, the remainder of team BLU’s forces advanced toward team RED’s first Control Point. A large chunk of them were killed by the strategically-placed sentry guns that lied on its other side. The only ones that remained were Blue Soldier and Zecora. They continued shooting what ammo they still had at a desperate attempt to hold back team RED. In the resulting crossfire, Applejack’s sentry gun was destroyed. Blue Soldier and Zecora stood back-to-back, firing explosives in both directions at team RED’s defenses. Right then, a charged rifle bullet whizzed by, piercing both of their skulls. They both collapsed to the ground. Twilight, the firer of the bullet, smirked to herself. “And Rainbow Dash says I’M the piss-throwing freak.” ……………………………… Team RED had only a moment to catch their breath before team BLU’s forces respawned and advanced toward the Control Point once again. Applejack and Red Engineer frantically worked together to construct another sentry gun. They had also built teleporters at the start of the battle so their team could get back to the scene of the action quickly after respawning. … As Red Engineer helped Applejack upgrade her sentry gun, he noticed that his teleporter had begun to take damage. He quickly sprinted over to it to make repairs, when he was suddenly backstabbed by Blue Spy. Red Sniper had noticed this occurrence through his scope from the distance, and flipped on his headset mic. “Hey, hard-hat recruit? Red Sniper here. Watch your back; we’ve got an enemy Spy!” “Got it, partner. Thanks for the warning!” Applejack responded over the speakers. … Red Sniper observed through the scope as Applejack stopped working, and pulled out a shotgun. When the Spy appeared behind her, she turned around, and shot him until he fell. Red Sniper smiled at the success as he prepared to return to sniping. However, right before he looked away, he noticed that the Spy had returned with the Dead Ringer. “Hey! Hard-hat! The Spy is behind you again!” He exclaimed in panic. Unfortunately, it was too late. The Spy had backstabbed Applejack, and sapped her sentry gun. … Red Sniper sighed, and took his eye from the scope. If only there was a way to counter Spies easier. If only… His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Rarity’s knife get jammed into his back. He fell to the ground, cursing on his way down. … Twilight heard what was going on, and noticed Rarity standing behind Red Sniper’s body. She gasped, and quickly threw a jar of jarate at her. The jar hit Rarity directly, and coated her in a thin layer of the yellow fluid. She gagged. “Oh Twilight, that is absolutely disgusting!” She whined. Twilight ran at her with her kukri, and smashed her with mini-crits until she fell. What was with all the Spies recently? Team BLU had more plans to back up their intrusion than Twilight had imagined. It was time to watch her back, because more Spies could pop in at any moment. ……………………………… While the Spy-uprising was occurring, the bigger brute fighters such as Big Mac, Blue Heavy, and Blue Soldier began to take over team RED’s first Control Point. Red Heavy and Red Soldier tried to stop them, with little efficiency. Spike soon came around, and began to assist in capturing the Point. Everyone who tried to stop them was headshot by Blue Sniper, who was standing slightly further back. With these offenses in order, team BLU eventually managed to capture the first Control Point. Now their job was to intrude the base and take over team RED’s last one. “Alert……the enemy has received additional time…” The announcer mumbled. ……………………………………… Just after the capture, the fighters who were standing on the Point began to advance in toward team RED’s base. However, they were soon fought off by a sentry gun that Applejack had rebuilt inside the base. They weren’t held off for long. The Spies had returned soon after, and were already on their way into the base without withholding the attention of team RED. In the meantime, Blue Scout and Pinkie Pie helped out with the front lines as team BLU steadily made their way in. … As Pinkie Pie jogged into the base behind Blue Scout, she noticed Red Scout coming up behind them. In defense, she opened fire on her flamethrower. Red Scout went up in flames, screaming as he did so. Pinkie noticed an invisible silhouette in the corner that also caught on fire. “Oh, hey Red Spy! You really need to find better hiding places, silly.” Pinkie giggled. She used her flamethrower to finish him off, and then continued into the base. ………………………………… RED forces held back near the final Control Point, ready for the second half of the invasion. After a few short minutes, BLU forces began to flood in, and the second bloodbath began. Fluttershy Ubercharged Red Heavy near the front lines, and a small mass of BLU fighters began to drop like flies. However, it wasn’t that easy. Just as the Ubercharge had run out, Rarity had stopped them both in their tracks with the Conniver’s Kunai. Both of their health supplies were absorbed into Rarity, massively overhealing her. “Quite better than the Spycicle, let me assure you.” She smirked, disappearing once again. … Team BLU’s plan was very well thought-out. Everything team RED tried had failed; team BLU always seemed to have their way around it. Twilight found a ledge off away from the battle that would be a good sniping location. She approached the spot, and kneeled down to assist her team. … Through the scope, she noticed Blue Heavy and Big Mac capturing the Control Point, while being assisted by Blue Medic. If her team ever tried to provoke them, they would surely end up killed. It was up to her to headshot all three of them and assure victory for a precious few-more minutes. She breathed, and took steady aim on Blue Medic’s head. If she was going to stop them, she would have to first take out their Medic. … Just before she pulled the trigger, Rainbow Dash came running by, and ran right into her. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, fat-ass!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “What did you just call me?” Twilight jeered. “Fat-ass. How about next time, you don’t carelessly get into ponies’ way all the time? You could’ve killed me!” “Watch where I was going? I was kneeling down sniping this whole time! You’re the one who came barreling through here like an idiot!” “You think I give a flying feather, Chuckle-nuts?” “Well, Skittles, if you had half a brain in order to actually GIVE a flying feather, I think you probably should.” “Only Scout is allowed to call me Skittles, you useless egghead!” Rainbow Dash flared. With that statement, she gave Twilight a solid punch in the face. Once Twilight had returned from the daze, she returned the favor with her Kukri. Soon, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were head-to-head in a solid grudge-match. … The rest of team RED watched in horror as their two best fighters fought each other on the battlement. The distraction had ultimately won the battle for team BLU, who had been capturing the Control Point the entire time. “You’re a disgrace, team RED! Team BLU won the battle!” The announcer scolded. Team BLU jumped around and cheered while team RED buried their face in their hands. They lost because of a childish fight. …………………………………… Team BLU’s victory ensured that all the recruits would stay in their respective positions. Having Rainbow Dash and Twilight on the same team would be their downfall. … Once the teams had time to reunite for discussion, Twilight and Rainbow Dash got the scolding of a lifetime. “What the hell did you think you were doing?! This is war, privates, and we will not tolerate fighting during war! Wait……not amongst your own team is what I meant to say.” Red Soldier stuttered. “See what I mean? Little baby fighting is very bad for our team!” Red Heavy added. Red Engineer and Red Medic shook their heads. “It’s good to know zat vee have some recruits on our team zat vee can trust.” Red Medic stated, putting his hand on Fluttershy’s head. … “Follow me, mate. There’s something I need to talk to you about.” Red Sniper ordered, pointing to Twilight. Twilight, curious as to why Red Sniper wanted her, reluctantly followed him. … After they were gone, Red Scout laughed. “Oh man, good ol’ Sniper is finally going to get some head, am I right?” Red Soldier slapped him. “Get it together, Scout! You’re embarrassing all of us!” …………………………………. Once they had left, Red Sniper turned to Twilight. “You seriously need to stop fighting with your friend, mate.” “Yeah yeah, I know. It’s just that…” “No, you don’t understand. Remember that ‘near unstoppable force’ I told you about before the Payload battle?” Twilight nodded. “It’s bigger than you think. You and your eight friends will be forced to defend Mann Co. against an army of robots, by yourselves.” “Robots? Shouldn’t be too hard.” “These are not just your average, ‘pick up an object’ kind of robots. These things are hyper-engineered, and are geared for battle. And what’s worse, they possess your mimicked abilities, ten-fold.” “What do you mean by that?” … Red Sniper walked away, and came back a few minutes later with a folder. “The owner of Mann Co, our very own Saxton Hale, managed to swipe this top-secret information from Gray Gravel Co. I think you should look inside.” Twilight opened up the folder, and looked inside. Much to her surprise, a bunch of blueprints were tucked inside, along with a bunch of strikingly-relatable pictures. “W…What the heck is this?!” Twilight exclaimed in exasperation. “These are the metallic clones of you and your friends. They’ve been engineered to possess ten times of your matched abilities.” “Well, how are we supposed to beat them?” “That’s for you and your friends to decide. I will wish you luck, but for now, we should get some much-needed rest for tomorrow’s Special Delivery battle.” … With this, Red Sniper walked off, leaving Twilight to stare in anxiety. To be Continued… Author's Note Sorry about the late update again. Like I said before, school's being difficult on me with the end of the year coming up. Special Delivery ModeBattle Arena #6: Doomsday (Special Delivery) As time passed, Twilight found herself getting more and more affiliated with Red Sniper. He has been helping her out tremendously over the past few days, ranging from giving her little hints and tips to advising her on plain social skills in this world of warfare. She hated to admit it, but she didn’t really want to leave team RED. Sometimes between battles, she would have thoughts that she would quickly discard, due to their sheer magnitude. Thoughts about not leaving the Team Fortress 2 world. Regardless of all the blood and killing, there was no death. These eighteen men, even though they kill each other on a regular basis, seem to get along like a family. They’re all that they have. Twilight kind of wanted to be a part of that peace, without bearing the weight of the Elements of Harmony. ……………………………….. She was snapped out of her thoughts, however, when she saw Red Scout and Rainbow Dash bickering about her in a different corner. She rolled her eyes, and sighed. Red Sniper approached her. “Ah, forget about them, mate. At least you know you have me and your other friends to back you up.” He put his hand on Twilight’s shoulder. She looked up at him, and smiled. “Now what do you say we go kick some BLU ass?” He suggested. “Sounds like a plan!” Twilight responded. ……………………………………… “Okay Fluttershy, zee point of Special Delivery is to getz a briefcase called zee Australium to zee rocket warhead without letting zee other team do zee same. Scouts are usually zee best ones to do this, so I want you to heal them as much as you can.” Red Medic explained. “Okay, I will.” Fluttershy replied. Just as the countdown began, Red Medic and Fluttershy began to carry out their plan by overhealing Red Scout and Rainbow Dash. “Hey thanks, pally!” Red Scout exclaimed. … “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” The resupply locker doors opened, and both teams barreled out, heading straight for the location of the Australium. Sirens went off as the battle began. …………………………………. Playing with Danger …………………………………. “Gentlemen, today we make history!” The announcer rasped over the intercom. … Chaos erupted as both teams reached the drop site. The Australium sat on a plank at the bottom of both teams’ ledge, unable to be obtained for another thirty seconds. Shots rang out through the atmosphere as both teams fought for premature dominance. However, there seemed to be a troubling lack of Engineers at the drop site. Everyone else was present, but Blue Engineer, Red Engineer, and Applejack were not. “Where are our Engineers?” Rainbow Dash anxiously asked Red Scout. “Probably out near the rocket building sentry guns. Them hard-hats sure know how to stay prepared.” Red Scout answered. … “The Australium will be available for pickup in 3…2…1…” The announcer started. Immediately after, she had another announcement. “The enemy has picked up the Australium! Stop them!” Red Spy, answering the call, pursued the carrier of the Australium, determined to stop them with his knife. He turned a sewer corner, and saw the carrier. Before he could sneak up to establish a backstab, the carrier turned around, noticing him. To his surprise, Red Spy was greeted with Pinkie Pie’s face. “Oh crap! A Pyro! Time to retreat!” Were the thoughts that ran through Red Spy’s head at that very moment. “Wait monsieur, no!” He pleaded. Pinkie ignored him, opening fire on her deadly flamethrower. Red Spy cried out in agony, and fell to the ground as a burning crisp. At this point, Pinkie Pie was dominating him. Domination! Pinkie laughed. “Silly Spy, this is our Australium!” She laughed again. “Hey, that sounds funny! Australium, Australium, Australium, Australium……” She continued to babble that word over and over again as she trotted off, in pursuit of the rocket. She hadn’t noticed that Red Spy had reappeared in the sewer with the Dead Ringer moments later. His decoy cadaver continued to burn, yet he did not. “Sorry madam, but this is the end of the line for you.” He grumbled, following her toward the rocket. ………………………………. Pinkie Pie left the sewer, and was now out into the open battlefield. The Australium was beginning to get rather heavy on her back, making her walk rather slowly. Blue Medic noticed that she was carrying the Australium, and jumped down off of the ledge to assist her with his built-up Ubercharge. “I am fully charged, Pyro! Ready ven you are!” “Okey-dokey-lokey! Show me what you’ve got!” … A mere fraction of a second before Blue Medic pulled the trigger on his power pack, Red Spy sprinted forward and backstabbed him in a swift motion. Blue Medic barely got the word “Spy” out of his mouth before he fell silent on the ground. Red Spy then turned around and headshot Pinkie with the Ambassador before she could react. A spray of blood streamed out of her head as she fell, along with the Australium. “You see Pinkie; maniacs like you always have bad things happen to them when they play with fire. Also when you play around with me.” Red Spy taunted, throwing a cigarette onto her corpse. Revenge! “The enemy has dropped the Australium! Red Spy has earned the achievement: Dr. Nooooo!” The announcer exclaimed. ……………………………… Team BLU now had forty-five seconds to recover the Australium before it would once again become open to all teams. Applejack noticed it sitting around, and jogged over to it. She knelt down, and quickly built a disposable sentry gun to keep a temporary guard of the Australium before they would steal it at the drop site. She turned around, and noticed Red Engineer giving her a thumbs-up from his location at the rocket. She returned the favor. … Just as planned, anyone from team BLU who attempted to approach the Australium got shot to death by Applejack’s sentry gun. The long span of time between respawns left enough time for the Australium to return to the drop site, where Rainbow Dash hastily picked it up. “We have the Australium!” The announcer anxiously exclaimed. “That lady needs to find a hobby…” Rainbow Dash mumbled as she sprinted toward the rocket with the Australium on her back. She pulled out the Force a Nature, and prepared to inject bullets into anyone who got in her way. ……………………………… Red Spy had been stealthily slinking around in the meantime, managing to backstab and sap the buildings of Blue Engineer. This closed off a chunk of team BLU’s defense, allowing Rainbow Dash more clearance to reach the rocket. Using her speed as her main ally, she bolted to the lift that lied at the base of the rocket, and began to get elevated up to the rocket warhead. “We are on the lift!” The announcer interjected once again. … Red Heavy and Red Pyro leapt up onto the lift to assist Rainbow Dash in the delivery. At the same time, fighters from team BLU began to pour into the battlefield, led by Blue Heavy, Big Mac, Blue Pyro, and Pinkie Pie. Big Mac and Blue Heavy opened fire, mowing down the lift until Red Pyro fell. Red Heavy remained strong for a few more seconds, but was also eventually killed from the assault. Rainbow Dash’s speed allowed her to remain untouched. The lift continued to elevate. Loud sirens began to blare as Rainbow Dash was lifted ever higher toward the rocket warhead with the Australium. More BLU fighters desperately kept flooding into the battlefield to stop them, with little efficiency. … Twilight climbed the ramps off to the side to reach Rainbow Dash’s height. Once she was granted clearance, she leapt across the gap and onto the lift to assist Rainbow Dash in fending off the barrage of BLU fighters. The sirens blared with increasing volume and frequency, as the lift was seconds away from maximum height. “Hey, I don’t need your help, egghead!” Rainbow Dash defiantly exclaimed. Rainbow Dash stomped over to Twilight, and shoved her off the lift. She yelped as she toppled over the edge, and fell all the way to the bottom. She hit the ground hard on her back. An audible cracking noise could be heard from several of Twilight’s bones. Twilight writhed in agony on the ground, unable to breathe with the wind knocked out of her. She coughed up a small splash of blood. … Red Sniper noticed the incident from his sniping location a little further back. He gasped, and ran for Twilight’s aid as fast as he could. … Rainbow Dash laughed evilly as she witnessed Twilight’s excruciating impact on the unforgiving ground below. She continued to laugh as the lift reached maximum height. The rocket warhead opened, and Rainbow Dash secured the Australium inside. Once she had it strapped in, the rocket took off. “Yes! Team RED has delivered the Australium!” Much to all of the ponies’ surprise, the rocket made it about fifty feet into the air, and fell off to the side, crashing into and obliterating a nearby control tower. “Oh no… Gentlemen, this never happened.” The announcer stuttered. The massive explosion secured the victory for team RED. As the lift retreated back to its original position, many team RED fighters approached Rainbow Dash to cheer and congratulate her. They never noticed the dastardly deed that she had just performed. ……………………………… Team RED’s victory was the last thing on Red Sniper’s mind at that very moment. He knelt over Twilight’s broken body, and lifted her head up. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, and a stream of blood poured out of her mouth. “Medic! I need a Medic over here!” He cried out. Fluttershy heard his call, and came running over to him with her medi-gun ready. “Oh my, what happened to Twilight?” She asked. “It doesn’t matter now, just heal her!” Red Sniper demanded. … Fluttershy aimed the medi-gun at Twilight, and pulled the lever. A steady stream of red smoke was emitted from the instrument, focusing on Twilight’s body. Twilight’s wounds slowly began to vanish. Twilight sat up, and rubbed her head. “What just happened? Am I dead?” “Far from it, mate. I understand that you respawn in this world, but I couldn’t bear to see you suffer on your way down.” Red Sniper explained, smiling. … The rest of team RED stopped congratulating Rainbow Dash for a moment to see what was going on with Twilight. They all walked over to where she lied with Red Sniper and Fluttershy. “Gosh partner, what happened?” Red Engineer worriedly asked. “It was nothing, mate. Rainbow Dash pushed Twily off the lift right before we won the battle. She would’ve died, if it weren’t for Fluttershy. If it were me, I’d have hated to respawn after suffering pain like that!” Red Sniper explained. Twilight’s eyes widened. Did Red Sniper just call her ‘Twily’? Only her brother Shining Armor had ever called her that. Does he actually care about her? … At this news, all of team RED gave Rainbow Dash a dirty look. She smiled sheepishly. “Come on guys, at least I helped us win the battle!” She suggested. Red Heavy shook his head. “Once a little baby, always a little baby. You are not credit to team!” With this, he turned his back on Rainbow Dash, and walked off. The rest of team RED did the same. Rainbow Dash went from being praised to shunned in ten seconds flat. ……………………………… As team RED prepared to walk off the battlefield, they were stopped by Blue Soldier. “I don’t mean to interrupt or anything, but aren’t we going to scramble the teams?” He asked. … Team RED admitted to forgetting this. The teams lined up, and the trade began. To start, team RED selected Rarity to be on their team. Now it was team BLU’s turn. … Blue Sniper stepped forward. “Um…I’ll take Twilight.” He announced. Twilight reluctantly began to walk to the other side to join team BLU as instructed. However, she was stopped by Red Sniper before she could do so. “Hold on a second, mate! What if I want Twilight to stay on my team?” He defiantly ordered. “Well, I don’t think you get a choice, mate. I selected her, so she’s mine.” Blue Sniper objected. “Over my dead body.” With this, Red Sniper drew his Machina, and headshot Blue Sniper to the ground without saying anything else. Both teams watched in shock as Blue Sniper fell to Red Sniper’s knees. “There. Now she’s mine.” Red Sniper stated. On the outside, Twilight simply shrugged, and walked back to team RED’s side. On the inside, she was thrilled that Red Sniper actually killed someone to keep her on his team. Was she just valuable, or did Red Sniper actually have a liking for her? …………………………………… The team scramble continued. The teams are now oriented as follows: Twilight, Rarity, Big Mac, Zecora, and Spike are now on team RED. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy are now on team BLU. It was no surprise that team RED was quick to get rid of Rainbow Dash after what had happened earlier. … “Alright men, now we show up tomorrow at 2fort for a Capture the Flag battle!” Red Soldier announced. “And after that, our recruits are left to fight the robot army!” Blue Soldier added. The teams agreed on the terms, and walked off in their separate directions. … All of the ponies except Twilight were shocked and frightened by what Blue Soldier had said. Why weren’t they informed about having to fight by themselves to defend Mann Co? To be Continued… Author's Note I apologize; that was the best Doomsday image I could find. I decided to skip Payload Race mode, since it was too similar to regular Payload mode. I decided to save Capture the Flag for the last game mode, since it is my favorite! After this, the Mann vs Machine finale will commence! P.S. For my next 'Twilight's Experiments' story, I'm thinking about doing Mario Kart 7. Any other suggestions and/or comments? Capture the Flag ModeBattle Arena #7: 2fort (Capture the Flag) The first thing Twilight was thinking when the teams arrived at 2fort was how glad she was that Rainbow Dash was off her team. Ever since her joke about the ovaries at Nucleus, Rainbow Dash had been pounding at her angrily like a misguided serial-killer. Now that she was on the other team, she had the opportunity. Once again, Red Sniper approached her. “Isn’t this place beautiful? It’s my favorite map. It’s got the best battlements in all of our battle maps put together!” He sighed. “It’s also the oldest.” Twilight was fiddling with her hooves, looking down toward the floor. … “Hey mate, what’s got you down?” He asked worriedly. “It’s Rainbow Dash. Ever since I made that taunt at Nucleus, she’s hated me. How am I supposed to return to Equestria and the Elements of Harmony if she can’t stand me?” She paused for a moment, and sniffled. “We used to be great friends…” “Well, who said you had to go back?” Red Sniper suggested. “What? What are you talking about?” “I’m saying you don’t have to go back to your world. It sounds like you had a lot of responsibility there, being a hero of the world and all. Here, all you have to do is shoot people and piss in jars.” He said, chuckling at the gag. “But…I feel like if I stay, I’d be abandoning my friends in Equestria who need me. What if everypony needed the Elements of Harmony, and I wasn’t there to help?” “Mate, that’s in a whole different universe from where you are. With what little knowledge of physics I still have from high school, while you’re in a different universe, things carry on as they would in the old one. As far as I can tell, a copy of you should still be living in Equestria.” Red Sniper explained. … “But…are you sure? This place is totally different from Equestria, and I don’t know how it will affect everypony.” Twilight asked. “Well mate, think about it this way. Your other friends still like you. The rest of the team-members like you. And most importantly, I like you.” “You really do like me? Like a friend?” Red Sniper thought for a second. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” … Twilight looked confused. “What do you mean by that?” Red Sniper smiled. “You’ll find out in time. And I’m not just speaking for myself. Look around.” Twilight did a scan of the resupply locker. Scattered around the room, she saw her pony friends talking, laughing, and socializing with their respective classes. Even Rarity and Red Spy seemed to be having a good time. “Uh……okay. I’ll take your word for it.” Twilight reluctantly agreed. … Soon after their miniature conversation, the countdown began for the final battle before the inevitable demise that lied before Twilight and her friends. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” The resupply locker doors opened, and both teams charged out, ready for battle. The Snipers headed for the battlements, the Engineers went for the Intelligence rooms, and the other classes headed for the enemy base. Chaos erupted as they met at the bridge in the center. ………………………………… Playing with Danger ………………………………… If there were two people that Applejack trusted the most, it would be Red and Blue Engineer. And at this point, she only had to rely on Blue Engineer, hence being on his team this time around. As soon as they left the resupply locker, they headed straight for the room that contained their Intelligence. Blue Engineer was the one who actually started for said room; Applejack just decided to follow him. … Once they had arrived, Blue Engineer turned around to begin building. But when he did, he was surprised to see Applejack standing behind him. “Whoa partner, what are you doing here?” He asked. “Well, I just thought I’d follow ya. This seems like a smart place to build them sentry guns.” Applejack replied. “It most certainly is. However, I think it would benefit us even more if you would go build your sentry gun at our base’s sewer entrance. Spies, Scouts, and various other classes like to go that way.” Blue Engineer suggested. “Alrighty then.” … Applejack took her tool box, and jogged out the door. Blue Engineer set his tool box down, took out a sandwich, and got to work. The first thing he wanted to build was a dispenser. ……………………………….. Meanwhile, Applejack left the Intelligence room, and began to work her way through the base on her way to the sewers. Several times, her teammates would randomly shoot at her or whack her with knives, checking to see if she was a disguised Spy. That got old sometimes. … Applejack jogged down the hallway, past the main corridor, down the stairs, through the sewer pipe, and into the small secondary control room that connected their base to the outside hub. Applejack could faintly hear gunfire from down the sewer exit. She opened her tool box, and began working on a dispenser. Whenever she needed, she would use the small weapon box in the corner to resupply her metal. After working patiently for a few minutes, Applejack had a simple dispenser. She would upgrade it later, but for now, she had to get started on a sentry gun. Using small portions of metal that was periodically being supplied to her through her dispenser, Applejack worked on a level-one sentry gun. The machine rose out of its tool box, twisted around on its main axle, adjusted its head, extended its firing nozzle, and aimed into position. After a mere fifteen seconds, her defense weapon was ready. … Her next step was to upgrade her creations. She used her wrench to work on her dispenser and her sentry gun. After a few impatient minutes of sweaty work, Applejack had a fully-upgraded, rocket-firing, Heavy-killing, rather-beautiful pile of engineered steel known as Team BLU Defense Turret #2. Applejack stood back, sighed, and admired her hard work. Right then, Red Scout came charging through the sewer, and got blown to smithereens by the creation. “Now that…is a gun.” Applejack stated. ………………………………. Meanwhile, while Applejack built her arsenal in the BLU sewers, Spike was defensively shooting rockets from the BLU battlements. Blue Sniper was standing a few feet away, also taking advantage of the genius shelf. Fluttershy came running around the corner. Spike turned to her, and waved. “Hey, Spike. Are you doing okay up here?” She asked. “Yeah, I’m doing fine. I managed to blow up Zecora and Big Mac. Had a good laugh here and there.” He chuckled. Fluttershy chuckled a little as well. … “Hey, could you give me an overheal so I can rocket jump to the RED base?” Spike asked. “Um, I don’t think that’d be necessary. You seem to be doing fine. By the way, I meant to ask you something.” Fluttershy started. “Yeah?” “What were the plans for stopping team RED? Someone told me there’d be a game plan, but they never actually explained it to me.” “Oh, well Blue Soldier told me everything. It’s quite an awesome plan! In our sewers, we have Applejack building a sentry gun to keep out secret intruders. So the only real way into the base is across the main bridge. However, we strategically placed all of our brute classes, such as Blue Heavy and Blue Demoman at the front to keep them out that way as well. We’ve got our Spy hidden somewhere in our base to take out anyone who manages to get in. And if all else fails, we have Blue Engineer in the Intelligence room to keep someone from capturing it. It’s pretty good, if I do say so myself.” Spike explained. … Fluttershy rubbed her chin, and nodded. “That does sound like a pretty good plan. It’s weird how no one told me about it.” “Yeah, I know.” Spike turned around, and continued rocket-blasting. Fluttershy raised her knife, and stabbed Spike in the back. He fell forward, and plunged right off the battlements. Fluttershy instantly changed back into Rarity. “Thanks for the information, Spikey-Wikey!” She exclaimed. … Blue Sniper quickly took notice of the situation, and turned around. Rarity remembered that she had lost her disguise, and was displaying the color red to all of her enemies. “Hey bloody Spy, get back here!” Blue Sniper ordered. He whipped out his Kukri, and charged toward Rarity. Rarity gasped, and quickly cloaked out of sight. Blue Sniper rapidly smacked mid-air with his knife, trying desperately to disclose her location. When he couldn’t find her, he growled in frustration. “Stupid bloody RED Spies!” He yelled. Just after his angry outburst, he was sniped by Twilight. … Team BLU’s top-secret plan had just been revealed to all of team RED. At this point, it was either find a new plan, or inevitably lose. …………………………………… Rarity headed back to her own base as fast as she could. Before she could make it into the front entryway, her cloak ran out. She rapidly became visible to everybody on the map. Blue Spy quickly noticed her from the battlements. Without taking time to aim, he raised up his Ambassador, and pulled the trigger. … Just before Rarity made it into her base, a bullet whizzed by her ear faster than the speed of sound. She yelped, and covered her ear, checking to see if she was hit. Luckily, Blue Spy missed her by a hair. She sprinted into the base, grateful that she got away. Now her next step was to report her findings to the rest of her team. …………………………… Rarity made her way up the stairs, and onto the battlements. There, she found Twilight and Red Sniper lying down rather close to each other in front of the window. Their sniper rifles were pointed out toward the battlefield. “Excuse me, mister Red Sniper?” Rarity asked. Red Sniper pulled his eye from the scope, and turned to look at Rarity. Twilight did the same. “I understand you’re one of the few people on this team who possess a headset. I figured you knew how to broadcast information to whoever needs it, so I came to you.” “What is it, mate?” Red Sniper asked impatiently. “I have disclosed some top-secret information from Spike on team BLU. It’s information on team BLU’s entire game-plan.” She explained. Red Sniper smiled. “Excellent! Give me the details.” … Rarity took the time to explain to Red Sniper exactly what team BLU had in mind for keeping them out of the base. All the while, Twilight kept watch for any possible incoming attacks. By the time Rarity was done, Red Sniper was grinning wildly. “Great work, Spy! I’ll broadcast a counter-plan now!” … Red Sniper activated his headset, and adjusted the mouthpiece. He cleared his throat, and began. The words broadcasted through speakers scattered around the RED base, and only team RED could hear it. “Attention team RED! Our excellent Spy has just come back to us with important team BLU information! I need all Heavies, Demomen, and Engineer sentry guns at the front entrance. All Spies report to the BLU sewers to take out a defensive BLU sentry gun. Everyone else, head straight forward toward the Intelligence. We’re going to take this base by force!” Red Sniper announced. The rest of team RED who heard the announcement cheered, and began to carry out the plan just as instructed. …………………………………… Blue Sniper, Blue Heavy, Blue Demoman, and any other BLU team members that were standing near the front lines were surprised when they saw a barrage of team RED fighters begin to pour out of their base all at once. Blue Heavy, Blue Demoman, and Pinkie Pie moved forward in an attempt to stop the sudden intruders, but were killed quickly. Team BLU was being attacked! Blue Sniper ran back through the base to alert Blue Soldier, Spike, and Blue Pyro about the intrusion. They were the last brute classes that could slow down the attack that were at easy access. ………………………………. Applejack heard a lot of commotion coming from the base above her head. For a moment, she wondered what it was, but then quickly got back to focusing on her buildings. After a few seconds, Blue Soldier entered through the sewer exit. Without even looking at her, he walked right up to her sentry gun, and placed a sapper. Steady streams of stray electricity flowed out of the sentry gun as it was slowly shut down of its energy. “Hey Spy, quit sappin’ my sentry gun!” Applejack ordered. She grabbed her wrench, and charged at Blue Soldier. Blue Soldier swiped a knife at her, instantly losing his disguise, and changing into Red Spy. He and Applejack began a melee match. Applejack whacked Red Spy with her wrench, and Red Spy stabbed Applejack with his Big Earner. For a moment, it seemed like no one was going to win. Suddenly, Rarity appeared from mid-air in the corner behind Applejack. She steadily raised her knife, and plunged it into Applejack’s back. Applejack cried out, and fell to the floor. … “Excellent job, colleague. Now let’s get moving!” Red Spy ordered. Red Spy and Rarity activated a couple of BLU disguises, and headed down the sewer to join up in team RED’s raid. ……………………………………… Once they had climbed the stairs, they met up with the mob of RED fighters that moved down the hall swiftly. A Pyro or a Demoman would’ve been able to efficiently take all of them out in one hit. However, they were held back by Big Mac and Red Heavy. … The team barreled down the basement stairs, and made their way into the Intelligence room. A few of their fighters were quickly lost due to the level-three sentry gun that lied just inside the doorway. Zecora and Red Demoman quickly got rid of it with a few grenades. Red Scout sprinted forward, and grabbed the briefcase. He began to glow with a green outline, displaying his health quality. “We have taken the enemy Intelligence!” The announcer exclaimed over the loudspeaker. … As fast as his teenage legs could carry him, Red Scout barreled out of the Intelligence room, leaving the rest of his team behind. They followed him at a slower pace, ready to defend him on the way out of the BLU base. …………………………………… No sooner did Red Scout make it out of the basement, another announcement was given over the loudspeaker. “Alert! The enemy has taken our Intelligence…” “What?! That’s impossible!” Red Scout interjected. A static voice slowly came into frequency over Red Scout’s headset. Listening closely, Red Scout could recognize the voice of his former-colleague: Rainbow Dash. “No it’s not, Chucklehead. Now it’s time for us to see who’s really faster!” She challenged. … Intruder Alert! ... Red Scout gasped. That little rat! Rainbow Dash is the stealer of the RED Intelligence! She must’ve been hiding out in the base when the invasion started. … Red Scout grunted, and swiftly took off running as fast as he could go without dropping the Intelligence. He darted back and forth down the hallways, exiting the BLU base through the front entrance within a mere few seconds. As soon as he did so, however, he noticed that Rainbow Dash had done the same. They stared at each other viciously from both sides of the bridge. They barely got to for a just a couple seconds when the rest of team RED piled out of the BLU base. Shots rang out, all in attempt to hit Rainbow Dash and buy time for Red Scout to capture the Intelligence. “Nice try, but I’ve got a little weapon of my own!” Rainbow Dash laughed. Rainbow Dash spread her wings, and took off into the sky. All of team RED watched in shock as Rainbow Dash soared over the battlefield with the RED Intelligence. … Red Sniper also noticed this from the RED battlements. “Oh, no you don’t! That’s not even legal!” He growled. He put his eye up to the scope, and fired a shot. The sniper bullet whizzed through the air, and punctured Rainbow Dash’s left wing in mid-flight. A spray of blood streamed from Rainbow Dash’s wing. She cried out in agony, and began to spiral downward like a burning helicopter. “Run Scout, run!” Red Sniper yelled at the top of his lungs. Red Scout, obeying orders, took off to secure the Intelligence with the few precious seconds remaining on his shoulders. … Just before hitting the ground, Rainbow Dash whipped out the Force a Nature, and fired beneath her, thrusting her upward with enough force to slow her descent. She landed safely on the BLU battlements, where she continued her race on hoof, regardless of her injured wing. The entire battle now rested on whoever could reach their Intelligence room first. ……………………………… Rainbow Dash bolted through her base with the Intelligence on her back. Her mane blew backward in the wind that was produced from her blinding speed. She jetted down the basement stairs, around the hallway corner, and toward the Intelligence room. All she had to do was place the Intelligence on the shelf in front of her, and her team won the battle. “Ah, victory feels good!” She sighed to herself. She took the Intelligence off her back, and held it in front of her. A mere fraction of a second before she placed the Intelligence, she was backstabbed by Red Spy. Rainbow Dash cursed very loudly, and collapsed to the floor. “This is Rainbow Dash! Rainbows make me cry! Over!” He taunted, prancing around like a pretty princess. “Go jump off a bridge.” ………………………………. Seconds later, Red Scout captured the BLU Intelligence. “Success! Team RED has secured the BLU Intelligence!” The announcer exclaimed. Team RED had once again won the battle. No matter how hard Rainbow Dash tried, she just couldn’t counter her enemies. ……………………………………… After everyone respawned, they met at the bridge in the center of 2fort. RED stood on one side, and BLU stood on the other. A few seconds of long, solemn silence commenced among both teams. “Well, what are you waiting for? Do the freaking team scramble!” Rainbow Dash impatiently demanded. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. There will not be another battle after this.” Red Soldier announced. … All of the ponies gasped. “What do y’all mean?” Applejack asked worriedly. “We have a very special guest who will be governing you for the time-being. If you manage to succeed in the upcoming trial, the battles will continue, and everything will return to normal.” Blue Soldier explained. “Who? Who is the special guest?” Pinkie Pie asked. … A few of the fighters from team RED parted to the side, and a tall lady who had just arrived on the scene stepped forward. “Greetings. I am your announcer.” The lady stated. … The ponies gasped again. “So you’re the one who needs to get a hobby?” Rainbow Dash asked in wonder and awe. The announcer gave her a dirty look. “Well, if you HAVE to put it that way.” “So…what’s going on? What are you going to do to us?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “You have been selected to defend Mann Co. against Gray Gravel Co.’s army of robots. If you let them bomb our shipping base, we’re all done for!” The announcer started. … “And how do we have a snowball’s chance of doing that?” Applejack asked defiantly. “Figure it out. You will not be getting any help from any of your human colleagues. However, I will still give you the news feed on incoming threats such as Spy-bots, Engineer-bots, and sentry-busters.” The announcer added. “Now, off you go!” “But wait, what if…” Before Applejack could finish her sentence, the announcer snapped her fingers, and the ponies were whisked off to Mannworks Shipping Facility. ……………………………… After a few seconds of silence, Blue Scout said something. “Hey, can I touch your boobs?” He asked the announcer. Everyone on both teams, including the announcer, gave him a look of pure disgust. He chuckled awkwardly. “Eh heh heh……never mind.” To be Continued… Author's Note Yeah yeah yeah, I know. You're supposed to capture the Intelligence three times in order to win instead of just one. If I did that, this chapter would've been five times as long as most of the story put together. Anyway, I changed the music that is played during each chapter. If you go back and look at them, you'll see what I mean. I just think this sounds better. The next chapter is Mann vs Machine! >:D Mann vs. Machine Mode (Part 1)Final Battle Arena: Mannworks (Mann vs. Machine) In a brilliant flash of light, all the ponies were sent to Mannworks Shipping Facility to begin the fight. They were all dazed at first, blinking their eyes and shaking their heads. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were among the first to come to. Everyone else followed shortly after. Looking around, the ponies noticed that they were in a garage room of some sort. Some slide-open doors lied at the front, leading to the outside world. Some windows gave them the view around them. Ignoring the two UPGRADE stations on both sides of the garage, the ponies walked outside to take a look at where they were going to be fighting. ……………………………… I highly recommend that you listen to this! It sets the mood. The Calm ……………………………… As soon as they left the garage, they were hit by a moderate breeze. The sun was on the far side of the sky. However, it was blocked by the brigade of thick, dark clouds that covered the horizon. The ponies’ mouths dropped when they spotted the cliff on the other side of the map. A large alien-looking ship was parked on the ledge, headlights ablaze. A large hatch was on the front, which was currently wide-open. On its top, several satellite dishes and electromagnetic sensors spun around, giving off quiet beeps as they monitored the horizon. Fluttershy gulped. … Their session of wonder and awe was suddenly interrupted when the announcer spoke over their headsets. “Hurry, find an UPGRADE station! Prepare for operation Mannslaughter!” Mannslaughter? That didn’t sound good. “Hey y’all, over here!” Applejack gestured, pointing back toward the garage. The ponies followed her back to the garage. Once they got there, they found two big UPGRADE stations on both side-walls of the room. “Now how did we miss those?” Big Mac asked in a low voice. ……………………………… All of the ponies approached the two separate stations, and began to browse through their upgrade options. The first thing that caught Twilight’s eye was the explosive headshot upgrade. It could be upgraded three times, and it cost 350 credits each time. However, she only had 400 to start with. She shrugged, and purchased explosive headshot level 1. … She ran out into the battlefield in search of a good battlement for when the robots arrived. Once she had found a good ledge up near the front, she noticed Applejack setting up a sentry gun and a dispenser. “What would y’all do without me?” Applejack playfully boasted. … As the other ponies finished their upgrades and moved toward the front lines, the announcer came onto their headset again. “This is wave one of operation Mannslaughter. I will now give you the list of robots that you’ll be up against.” The announcer listed the upcoming robot force. For wave one, the ponies were going to be up against 7 giant Demo-bots, 12 Pyro-bots, 28 Steel-Heavy-bots, as well as Spy-bots and Sydney-Sniper-bots for support. Twilight sighed. “This is not going to be fun…” “Pfft, that’s nothing. Watch me take them all out with my bare hooves.” Rainbow Dash bragged. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rainbow. What if…” “Oh shut up, Twilight. I highly doubt you’ll be able to save the day with your stupid jars of piss.” Rainbow Dash scoffed. Twilight lurched forward, and grabbed Rainbow Dash by her red t-shirt. Rainbow Dash cried out in surprise. “No, how about you shut up? It’s about time you stop being such a cocky jerk, Rainbow. You’re not nearly as strong as you think you are. If you don’t knock this off, we’re all going to die!” Twilight scolded. “Get your nasty hooves off of me! I can kill all of these robots by myself!” Rainbow Dash demanded. “No, Rainbow. You can’t. You always act you’re a big shot, but the truth is, you’re not. Why do you think the Wonderbolts haven’t accepted you in their team in all these years? There are few things that you’ve actually accomplished in life. Everything else is just a big fake mass of ‘me, me, me’!” Twilight paused for a second, and balled up a fist. “If you don’t learn to fight like a team, our blood will be on your hooves!” When Twilight was finished, she shoved Rainbow Dash away. Rainbow Dash stared back at her with a hurt expression on her face. When Twilight glanced back at her, she noticed that Rainbow Dash had begun to cry. “Wait, Rainbow, I didn’t mean…” “Just stay the buck away from me, you stupid egghead!” Rainbow Dash cried. Before Twilight could say anything else, she took off running back toward the garage. … Rarity approached Twilight. “Did you actually manage to make Rainbow Dash cry?” She asked in awe. “Apparently so. I feel like such a bully…” Rarity shrugged. “I think she deserved it. That taunt you pulled back at Nucleus was actually kind of funny.” ……………………………… Their conversation was interrupted when loud clanking footsteps echoed from the ship. The announcer spoke over their headsets. “This is it! If they get that bomb to the hatchway, we’re all done for!” Twilight hurried back to the battlement, while Rarity ran out into the battlefield with Big Mac. She put on a disguise, and prepared her Electro-Sapper. “5…4…3…2…1…” ……………………………… This music isn't from TF2, but it makes a great final battle theme! The Legend of Zelda: Koloktos/Moldarach ……………………………… As soon as the announcer said ‘1’, the robots appeared over the hill. All of the ponies gasped loudly once they came into view. The first robots that came into view looked exactly like Pinkie Pie. Following closely behind was a massive Zecora bot that carried the bomb on its back. … The second the pony-bots dropped onto the battlefield, Applejack’s sentry gun began to pound them with bullets and rockets. The Pinkie-bots dropped rather quickly, but the Zecora-bot held strong. It rapid-fired grenades all over the battlefield while the ponies tried to stop it. Pinkie Pie and Spike were blown up rather quickly. They wouldn’t respawn for another fifteen seconds. Fluttershy, who had equipped the Kritzkrieg before the battle had started, Ubercharged Big Mac as he fired at the giant machine. Critical hits showered down on the giant bot until it exploded, dropping the bomb right on the ground. Credits were thrown into the air for the ponies to grab. “Yes!” The ponies all cheered. … Unfortunately, immediately after, another giant Zecora-bot marched off the ledge. It was accompanied by about a dozen steel-fisted Big Mac bots. Big Mac turned around, and fired at the second giant bomb-bot. Meanwhile, Applejack frantically whacked her sentry gun with her wrench as it continued to pepper the bots with bullets. She was supplied with metal by her dispenser. “Attention Engineers! We’ve got a sentry-buster!” The announcer cried out over the headsets. Right on cue, a giant bomb on legs jogged off the ledge, and began to approach Applejack. It ticked wildly like a primed time-bomb. “A sentry-buster? What in the hay is a sentry-buster?” Applejack asked. Her question was answered when the mobile-explosive made its way around the ledge, and up the stairs. It jogged up behind her. It stopped as its head began to spin. It beeped rapidly. Applejack turned around. “Hey, what the bu…” The buster exploded, obliterating all of Applejack’s buildings. At the same time, it launched Applejack’s dead body clear across the map. The ponies watched in horror as Applejack’s body flew over their heads. Now that the sentry gun was destroyed, their defenses were diminished. … The second giant Zecora-bot picked up the bomb. The steel Big Mac bots followed close behind. Big Mac continued to fire at it while being healed by Fluttershy. The Zecora-bot noticed this assault, and turned around, rapid-firing grenades at him. He took massive damage, but was kept alive by Fluttershy. Suddenly, the bot was blown to pieces by the sticky bombs that were placed on the ground. The real Zecora, who was standing nearby, chuckled to herself. “I have found what makes you tick. Next time, find someone else to mimic.” She exclaimed. “Thanks for the help!” Big Mac called. He and Fluttershy waved at her. She waved back. … As this was going on, another giant Zecora-bot and another half-dozen Pinkie-bots appeared off the ledge. Close behind were a few Twilight-bots, who were wielding Sydney-Sleepers. Twilight was astonished that all the bots looked just like her and her friends. It almost felt weird killing them. She took aim, and prepared to kill the identical assassin. But just as she got the scope to her eye, the bot fired first, and hit her right in the gut. Suddenly, she was covered in jarate. “Oh look! G-g-ggot you right in the ovary!” The bot taunted, waving its robotic hoof in the air. Okay, now it was just plain scary. How in Equestria was everything alike with these robots? It was almost like Gray Gravel Co planted a Spy to record their every move and word. … As Twilight lifted her rifle to finish off the sniper, she noticed Rarity backstab it from behind. She then jogged to the giant Zecora-bot, and planted a sapper, which slowed it down dramatically. “Keep the headshots going, Twilight! I’m trying to hold them off!” Rarity called from the battlefield ground below. Some of the Big Mac bots noticed Rarity from their location. “I s-s-ssee a Spy!” They called out in a computer voice. Before Rarity could make a cloaked escape, the Big Mac bots beat her to the ground with their steel fists. Twilight shuddered as she listened to Rarity’s agonizing cries. ………………………………. By now, Applejack had respawned along with Pinkie Pie and Spike. She used the teleporter that she had built before the battle, and made it to the front lines instantly. Getting out her tool box, she began a replacement sentry gun. “Here come the Spies!” The announcer warned over the headset. Big Mac came up the stairs, and stood next to Applejack as he fired bullets down onto the battlefield. “Hey sis’, put a dispenser here if you can.” He suggested. “I’m workin’ on it, big brother.” She hastily replied. … As Applejack worked, she noticed Big Mac get backstabbed right next to her. She turned quickly, and saw a Rarity-bot laughing behind his corpse. “M-my my darling, you’re going t-t-tto have to be qu-quicker than that.” The bot taunted. “Hey, don’t kill my big brother!” Applejack demanded. She turned toward the Rarity-bot, and beat it to death with her wrench. … After that little fit of rage, Applejack got back to work. With little effort, she got her second sentry gun to working order. Their main defense was restored. She went to the ammo box to get more metal, and began to work on the dispenser that Big Mac had wanted. She worked on two things at once. As the dispenser constructed itself, she worked to upgrade her sentry gun. As she did so, the sentry gun continued firing. It managed to kill off the rest of the Pinkie Pie and Big Mac bots. At this point, all that remained were the giant Zecora-bots. … “Alert! Another sentry-buster has entered the area!” The announcer warned. “Not this time.” Applejack whispered. She packed up the sentry gun into her toolbox, and took off with it on her shoulders. The sentry-buster chased her. Once she was out of range of the giant Zecora-bots, she stopped dead for a couple seconds. The sentry-buster ran right up to her, and began to detonate again. Right before it did so, however, Applejack began running again, narrowly missing the explosion. Back up the stairs, through the building, back onto the front battlements, and on the outer ledge, Applejack put her sentry gun back down. It continued to fire at the giant Zecora-bots. “All in a day’s work.” She chuckled. At the same time, she used her shotgun to take down any other Rarity-bots that attempted to kill her or her friends. ……………………………… Meanwhile, Twilight was at war with the Sydney-Snipers. A few of them were attempting to destroy Applejack’s sentry gun, a few of them were sniping her teammates as they tried desperately to destroy the few remaining giant Zecora-bots, and a few of them were trying to snipe her. Instead of lying down in one position, she was running back and forth, scoping and unscoping, trying to find a window of opportunity where she could focus enough to headshot them. Whenever she got hit, she would hide off to the side, and wait for the jarate to wear off. The last thing she needed was for her to get sniped while under the influence of mini-crits. … When her last chance came around, she quickly ran out, and finished off the last Twilight-bot. After the kill, she looked down below the battlement, and saw the last two giant Zecora-bots being crit-shot by Big Mac and Fluttershy. She took one last aim, and fired at one of the Zecora-bot’s head. The explosive headshot upgrade caused an electric bolt to travel to the other bot, which killed them both. They dropped a load of credits, which Big Mac and Fluttershy picked up. …………………………… Pause the music. …………………………… “You’ve defeated the wave! Good. Hurry, find an UPGRADE station!” The announcer ordered. Serious classes like Twilight and Zecora obeyed orders, and headed straight for the UPGRADE stations to prepare for the next wave. Other classes took some time to jump around and cheer about their victory. … The first thing Twilight did with her credits was finish upgrading her rifle’s explosive headshot. After that, she upgraded her rifle’s overall damage. Her strength was in her sniper rifle, so she figured she’d upgrade everything about it first. Even in the garage, there was still no sign of Rainbow Dash. “Dang it, where is Rainbow Dash? I didn’t mean to make her cry…” “I’m not sure where she ran off to. However, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” Zecora responded. Twilight sighed, and ran back out into the battlefield to prepare for the second wave. As she left the garage, most other classes were just entering. … Once she had reached the battlement, the announcer listed the bots for the second wave. For this wave, the ponies would be up against 8 giant Soldier-bots, 100 Scout-bots, 28 Quick-Fix-Medic-bots, plus Sniper and Spy bots for support. “Oh Celestia, why… This is impossible!” Twilight muttered to herself. Fluttershy approached her. “Are you okay, Twilight?” She asked. “No. This is probably the most difficult legion of robots in Mann Co history. And what’s worse, I scared off Rainbow Dash!” Twilight replied. “You actually scared off Rainbow Dash? I didn’t know you could do that…” “I can’t believe it either.” Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy. “I think this world is changing us. I know I would never do that in Equestria, and I know Rainbow Dash would’ve never pushed me off the lift at Doomsday the way she did. It’s like we’re all developing a hard outer shell.” Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Well, just think about me. Try to heal as much as you can, and only hurt when you absolutely have to. If you do that, the battle always goes your way!” Twilight thought about that response deeply. Once she actually looked it over, it seemed to make sense. “…Okay. I’ll try.” … “The robots are here! Protect Mann Co!” The announcer exclaimed. The ponies returned to their respective battle positions, and got ready for round two of living hell. “5…4…3…2…1…” ……………………………………… Resume the music. ……………………………………… Almost instantly, a massive barrage of Rainbow Dash bots came streaming over the hill. Their metallic mane and tail were painted all different colors to match Rainbow Dash’s colorful hair. All of them even had functional wings. Overwhelmed by the sudden colorful blur of Rainbow Dash bots, Twilight fired off a frazzled bullet. It didn’t even touch one of them. “Rarity, sap the Rainbow Dash bots so they’re easier to hit! We need to kill them before they start flying!” Twilight spoke over her headset. “I’m trying……but…….too fast……” Rarity replied. Her voice was cut off by a wave of feedback from the radio. There were too many bots in the area, and the mechanisms on top of the robots’ ship weren’t helping. The only ones who seemed to have a grip on the bots’ rapid speed were Applejack’s sentry gun and Big Mac. As Twilight tried to follow the rapid movement of bots, she noticed something. None of them were carrying the bomb. “Hey, where’s the…” She was cut off suddenly when she started getting beaten to death by a baseball bat. Before she could choke out a scream or a response, her skull was crushed in from the pressure of the metal instrument. … The Rainbow Dash bot standing behind her danced around wildly, flapping its aluminum wings. “Hey, is a-a-anyone keeping track of my eggheads batted in? BOINK!” The bot taunted. Applejack noticed the assault from a few feet away, and ran over to destroy the bot with her wrench. Shortly after doing so, however, she was overwhelmed by a horde of bots that swarmed her like a pack of angry wasps. They beat at her faster than she could even call for help. Within seconds, the Rainbow Dash bots had also killed Applejack. They headed straight off to the right, and destroyed her sentry gun as well. …………………………………. Spike continuously shot a barrage of rockets at the impending swarms of Rainbow Dash Scouts. Each time he hit one, the resulting explosion killed off a couple of them at a time. Just seconds ago, he witnessed the death of Twilight and Applejack. Moments before, he had overheard their conversation. The million-bit question had also confused him as well. Where was the bomb? … Almost right on cue to answer his question, a giant Spike-bot came marching over the ledge with about a half-dozen Fluttershy bots healing him from close behind. Its motor revved as it leapt off the cliff, and onto the ground. The bomb rested firmly on its back. Spike’s jaw went slack. He lifted up his helmet to get a better look. “Sweet Celestia above……” … Fluttershy ran up behind him. “What is it, Spike? What’s wrong?” Right after asking, Fluttershy followed Spike’s gaze. Up ahead, she noticed the group of Fluttershy bots that were healing giant-Spike. “Oh my……” … After staring in awe for a few seconds, Spike slowly lifted his rocket-launcher. Fluttershy, without saying a word, immediately set him up with the Kritzkrieg. “Come on guys, we can’t do this alone!” Pinkie Pie called from the distance. She was spamming the Fluttershy bots with fire while Zecora tried to bomb the giant Spike bot. “I’m charged, Spike! Do it!” Fluttershy yelled. Answering her call, Spike opened fire on his rockets. Fluttershy immediately Ubercharged him, which granted him critical hits. Spike shot rocket after rocket at his giant robotic clone. The critically-charged projectiles penetrated the armor of the giant bot, which seemed to slow it down drastically. Obviously, the bot noticed this, and turned to look at Spike and Fluttershy. It shot one rocket, which hit Spike directly in the feet. Spike was launched a few dozen feet into the air. He interjected for a brief moment, then worked to catch his balance. Once he had his focus, he shot a rocket down upon the giant Spike bot. The rocket hit the bot directly, and blew it to smithereens. Large chunks of metal and extra shrapnel flew through the air as the bot was obliterated from the massive explosion. One down, seven to go. … Unfortunately, what little health Spike had left was lost when he hit the ground. He collapsed on impact, and dropped his rocket-launcher. “It’s okay, Spike. You did good that time.” Fluttershy whispered over his corpse. ……………………………… “Alert! Their Spies are coming!” The announcer exclaimed over the ponies’ headsets. Also, at the same time, several Twilight bots had made their way into the battlefield. They stood behind rocks and hidden corners, and raised their rifles to diminish their competition. Rarity was running around disguised in the battlefield, going undetected by the robots. The second she saw the Twilight bots, she knew she had her chance. She ran up behind them, and starting backstabbing them one by one. They all fell to the ground, dead as a pile of twisted metal. The second she backstabbed the last one, she herself got backstabbed by her robotic clone. The clone of course had to do a taunt afterwards. ……………………………… A few more groups of Rainbow Dash bots leaked off the ledge as the battle continued. The first giant Spike bot had managed to get the bomb past the bridge, which was halfway through the map. Joining them were two more giant Spike bots, each with their own healing force of Fluttershy bots. All the ponies that were not waiting to respawn were firing everything they had at the giant Spike bots. Most of the Rainbow Dash bots were killed in the crossfire. By this point, most, if not all Rainbow Dash bots were destroyed. Some of the ponies let out a sigh of relief, knowing that they weren’t going to be back for another wave. … As her teammates fired at the giant Spike bots, Twilight noticed something. A Rainbow Dash bot that they had missed had picked up the bomb, and was carrying it to the hatch. “Wait, no!” She yelled. She jumped off of the battlement, and ran with all of her might to catch up with the bot intruder. However, it was simply too fast. “Alert, stop them from deploying the bomb!” The announcer exclaimed. A loud siren echoed throughout the entire map. The ponies up front were confused. The bot reached the hatch, and prepared to jump in. “No! We can’t lose like this!” Twilight yelled anxiously. … Just before the bot jumped into the hatch, Rarity appeared behind it. She jammed her knife into its back, and it fell down with a metallic clunk. “Oh Rarity…thank Celestia you happened to be standing there!” “Oh darling, it wasn’t that much of a big deal. I was just leaving after respawning!” She explained. “Well, if you hadn’t died, I’m sure we would’ve lost the battle!” “It was no trouble at all. Now come on; our team needs us!” Twilight and Rarity sprinted back into the battlefield, leaving the bomb to sit on the hatch unprotected. ……………………………… When Twilight had returned to the battlement, she noticed that the giant Spike bots were gone. She headed straight for Applejack. “Hey Applejack, I have important information.” She stated. “By the way Twi, in case you were wondering, we lost Pinkie Pie to the giant Spike bots. Just before she died though, she managed to burn both of them to death.” Applejack mentioned. “Well okay, that’s good. Listen, I need you to build a disposable sentry gun over at the hatch. The bomb got left there, and if a Rarity bot notices it, it’ll surely end the battle for us without us even noticing.” “Sure thing, Twilight. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Applejack took off running toward the hatch with her tool box in hoof. Twilight turned around, and prepared to snipe the last couple incoming giant Spike bots. … Both Fluttershy and Big Mac walked up the stairs and onto the battlements. Twilight turned to look at them. “Twilight, I have an idea. I need you to headshot one of the Spike bots with the explosive upgrade.” Fluttershy ordered. “Um…okay, I guess.” Twilight lifted up her sniper rifle, and aimed it at one of the giant bots’ head. Fluttershy used her Kritzkrieg, and gave Twilight a fast Ubercharge. Twilight headshot one of the giant Spike bots with a charged critical hit, which traveled to the other one via the explosive headshot. It dealt substantial damage to both of them. Fluttershy then switched her Ubercharge over to Big Mac, who used the remaining critical charge to pepper the bots with crits. Finally, they both exploded from the assault. ………………………………. Pause the music. ………………………………. “You have beaten them back! For the moment. Get to an UPGRADE station!” The announcer exclaimed. Twilight stopped for a moment, and listened closely to the announcer’s voice. “What’s wrong, Twilight? We just won the wave!” Fluttershy asked. “……I could’ve sworn I just heard Red Sniper’s voice in the background on that broadcast…” “Well, I don’t think you should worry about it right now. We have to get to an UPGRADE station before wave three starts.” Big Mac suggested. To be Continued… Author's Note I wanted so badly to put all of this into one chapter, but it just got to be too dang long. Will they defeat the robot army? What surprises await? Was that really Red Sniper Twilight heard over her headset? Where's Rainbow Dash? These questions and many more will be answered in the next chapter! And boy, do I have a cliffhanger waiting for you there! >:) Mann vs. Machine Mode (Part 2)Operation Mannslaughter Continued As Twilight finished her upgrades and headed back out onto the battlefield for the third wave, she thought deeply to herself. Last time the announcer spoke over her headset, she could’ve sworn up and down that she heard Red Sniper’s voice in the background. It sounded like he was in the same room with the announcer. But why would that be? If the ponies’ colleagues weren’t allowed to fight with them, why would they be with the announcer? And while on the subject, why can’t they fight at all? What rule is there that states that all newcomers to the world of Mann Co have to be the ones to defend it against all odds? Above all, one question kept dominating Twilight’s mind. Where was Rainbow Dash? … “Twi, are you okay? You seem a little…out of it.” Applejack asked worriedly. Twilight shook herself out of her daze. She realized that she had been standing in place this whole time, and that she was needed on the battlefield. “Oh, sorry. I’m fine.” She replied. The two of them raced up toward the front lines, and prepared for the third wave. At the same time, the announcer gave the list of robots to be fought in the next battle. For wave three, the ponies would be up against 12 giant Scout bots, 2 tanks, 8 giant heavy bots, 20 Soldier bots, 20 Pyro bots, 24 Uber Medic bots, and Scouts and Snipers for support. … The ponies all took one last well-needed breath before the announcer started the countdown. “The attack has started! 5…4…3…2…1…” …………………………………. I'll give you the choice for music this time. They both go well with this chapter. The Legend of Zelda: Koloktos/Moldarach Theme Super Mario Galaxy 2: Bowser Jr. Boomsday …………………………………. Looks of pride and determination were plastered on the ponies’ faces as the first robots marched off the ledge. The battle started off with a handful of Spike and Pinkie bots. The only ponies at risk here were Rarity, Big Mac, and Fluttershy, as they were the ones up front on the battlefield. The other ponies hung back and waited for the onslaught to come their way. … With the help of Rarity’s sapper, Applejack’s sentry gun, and Big Mac’s brute bullet-rain, the first sub-wave of robots were terminated in a matter of seconds. There was no wait-time however, as more robots came barreling over the ledge the second the previous Pinkie bot had fallen. Not a sweat had been broken yet as the ponies upfront stepped back a little, giving the incoming bots some room to enter. A mess of supporting Rainbow Dash bots swarmed the battlefield, waving their bats in the air like deranged maniacs. Two massive Big Mac bots followed close behind, marching majestically like top kings. They each had a battalion of three Fluttershy bots keeping them sustained. “Big Mac, I need you, Fluttershy, and Applejack to aim your focus on the giant bots! Everyone else, kill the Medics!” Twilight ordered. The ponies nodded, and began to carry out the plan. The ponies willingly let Twilight lead their team. No one said anything about this; it just sort of ended up that way. … Just as ordered, Big Mac and Applejack opened fire on the giant Big Mac bot. Fluttershy activated Ubercharge, giving Big Mac a rain of critical hits. Unfortunately, right at that moment, the Fluttershy bots noticed the attack, and set off their Ubercharge on the Big Mac bot. A reflective blue halo surrounded the Big Mac bot and its assailants, granting them temporary immunity. “Fluttershy, shut it off! We’re wasting ammo on the bots’ Ubercharge!” Big Mac cried out. “I can’t! I can’t stop the Ubercharge!” Fluttershy replied in a panic. Big Mac stopped shooting at the bot. However, Fluttershy’s critical Ubercharge flowed on until it completely drained. By the time they got it recharged, it could be too late. … As this was happening, the two giant Big Mac bots fired continuously at the ponies with its giant minigun. Zecora, Rarity, Spike, and Applejack were quickly killed. Big Mac and Fluttershy realized the seriousness of the situation, and began to retreat. On their way back, however, they were noticed by the giant Big Mac bot. Still under the influence of its Ubercharge, the bot fired relentlessly at the duo until they fell to the ground in mid-dash. As Pinkie Pie ran forward to avenge Big Mac and Fluttershy, she was overwhelmed by Rainbow Dash bots. Even she fell silently to the power of the bot-battalion. ………………………………. “How could you all die at once?!” The announcer scolded. Twilight listened to the angry announcement in horror as she realized that she was the only one alive. And worse, these were only the first two giant Big Mac bots to strike their defenses. Six more were on the way. Twilight began to panic. A strand of her mane sprung out of place. “Okay Twilight, don’t go crazy now. You know there’s something you can do!” She spoke to herself. Nothing was coming to her mind. Just before she threw in the towel, she looked down at the emblem on her sleeve. She studied the emblem for a few seconds. Suddenly, a realization came to her. The emblem represented a job. Team RED and team BLU didn’t make a difference. They were all part of the same company. And just as so, they had their parts to play. The emblem was what distinguished her from the rest of her teammates. Just as Pinkie Pie had a flame on her arm, and Applejack a wrench, she had her job that was assigned to her and her alone. Which means perhaps it’s not about being paranoid to keep other teammates organized; it’s about doing what you know is necessary to fulfill your duties and help your team excel. … Her face quickly changed from panicked to determined. A sinister smile formed on her face as she realized what she had to do. It was time to step up her game, and stop worrying about what her other teammates were doing. Taking out a jar of jarate that she had saved since Doomsday, Twilight reeled back with her arm, and hurled it at the incoming robots. “Bet you didn’t see this coming!” She yelled. The jar hit the giant Big Mac bot on the left. It broke open, soaking both giant bots with the yellow spray. Twilight immediately ducked down to the ground, and positioned her rifle. Taking quick yet steady aim, she pulled the trigger. The bullet twinkled in the dimming ray of the evening sun for the split-second it left the barrel and was in the air. Faster than the speed of sound, it slammed into the head of the first giant bot. Bolts of electricity caused by the ghostly energy of the Explosive Headshot upgrade traveled rapidly through the heads of all the nearby robots, killing every single one of them. The two giant Big Mac bots, along with their six Medics, collapsed to the ground with a loud metallic clang. “Snipers like me don’t deserve the bad rap that they’ve been getting.” Twilight stated casually, blowing on the nozzle of her rifle. ……………………………….. At that point, the rest of her team respawned in the resupply locker. They ran out as fast as they could; ready to keep fighting for Mann Co. Applejack passed by Twilight on her way back to the front ledge. She stopped briefly. “Are you okay, Twi? We noticed you were the last one standing.” She asked. “I’m fine, Applejack. In fact, I’ve never been better!” She happily responded. “Dear Celestia, did you kill both of those giant Big Mac bots by yourself?” “I sure did! Jarate really did the trick!” “Oh, well that’s great! Come on, we still have six more of those things to finish off!” … Applejack and Twilight sprinted forward to continue the fight near the front lines. They reached their favorite ledge just as another giant Big Mac bot appeared over the hill. It was being healed by three more Fluttershy bots. Alongside it was a miniature army of Spike and Pinkie Pie bots. “Come on! Show us what you’ve got!” Spike yelled up at the robots. The ponies were all as confident as could be when the robots marched toward the ledge. Their confidence was diminished, however, when an announcement came over their headsets. “Alert! A tank has entered the area!” … “Excuse me…a what-now?” Applejack stuttered. In answer to her question, a massive blue tank rolled slowly past the front gates. They burst open violently, throwing wooden shrapnel in every direction. “Whoa, nelly! Incoming!” She called. The ponies all turned their attention toward the tank. As it harmlessly rolled by, they launched their heavy-duty fire power straight at it. As bullets and rockets flew at it from every direction, it began to get dented and damaged. At the same time, however, two more Big Mac bots and their Fluttershy-assistants fell over the ledge. By the time the ponies would finally destroy the tank, the bots would be at the hatch. … “Spike! Come with me, and we’ll take care of the giant Big Mac bots! We’ll leave the tank to everypony else.” Twilight ordered. “Sure thing, Twilight!” Spike eagerly replied. Twilight and Spike ran around to the other side of the front-most building, where the giant bots were marching past. Spike instantly began spamming the Fluttershy bots with rockets to take them out. He killed the first two that were healing the bomb-carrying Big Mac bot, but failed to finish off the third one as it deployed its Ubercharge. As soon as it was struck with invulnerability, the giant bot opened fire on Twilight and Spike. It was impossible to avoid the stinging rapid-fire of the bot’s minigun. A few bullets managed to pierce Twilight and Spike’s flesh here and there. They were both bleeding considerably, yet continued to fire everything they had at the giant hunk of metal. Twilight could see from their position that the tank had begun to turn the corner, and was now headed in their direction. It was so beaten up that you could barely tell it was a tank. … Suddenly, right as this thought passed through Twilight’s mind, the tank exploded violently. Hundreds of shards of metal shrapnel flew through the air at lightning speeds. The bomb that the tank was carrying flew into the air. The metal shards of shrapnel, big and small, launched out from the explosion in all different directions. Twilight and Spike shielded their eyes as the shards flew in their direction. They were badly cut from the debris, which only increased the blood-flow. Drops of blood fell from their bodies as they quickly retreated, shooting at the giant bots on their way back. … Twilight threw a jar of jarate at the giant metal monsters. The jar burst open on impact, covering both of them with the warm liquid. Spike had trouble focusing his eyes. He tried to take steady aim with his rocket-launcher as he began to wobble backwards. He took three concentrated, yet frazzled shots. Luckily, they all managed to hit their target. The giant Big Mac bot exploded from the rocket impact, thanks to the jarate-induced mini-crit effect. … Shortly after the kill, Spike turned to Twilight. “Twilight…I…I feel dizzy…” He stuttered. “It must be from the blood-loss. You’re much smaller than me. Hurry, you need to find a health pack!” She stated. Spike barely heard her. He wobbled a couple more times, then fainted on the ground. The last of his blood drained from his cuts and wounds. What little life-force he had left was lost when the other giant jarate-covered Big Mac bot fired at his fainted body. “You have a tendency to make very heroic exits, my number-one-assistant.” Twilight smiled. The Big Mac bot took aim at her, and got ready to fire. Twilight quickly turned a corner to get out of its way, leaving Spike’s bled-out body on the ground. …………………………………………. The second Big Mac bot picked up the bomb. It was now dangerously close to the hatch. Big Mac and Fluttershy ran as fast as they could to the location of the giant bot to focus their fire power. “Okay Fluttershy, are you ready to use that critical Ubercharge?” He asked. “Wait!” A voice called. … Big Mac and Fluttershy looked around for the source of the voice, and saw Twilight on a high ledge, waving down at them. “Fluttershy, bring your Ubercharge to me! I have an idea!” She called down. Fluttershy shrugged, and ran up the ledge to Twilight’s location. She set her Kritzkrieg on Twilight. “I’ll tell you when.” Twilight ordered. Twilight scoped up on the giant bot’s head, and waited for the rifle to charge up. Once she heard the little click, she gave the signal. Fluttershy deployed the Ubercharge, and Twilight fired at the giant bot. The electric-bullet passed right through its titanium head. Twilight had managed to deal a critical headshot on a jarate-covered bot with a critical-Ubercharge. It took well over two-thousand damage. The bot exploded, dropping the bomb right where it used to stand. “Yes!” Twilight and Fluttershy cried. They slapped each other’s hooves. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but there are more giant Big Mac bots on their way!” Big Mac warned. ………………………………. The three of them ran back up to the front of the battlefield to kill the remaining giant bots as another threatening announcement came over their headsets. “Another tank has entered the area! Kill it!” The announcer rasped. They also received an indication that some Twilight bots had entered the area as well. Twilight assumed that Rarity would have them taken care of. … Fluttershy continued to heal Twilight to build up another critical Ubercharge. If done correctly, they could terminate any incoming giant bots in one or two headshots. The rest of their defense team worked with all that they had to destroy the remaining tank. Snipers weren’t exactly very strong against tanks, so Twilight hung back with Fluttershy in wait of an Ubercharge so they could destroy the two remaining giant Big Mac bots. Fluttershy had previously spent her credits to upgrade her Ubercharge rate, so it was building rather fast. “Okay Twilight, I’m almost ready. Cover the bots in jarate, and scope up to build charge.” Fluttershy suggested. Twilight did as Fluttershy had suggested. She threw her last jarate jar at the bots, which managed to cover them both. Then she scoped up, and waited patiently for the rifle to give full charge. “Okay Flutters, I’m ready. Activate the charge!” Fluttershy deployed her Ubercharge, granting Twilight’s rifle with critical hits. She aimed the crosshair at the giant Big Mac bot’s head, ready to fire. She pulled the trigger just as the bot prepared to fire at her. The bullet hit its head directly, traveling over to the other bot via the Explosive Headshot upgrade. Both of the bots took thousands of damage. A dazzling explosion ripped through the air around the ponies as both bots and their Medics were killed before they even reached the bomb. The only thing that remained was the tank. Twilight and Fluttershy slapped hooves again. ………………………………… Big Mac peppered the tank with bullets from his minigun. Applejack’s sentry gun helped with the damage, as well as Zecora’s grenade launcher, Pinkie Pie’s flamethrower, and Spike’s rocket launcher. The whole time Twilight and Fluttershy were attacking the bots, everyone else was attacking the tank. Finally, it was at the point of combustion. “Twilight, take cover!” Spike yelled. Twilight and Fluttershy ducked below the battlement as Spike shot one last rocket at the tank. Once the projectile made contact with the metal surface of the vehicle, a violent explosion occurred. Once again, shrapnel was thrown in all directions. … “You’ve beaten them back, for the moment. Hurry, find an UPGRADE station!” The announcer ordered. Three waves down, two to go. ……………………………………… Pause the music. ....................................................... Once the ponies purchased their upgrades, they headed out to the battlefield once again. Twilight made sure to upgrade her jarate recharge rate so she’d be able to use it more frequently. When Applejack noticed her from her side of the battlements, she found that most of Twilight’s stress had diminished. “You doing okay, Twilight?” She asked. “Yes, I’m fine. No complaints.” Twilight replied. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty frazzled at the beginning of that last wave.” “I agree. But during that last wave, I realized something. Teamwork has power; there is no doubt about that. But when it is properly organized, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.” “That sounds like some great advice.” “Just make sure you’re doing your job. That emblem on your shoulder has meaning.” … Applejack looked down at the wrench symbol on her shoulder. She smiled proudly. “You bet your flank I will.” “And make sure everyone else is doing their job as well. If Fluttershy pulls out that syringe gun, so help her…” Twilight rasped, balling up a fist. “…Well, okay then. I’ll keep that in mind.” ……………………………………… Right then, the countdown began. For the fourth wave, the ponies would be facing 6 giant Pyro bots, 11 giant Demo-bots, 38 Deflector-Heavy bots, 32 Demo-bots, 24 Demo-Knights, 13 Uber-Medic bots, 30 Soldier bots, and Spies for support. Fluttershy ran over to Twilight, and set her up with her Kritzkrieg. It was time to get an early advantage. The ponies took a deep breath, and raised their guns. “5…4…3…2…1…” …………………………………. Resume the music. …………………………………. Immediately, two giant Zecora bots marched over the hill and toward the ledge. Each one had a Fluttershy bot healing it from behind. One of them carried the bomb. They were accompanied by a pack of smaller Zecora and Spike bots. Instead of grenade launchers, the Zecora bots wielded swords. Celestia-forsaken swords. “Hey guys, make sure to not fire at the giant Zecora bots! That’ll activate their Ubercharge and ruin my opportunity!” Twilight yelled. The other ponies nodded, and began attacking the smaller bots that had just entered the battlefield. The giant bots and their Medics were not far behind. … Twilight threw her jar of jarate at the bomb-carrying giant Zecora bot. When the jar broke open, it covered both giant bots with the substance. She held up her rifle, and scoped up for a headshot. She gave Fluttershy the signal to deploy the Ubercharge. She pulled the trigger, and hit the first giant bot directly on its forehead. It traveled to all of the surrounding bots via the Explosive Headshot upgrade. … Before the Fluttershy bots could even deploy their Ubercharge, Twilight had killed all four of them, as well as some Spike bots that were close by. … The Zecora bots were not all that difficult to destroy, being that they were limited to melee weapons while the ponies wielded guns. The ponies kept firing frantically at whatever came at them. Soon, all of the small Zecora bots were destroyed. With only a split second to collect credits from the fallen robots, the wave continued. A few Big Mac bots starting running over the ledge. Applejack scoffed. “These varmints are easy to kill.” The group of bots fell over the ledge, and began firing at the ponies. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were killed from the quick assault. Spike backed up a few feet, and launched a rocket at the impending pack. The rocket projectile flew toward the Big Mac bots, and stopped dead in mid-air just before making contact. It dropped to the ground. … Spike’s jaw dropped. He lifted up his helmet, revealing his surprised face. “Okay…these are not ordinary Big Mac bots.” He muttered. Applejack was confused as well. As her sentry gun fired rapidly at the group of Big Mac bots, the bullets were destroying them instead of the rockets. They would get close, and then fall to the ground without touching the robots. “Well Spike, I guess we gotta kill ‘em with just regular ol’ bullets. Rockets ain’t gonna do us any good this time.” Applejack shrugged. “I’m way ahead of you.” Spike responded. Instead of a shotgun, he pulled out a futuristic-looking pistol, and held it out in front of him. It looked like some kind of space-gun. “What the hay is that thing?” Applejack asked. “It’s an indivisible particle-smasher. It’s called the Righteous Bison.” Spike proudly answered. “Well talking about it isn’t going to kill any robots! Give it a try!” Applejack ordered. … Spike aimed the weapon out in front of him, and fired a shot. A pulsating red beam shot out of the device, and flew toward the Big Mac bots. Upon contact, the bot hovered into the air a few inches, and disintegrated into nothing. The beam continued on, doing the same thing to any bots it happened to come in contact with. “Whoa, nelly! That’s some weapon you got there!” Applejack stated. “Yep. Blue Soldier gave it to me before the very first battle. I’ve been saving it for something like this. The best part about it is that it doesn’t require any ammo.” Spike explained, cradling the weapon toward his face. “You’d better be careful, though. You don’t want to accidentally disintegrate yourself!” Applejack warned. “Yeah, good point.” Spike agreed, firing another shot toward the Deflector-Macs. ……………………………………… Twilight respawned in the resupply locker, along with Rarity and Fluttershy. According to the monitor on the inside of the locker, the wave was over halfway done. Her jaw dropped. “How is that possible?!” … She ran back out into the battlefield from the resupply locker. Once she neared the front lines, she saw Spike and Applejack laughing. She walked up and climbed the steps. “What’s so funny?” She asked. “Check out this cool particle-thingy that Spike has! It’s amazing!” Applejack interjected. Applejack stepped aside, and gave Twilight a better look. She saw Spike standing on the ledge next to her, firing shot after shot from the Righteous Bison at the bots that were down on the ground. At the same time, Applejack’s sentry gun was peppering them with bullets and rockets. On the ground below the ledge, dead Big Mac bots littered the dirt. Spike and Applejack were currently attacking a battalion of giant Pinkie Pie bots. On the ground, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Mac were assisting with the damage from close range. “You should’ve seen it, Twi. Those Big Mac bots were immune to rockets! We were firing ‘em at them, but nothing was happening. So then Spike pulls out that fancy thing there, and suddenly, we’re on a roll!” Applejack explained. … Right as she finished her sentence, the first giant Pinkie bot exploded. The ponies on the ground flinched from the sudden loud noise. Pinkie laughed. “I think I’m the real Pinkie! And I know I’m not made of metal! ……Or am I?” She poked herself a couple times, feeling the thick flame-retardant suit that covered her body. “Yeah, I’m definitely not made of metal!” ………………………………. “Anyway, if we keep at the rate we’re going, this wave will be done in no time!” Applejack cheered. Twilight smiled, and nodded in agreement. … Suddenly, they were both spontaneously backstabbed by a Rarity bot. Once they fell to the ground, the bot taunted by pretending to fence with its knife. “Couldn’t you hear the warning, darling? I thi-i-i-ink it’s safe to say that you were cle-e-e-early outclassed this time around!” The bot stated in its glitchy voice. …………………………………… Things suddenly started to go downhill. Applejack’s sentry gun was sapped, Spike was backstabbed, and the rest of the ponies’ forces were killed by incoming grenade-Zecora bots and giant Pinkie bots. “Do NOT all die at once!” The announcer angrily scolded. … After a long and grueling 15 seconds, all eight of the ponies respawned at once. Not saying a word to each other, they ran back out to continue fighting. Applejack built a sentry gun right next to the hatch in case the robots ever get close to deploying the bomb. She ran forward, and placed a disposable gun further up to assist in defense. The robots were only just around the corner from the hatch. If even half of the ponies were to die now, the bomb would be deployed. … “Hang back! We can’t risk weakening our defenses in front of the hatch!” Twilight called out to her team. They obeyed, and stuck around just in front of the hatch to defend what little ground the bots had left to cover before victory. ………………………………………. The grenade-launching Zecora bots entered the area first. Big Mac and Spike attacked them with their heavy-duty force, while Rarity and Twilight tried killing silently and efficiently. Instead of targeting one pony for overhealing power, Fluttershy ran around throughout the hatch-area to tie up loose ends with her team’s health. The organization of the team’s energy kept the robots at bay. The Zecora bots were killed quickly. Close behind, however, were three giant Pinkie Pie bots and their Fluttershy bots. One of them carried the bomb. Twilight threw a jar of jarate at the giant bots. Two of them were hit. The second the bots were covered in jarate, they didn’t last long. Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie took full advantage of the mini-crits to the point where the bots exploded almost instantly. … Just before the ponies cheered, two final giant Zecora bots marched around the corner toward their area. Instead of cheering, their jaws dropped. … The last giant Pinkie bot picked up the bomb. A loud siren echoed throughout the map. “Alert! Stop them from deploying the bomb!” The announcer yelled. At the same time, more Spies flooded into the area. As Rarity noticed them, she tried her best to find them and backstab them before they could reach her teammates. She got most of them, with the exception of the two that killed Big Mac and Spike. “No! We needed them!” Twilight cried out. … “Twilight! Kill the giant Zecoras!” Fluttershy ordered, running up to set her up with the Kritzkrieg once again. Twilight covered the bots in jarate, and scoped up as Fluttershy used her last Ubercharge. Twilight aimed the crosshair, found her target, and fired the rifle. … She missed by a hair. Before she could get another shot out, the giant bots turned, fired some grenades, and blew up Fluttershy. “No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no!!!” Twilight screamed. She pounded her hoof on the ground in agony. … Meanwhile, the giant Pinkie bot approached the hatch with the bomb perched on its back. “Stop them from deploying the bomb! Stop them!” The announcer cried. The giant bot folded up its arms, twisted its head around until it clicked into position, and jumped into the hatch with the bomb. To be Continued… Author's Note When it comes to writing about an expert mission like Mannslaughter, you can't expect me to be that accurate. The order of which the robots enter the battlefield is being made up by me. I never get to play an expert mission, so I don't know the actual order. I'm sorry for the late update! It's summer, but I still have homework that's due on the first day of school! (Plus it's really difficult to write such a LONG chapter.) Mann vs. Machine (Part 3 (The Final Wave!))……………………………………… Previously... A Heroic Song That You'll Probably Recognize ……………………………………… “Twilight! Kill the giant Zecoras!” Fluttershy ordered, running up to set her up with the Kritzkrieg once again. Twilight covered the bots in jarate, and scoped up as Fluttershy used her last Ubercharge. Twilight aimed the crosshair, found her target, and fired the rifle. … She missed by a hair. Before she could get another shot out, the giant bots turned, fired some grenades, and blew up Fluttershy. “No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no!!!” Twilight screamed. She pounded her hoof on the ground in agony. … Meanwhile, the giant Pinkie bot approached the hatch with the bomb perched on its back. “Stop them from deploying the bomb! Stop them!” The announcer cried. The giant bot folded up its arms, twisted its head around until it clicked into position, and jumped into the hatch with the bomb. ………………………… Now... ………………………… “No! We can’t lose! What will Red Sniper think?” Twilight cried. “Twilight, get down! The base is going to explode!” Rarity ordered. With a tear in her eye, Twilight ducked down to the ground, and covered her face with her hooves. She peeked up toward the hatch with one eye to see the robot jump into the hatch. … Suddenly, a split-second before the robot’s head entered the hatch, Rainbow Dash swooped in from the skies above. She swung her bat with ultimate strength, sending the robot’s head far across the map. The bomb detached from the robot, and fell onto the hatch. Twilight gasped. “Rainbow Dash! You came back!” Rainbow Dash turned to her, and winked. “I couldn’t leave my friends behind.” They both smiled warmly at each other for a couple seconds. Then, Rainbow Dash pulled out the Force a Nature, and began shooting the last giant Zecora bots. … The ponies got up off the ground one by one when they realized that they were still alive. Noticing Rainbow Dash’s return, a new spark of hope appeared within them. Along with it, a strong and determined will to fight. The only remaining bots in the wave were right in front of them, so it was still anyone’s game. Twilight consistently kept head-shooting the bot, dealing a couple-hundred damage at a time. While she was doing this, she waited patiently for her jarate to build back up. Rarity planted an Electro-Sapper at the robot’s hoof, temporarily slowing it down enough for Big Mac and Spike to respawn. They headed right outside, and began letting loose on the giant bot. … Just as the bot picked up the bomb and prepared to jump into the hatch, it was destroyed by Pinkie Pie’s flamethrower. The bomb dropped on the ground again. Twilight quickly threw another jar of jarate at the last bot. Once it was covered, killing it was quick and easy with the mini-crit power of all nine ponies. ………………………………… If you want to continue listening, be my guest. But otherwise, stop the music. ………………………………… “Another wave done! But they’ll be back… Return to the UPGRADE stations, where a prize will be waiting for you.” The announcer stated. … “Ooh, a prize! That sounds great.” Applejack chirped. Once all the robots were gone, Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still flying in the air. “Rainbow Dash, where have you been all this time?” She asked. “I was off the map for a little while. I needed some time for myself.” Rainbow Dash replied. “Time by yourself? We need all the forces we can get to fight off the robot army! We barely made it without you!” “Yeah…sorry about that. While I was gone, I did realize that I was kind of a jerk to you guys.” “You think?” “And I’m sorry about that too. This war we’re in is called TEAM Fortress 2 for a reason. There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” Twilight smiled. “It’s good to have you back.” She leaned over, and hugged Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash hugged her back. … Applejack poked her head out the resupply door. “Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Y’all need to come see this!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash turned, running over to join Applejack and the others in the resupply locker. ………………………………… When they arrived, they were surprised to see all the other ponies crowded around a big box in the middle of the garage. Twilight approached the box, and used her magic to cut the tape that held it shut. The ponies all gasped once they saw what was inside. … In the box lay a pile of weapons with name tags on them. There was one addressed to each pony from their respective classes. They all agreed to let Rainbow Dash find hers first. Rainbow Dash ravaged the box to find her weapon. After rummaging through all the weapons for a few seconds, she found hers lying at the bottom of the box. She picked it up, and looked at the nametag. It said, “To Rainbow Dash. From Red Scout.” It was the Flying Guillotine. Now, instead of a pistol, Rainbow Dash could throw a massive butcher’s knife at the robots to deal gradual damage. “Aw yeah, get a look at this baby!” Rainbow Dash beamed. She held the weapon out toward Fluttershy, who cringed and hid behind her Medi-gun. … Next, Spike rummaged around in the box in search of his weapon. Also at the very bottom, he found a very large futuristic-looking rocket-launcher-type…thing. He struggled to pick up the heavy weapon, and looked at the tag. “To Spike. From Red Soldier. You’ve done me proud!” He read. He studied the weapon. It was the Cow-Mangler 5000. It was an even stronger version of the Righteous Bison that would replace his rocket-launcher. “Hey, Applejack! If you thought that other weapon was cool, check this thing out!” Spike said eagerly. He pulled back the lever, and fired a charged beam from the weapon. It flew through the air, and exploded on the wall. “You’re lucky, Spike. I don’t get fancy stuff like that.” Applejack responded. … Next up was Pinkie Pie. She reached in the box, and pulled out a small pistol-looking device. The nametag stated that it was to Pinkie Pie, from Red Pyro. It was the Detonator. A flare-gun that shot small rounds that, when in contact with an enemy, would set them on fire. If they already were on fire, it would deal critical hits. She giggled. “Wow, this thing is weird!” She pointed it toward Fluttershy, who hid behind her Medi-gun again. “Stop pointing weapons at me, okay?” She whispered shyly. … Zecora was the next one to search the box, and got the Loch-n-Load from Red Demoman. A grenade launcher that was incredibly difficult to use, but dealt substantial damage if used correctly. … When Big Mac checked the box, he found the Huo-Long Heater from Red Heavy. It was the biggest thing in the entire box. The nametag said, “Go kill little baby robots for me! Make Heavy proud!” Now, when Big Mac spun up his minigun, he would be surrounded by a ring of flames that fended off from melee range. … Applejack checked the box, and found the Pomson 6000 from Red Engineer. It was a particle-smasher very similar to Spike’s new Cow-Mangler. “Hey Spike, guess who also got a cool new particle-thingy?” She taunted, holding up the weapon for him to see. … After Applejack, Fluttershy timidly stepped up to retrieve her weapon. After searching around, she found the Ubersaw from Red Medic. She read the nametag, which said, “I vas going to give you a Medic-gun, but I figured zee Kritzkrieg vas good enough for MvM. So, I givez you zee Ubersaw!” Whenever Fluttershy were to whack an enemy with the Ubersaw, she would gain 25% Ubercharge. … Rarity stepped forward, and picked her weapon out of the box. What she found was the Eternal Reward from Red Spy. “Yes! I’ve been waiting to get this knife ever since Blue Spy used it at Upward Mountain!” She beamed. Whenever Rarity were to backstab someone with the Eternal Reward, she would automatically disguise as the victim. At the same time, it made absolutely no noise when killing. On top of that, the dead body would automatically disappear, leaving no evidence. … Twilight was the last one to retrieve her weapon. However, there were two left in the box. “What the…?” She stuttered. She picked up both the weapons. One was a sniper rifle, and one was a long knife. She looked at the nametags, and found that they were both addressed to her from Red Sniper. “Looks like you got lucky, darling!” Rarity said. From Red Sniper, Twilight received the Hitman’s Heatmaker, and the Bushwacka. With the Heatmaker, Twilight was able to gain focus on enemies, and reload without unscoping. With the Bushwacka, she was able to deal crits instead of mini-crits. The nametag on both of the weapons read, “Go get ‘em, mate! I believe in you!” Twilight blushed slightly, and applied the weapons to her arsenal. ………………………………… “Alright, guys! Are we ready to do this?” Pinkie Pie yelled. “Yeah, bring it on!” Everyone else yelled in reply. The ponies all charged out of the resupply locker with their new weapons, ready for the most intense battle of their lives. On their way out, they received the scoop on the final wave. In the battle to end all battles, the ponies would face 8 giant Soldiers, 4 tanks, 8 giant Demos, 8 Uber-Medics, 60 Pyros, 25 Deflector-Heavies, 20 Steel Gauntlets, 45 Demo-Knights, as well as Sydney-Snipers and Spies for support. By the time Applejack got her sentry gun and dispenser set up, and everypony was in position, the countdown for the last wave began. …………………………………… The Final Wave! …………………………………… “This is the final wave! Protect the facility at all costs!” The announcer ordered. The ponies all exchanged determined glances, and raised their weapons. They stared at the ledge, ready to defend Mann Co one last time. “5…4…3…2…1…” … The beginning of the last of the robots appeared over the ledge. For the first time, the ponies actually let out battle cries. Two giant Spike bots marched over the hill, being healed by a Fluttershy bot each. They were assisted by a mess of Pinkie Pie bots. The moment they touched down on the ground, Big Mac opened fire on the Pinkie bots with Fluttershy healing him. ……………………………………… Super Mario Galaxy: Boomsday ……………………………………… Twilight scoped up with the Hitman’s Heatmaker, and headshot the assisting Fluttershy bot. The damage traveled over to the nearby giants and the other Fluttershy bot, killing the Fluttershy bots and damaging the giant bots. … Right after Twilight’s killing of the Medics, Big Mac left the Pyros in the hooves of the other ponies. He turned his attention to the giant Spike bots, which were now without Medics, and firing rapid rockets at his teammates. “Charge me, Flutters! Let’s finish these things off early!” Big Mac ordered. Fluttershy activated Ubercharge, and Big Mac peppered the first giant bot with critical hits. Coupled with Applejack’s sentry gun, it was quickly destroyed. … The bomb was dropped to the ground, where it was intercepted by the other giant Spike bot. Big Mac still had Ubercharge left, so he turned it over to the other bot. He continued firing constant critical shots at the bot, determined to finish it off as quickly as the first one. However, his gun suddenly stopped firing. “Uh…Big Mac? What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked. “I think I’m out of ammo! The ring of flames from this weapon is eating up my ammo!” Big Mac replied. The giant Spike bot turned toward Big Mac and Fluttershy, fired three rockets, and finished them off instantly. Then it turned toward Applejack’s sentry gun, and fired rockets at a pace too fast for Applejack to keep up. Her sentry gun was destroyed. …………………………………… “The giant bot must be a special rapid-fire Spike model…” Twilight whispered to herself. She retreated, running quickly to a battlement further back. Once she made it up the steps, she scoped up to try and kill the robot. She noticed that it was on very low health. The crits from Fluttershy’s Ubercharge must’ve worn it down. Twilight waited for the charge on her rifle to build. Once it was ready, she pulled the trigger on the bot’s head. The critical hit was just enough to finally finish it off. … Just as she was turning around to leave the battlement, she was attacked by a swarm of Pinkie bots. “Hey, wait a minute…!” She interjected. She was quickly burned alive before she could say another word. ……………………………………… Rainbow Dash flew around in the air, shooting Pinkie bots from out of their reach. Once they were dead, she would swoop down and pick up the credits. Although it was the final wave, credits could still be used to buy quick-respawns. As she was doing this, she noticed two more giant Spike bots and their Fluttershy bots marching toward the ledge. “Hmm…I wonder…” She whispered to herself. She pulled out the Flying Guillotine, and hurled it at the giant Spike bot. It flew down, and hit the bot right in the neck. However, instead of cutting the bot’s head right off, a flash of blue covered the robot, and the cleaver bounced right off. The bot continued on, and fell off the ledge and into the battlefield. … “Hey, what the hay?! That’s cheating!” She whined. She heard a voice calling her attention from the ground. She looked, and saw Rarity waving at her. She flew down to her. “What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently. “In case you were wondering, I don’t think you can damage the robots before they jump off the starting ledge.” Rarity explained. “What? That’s stupid!” Rarity shrugged. “It’s just the way it works.” … Suddenly, the newly-entered giant Spike bots rapid-fired rockets at them as they were talking, blowing them both to pieces. …………………………………. As soon as Applejack respawned, she headed up the stairs, and onto a battlement that was further back. When she got there, she noticed Twilight’s burning corpse lying on the ground. She shrugged, and began working on another sentry gun. She noticed that a duo of giant Spike bots and their Medics were heading down the path in which she was building. She whacked it with her wrench, making it build faster. By the time she got it upgraded to level 2, the robots were close enough for it to start shooting. The sentry gun fired constant bullets at the unsuspecting-robot-duo. After just a couple shots, the Fluttershy bots noticed the attack, and activated their Ubercharge on the giant bots. In response, the giant bots began shooting at Applejack and her sentry gun. … “Whoa, nelly!” She packed up the sentry gun in her toolbox, and took off with it toward the hatch. Once there, she placed it down, and waited for the Ubercharge to wear off. The sentry gun began shooting the giant bots again once they were in range. The giant Spike bots noticed her again, and started shooting rockets at her sentry gun. She frantically whacked it with her wrench, trying to keep it intact while it slowly wore away at the bots. … As she was rapidly repairing, she noticed Rarity uncloak from behind the robots. She was disguised as a Fluttershy bot. She attached a level 3 sapper to one of the Fluttershy bots, which applied the electro-suction effect to all four of the robots. The Fluttershy bots lowered their heads, completely disabled. The Spike bots were slowed down dramatically, making awkward steps as they tried to totter forward. She then backstabbed both of the Fluttershy bots, ran forward, and jammed her knife into the first giant bot’s metallic, scaly foot. The whole thing exploded, and the broken parts turned invisible. If some random pony were to walk onto the scene, it would look like nothing happened. Rarity was now disguised as a Spike bot. … As the other giant Spike bot teetered along slowly from its energy being drained out, Applejack’s sentry gun sprayed it with bullets until it also exploded. The bomb was dropped on the ground. Applejack looked up at Rarity. “How did you destroy that metal beast with just one stab in the foot?” “I guess he was jus-s-s-st low on health.” She replied. Her voice was masculine and computerized; just like a Spike bot. “Also, how did you respawn so fast?” “I used a qui-i-i-ick respawn. It costs fi-i-i-ive credits per second.” “Oh, I guess that makes sense.” …………………………………… All of the other dead ponies used the quick respawn to get back into the fight. They left the resupply locker, ran past the hatch, turned the first corner, and saw the bomb sitting in front of Applejack’s sentry gun. “What…how the hay did the bomb get all the way back here?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Don’t ask me! You were dead the whole time! I tried my best!” Applejack defiantly replied. Rainbow Dash was about to say something else, but held her tongue. More robots were coming over the ledge, so there was no time for discussion. …………………………………………… Applejack left her sentry gun in front of the bomb to keep it guarded while the rest of the ponies ran up front to continue fighting. One giant Zecora bot was approaching the ledge, followed by a ton of Pinkie Pie and Big Mac bots. “Watch out, there! I think those Big Mac bots are Deflectors, just like the last ones!” Twilight warned. Spike wasn’t sure, but to be safe, he took out the Cow-Mangler 5000. Applejack ran forward to help him with the Pomson 6000, leaving her sentry gun behind to defend the bomb. … Spike and Applejack worked together to destroy the Deflector-Mac bots with the ion beams from their particle-smashers, while the rest of the ponies assisted with killing the Pinkie bots. Big Mac and Fluttershy attacked the giant Zecora bot, waiting for an Ubercharge so they could finish it off. A few ponies dropped here and there from fire and bullets from the Big Mac bots. However, they were back in the fight quickly using earned credits to buy themselves back from the dead. … “Alert! There are multiple tanks!” The announcer warned. Just as Big Mac and Fluttershy killed the giant Zecora bot, two tanks rolled out of the twin gates at the front of the battlefield. At the same time, another giant Zecora bot and some Sydney-Twilight bots appeared over the ledge. “Okay…we need to split up the jobs. Pinkie Pie, you and me will attack the Twilight bots, as well as any incoming Big Mac bots. Big Mac, I want you and Fluttershy to attack any incoming giant bots. You two are the only ones who have the power to kill off the biggest brute force! Everyone else, attack the tanks!” Twilight ordered. Although she knew that everypony had a job for a reason, there were some moments where it simply wasn’t enough. Every team needs a strong leader, and that’s where she felt she fit into place. … The ponies cheered, and began to do their jobs. It was time to carry out Operation Botslaughter! …………………………………… Just as planned, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Zecora, Applejack, and Rarity split up, and began attacking both of the tanks. Before any of the Twilight bots could stop them, they would be killed by the real Twilight. As more Big Mac bots entered, Pinkie Pie would run forward and burn them. As she did so, she ran around them in circles, preventing them from locking onto her. She would get injured a couple times from the giant Zecora bots’ grenades, yet they were being depleted by Big Mac and Fluttershy. … Slowly but surely, the giant Zecora bots were being drained by Big Mac’s bullet-spray. Once Fluttershy built up and used her Ubercharge, the resulting crits quickly and efficiently finished them off. With their remaining Ubercharge power, they assisted Rainbow Dash and Spike with one of the tanks, waiting for another giant bot to climb the ledge. While the tanks were being attacked, a large mob of more Big Mac bots appeared over the ledge. However, not only were they huge, they didn’t have miniguns. Instead, they had large metal gloves for boxing. They were surprisingly easy to kill. Twilight immediately threw a jar of jarate at them, which covered about a third of them. Then Pinkie used her circle technique to burn them with mini-crits until they exploded. … During the commotion, the tanks continued on, taking dangerously miniscule damage. They were already halfway through the map, and they weren’t even down to two-thirds damage yet. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Big Mac and Fluttershy were patiently waiting for more robots at the front lines when they heard a call from Rainbow Dash. “Guys, we need some help back here! The tanks are going to make it to the hatch!” She called desperately. Twilight and the others ran back to aid the rest of the team in destroying the tanks. They needed to be terminated before they bombed the hatch. Twilight began to whack the tank with her Kukri while Pinkie Pie opened flame on it from a different angle. Big Mac and Fluttershy headed for the other tank to help the other half of the team. … Fluttershy didn’t say anything to Big Mac. As he peppered the tank with bullets, she opened Ubercharge the second she was ready. An endless shower of critical hits pounded into the tank, reducing its durability considerably. It quickly became beaten up to the point of combustion. Big Mac turned around, and spent the rest of his crits on the other tank. The first one blew up from being shot by Rarity’s Ambassador. … “Alert! More tanks have entered the area!” The announcer yelled. “What? Are you kidding me?” Rainbow Dash complained in exasperation. She flew high up in the sky to get a better view, and saw two more tanks entering the arena at the same time. Right as she flew back down to warn her teammates, she witnessed the other tank’s explosion from the remainder of Big Mac’s crit-boost. “Don’t cheer yet, guys. More tanks are on their way. I think I also saw some giant Spike bots coming over the ledge.” Rainbow Dash mentioned. “We’re on it!” Applejack replied confidently. ……………………………………… On their way back up to the front lines, the announcer broadcasted a Spy warning. More Rarity bots were now on the loose. Applejack and Pinkie Pie made their way up the battlement while the rest of the ponies headed into the battlefield to destroy the incoming tanks. Pinkie Pie guarded Applejack’s back from Spies while Applejack worked on a sentry gun to take out the last giant bots. … While Twilight was attacking one of the tanks with her teammates, she turned around, and threw a jar of jarate at the giant Spike bot. Once it was drenched, she continued whacking the tank. Applejack’s new sentry gun took full advantage of the mini-crit boost. Bullets flew at the bot with rapid speed. The bot fired rockets back at the gun with the exact same speed. However, Applejack’s super-upgraded construction speed kept the sentry gun alive under fire. Zecora turned her attention from the tank for just a second to fire one grenade at the giant bot. The mini-crit explosion coupled with Applejack’s sentry gun and the bot’s low health was enough to finally destroy it. At the same time, Pinkie Pie burned one more Rarity bot. “You have destroyed all Spy bots!” The announcer broadcasted. … All of the ponies’ attention was now focused on the tanks. Zecora went back to firing grenades at it, while Applejack’s sentry gun focused on it. Its durability was draining at an average speed. By the time it was a third of the way through the map, its durability was halfway gone. “Fluttershy, don’t you have an Ubercharge?” Big Mac asked. “No. I’m only at 55%!” She replied anxiously. Twilight was also out of jarate. It didn’t matter though, considering it had no effect on tanks. “Isn’t there anything we can do to make this go faster? We can’t afford to waste any more time!” Twilight asked. … Spike stepped in. “Well…Red Soldier gave me this thing a while back called the Buff Banner, but I don’t exactly know what it’s supposed to do…” “Who cares? Just use it!” Twilight ordered. Spike put the pack on his back, and blew into the trumpet that came with it. Immediately, all of the ponies’ weapons began to glow a blinding gold, and were charged with mini-crits. The mini-crit damage from every single pony depleted the first tank’s durability at an incredible rate. By the time it was two-thirds through the map, it was completely destroyed. … The ponies now had to take out the other one. However, since all of their attention was on the first one, the second one got a big head-start without receiving any damage. “Come on, move! We need to get this thing destroyed!” Rainbow Dash ordered. The ponies fired everything they had at the fourth and final tank of the wave. While they were doing so, they didn’t notice the giant Spike bot, giant Zecora bot, Sydney-Sniper bots, and barrage of Deflector Big Mac bots that were appearing over the ledge for a last-ditch effort. ……………………………………… The ponies never stopped firing at the tank. As it was being attacked, it turned the corner, and was traveling its last few yards before reaching the hatch. “The tank is almost to the hatch! Stop it!” The announcer cried out. The tank rolled up the ramp, and over to the hatch. As its compartment opened up to release the bomb, it became more and more banged up. Finally, just before successfully bombing the base, it was destroyed by a sticky bomb that Zecora had placed beneath it. “Yes! We did it! We actually did it!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “Um…I don’t think so, Rainbow Dash. Look up ahead.” Applejack stated. Rainbow Dash did as Applejack had said, and gasped. The ponies were closed in by one final sub-wave of robots. It was now time to fight off the last of the army right in front of the hatch. “We’re not down quite yet. Who’s ready for one last game of Tower Defense?” Twilight asked. …………………………………… Duty Calls for 162bpm …………………………………… Rarity cloaked, and headed up the stairs to eliminate the Twilight bots before they could jarate her teammates. Much to her dismay, they were wearing Razorbacks. “Oh, trying to make things more difficult, I see?” She smirked. She pulled out her Ambassador, and headshot them a couple of times to finish them off. As she was doing this, the rest of her teammates were attacking the Deflector Big Mac bots. … The giant Spike bot had the bomb, and had reached the hatch while the ponies were attacking the smaller bots. Just before jumping in to secure victory, the bot was slowed down when Pinkie Pie dove in to air-blast it away. Once it was a little farther away from the hatch, the ponies had more time to try and kill it. “Big Mac, I’m at full charge now!” Fluttershy announced. “Well, what are you waiting for? Do it!” He replied. When Fluttershy deployed her last Ubercharge on Big Mac, he turned his direction toward the giant Zecora bot instead of the Spike bot. The rest of the ponies were going to destroy it while it tried to deploy the bomb, so he needed to give them a head-start with the giant Zecora bot. … All the while, the Deflector Big Mac bots continued to fire at the ponies. Spike kept them under control by using the Cow-Mangler to finish them off one by one. After a while, the giant Spike bot was finally destroyed after being air-blasted away from the hatch over and over again. All that remained was the giant Zecora bot. It was massively damaged from Big Mac’s critical bullet-spray. Just before jumping into the hatch, one rocket from Applejack’s sentry gun finished it off. ……………………………………… “The robots have been defeated! I can’t believe you actually did it.” The announcer exclaimed in surprise. The ponies had defeated Operation Mannslaughter. To be Continued… Author's Note It's a double-chapter! Flip to the next page, and continue reading! :D Now What?……………………………………… TF2 Saxxy 2011 Theme ……………………………………… The ponies jumped around and cheered. Pinkie Pie giggled wildly, shooting fire high into the sky from her flamethrower. Fluttershy cried quietly from the happiness and relief of being done. The impending battalion of robots had finally been defeated. Twilight and Rainbow Dash smiled warmly at each other, and gave each other a big hug. “You did good there, Rainbow Dash. I’m proud of how much you’ve grown since we came here.” Twilight whispered in her ear. … Right then, all of team RED ran out of the resupply garage to congratulate their colleagues. The ponies were very happy and surprised to see their human classes return to them. “Excellent work, soldier! You’re the best recruit that I’ve ever come to meet! You have honored this entire unit!” Red Soldier exclaimed. He walked up to Spike, and threw him up in the air. Spike laughed, and waved his arms around in mid-air. He fell back down, where Red Soldier caught him. … All of the ponies received congratulatory compliments from their classes. Twilight looked around, but couldn’t find Red Sniper. “Hey…where’s my class?” She asked sadly. As if on cue, Red Sniper came out of the resupply garage last. As soon as they saw each other, they grinned from ear-to-ear. “Hey, mate. You really made me proud today.” He stated. “Did you actually see us fighting?” Twilight asked him. “You bet I did. We were all in the control room with the announcer, watching your performance.” He answered. “Huh…I can’t believe it…” She stuttered. “It looks like you really came to realize what it means to be a team member as part of Mann Co. You sure learned a lot.” Red Sniper added. “Yeah… By the way, why didn’t you come out of the garage with everypony else?” She asked. “I had to explain something to the announcer.” He responded. “Oh really? What was that?” … Red Sniper bent over, and picked Twilight right up off the ground. She was surprised to suddenly be off the ground and in Red Sniper’s arms. Her surprise turned to shock, however, when Red Sniper kissed her. Her eyes went wide, then slowly closed as she accepted the sudden invitation. The other sixteen fighters turned, and noticed Red Sniper and Twilight. They stared for a couple seconds, then began to cheer and clap. The applause echoed throughout the map. … Red Sniper finally broke away from Twilight’s lips. “By the way mate, in this world, it’s pronounced, ‘everybody’.” He mentioned. Twilight didn’t care. For those couple of seconds, she was in heaven. In reality, she was still in Red Sniper’s arms, but to her, it didn’t make a difference. ………………………………………. “So, we’ve defeated the robot menace. Now what do we do?” Rainbow Dash asked. Red Sniper looked up at her. “Now, we go to Granary to meet up with team BLU for another Arena battle.” He explained. “Sounds good to me. I’d kind of like to get away from this map.” Twilight added. Red Sniper smiled. All eighteen Mann Co fighters, old and new, turned around, and left the Mannworks Shipping Facility. A whole new map lied ahead them to be fought on in the continuing battle for dominance. Let the bloodbath begin! THE END Author's Note Almost cried when writing this. :') That is how I like to end most stories. I really hope you enjoyed reading this installment of 'Twilight's Experiments'! My next installment will definitely be about Mario Kart 7. But for right now, I will continue production of 'A Life-Changing Blessing'. If you decided to watch me, thank you! -AUTHOR ANNOUNCEMENT-Good news! For those of you who have been reading this story since its production, I have found the rest of the robots pics for the Attack/Defend chapter! I now have a robot picture of every single pony for you to see. To go straight to that chapter and view the pictures, click here. Also, a sequel to this story is very likely, so if you enjoyed this story, stay tuned at all costs! In the meantime, here is a cool video I found on YouTube!
ArrivalEquestria was experiencing a rather dark and stormy afternoon. Lightning flashed, followed by the loud boom of thunder. Rain came pouring down, pelting buildings and any unfortunate ponies that happened to be rushing around outside. Most of the land had suffered a massive drought just a few days prior, so the pegasi scheduled a tropical storm to make up for it. Because of the dry, cracked dirt that covered much of the ground, low-lying parts of various towns had received flood warnings, and had been advised to move to higher ground. Ponyville, the town adjacent to the famed Sweet Apple Acres, was suffering the worst of the storm. The mayor, along with a few government officials, buckled down in wait of a massive clean-up operation. Several buildings were on the brink of collapse. Yet even under the crushing power of the elements, seven ponies ran through the streets of the town, trying to reach the library before the storm got the better of them. None of them looked very happy. ……………………………… After waiting about twenty minutes, the door to Twilight Sparkle’s home finally received a knock. Jittery, she asked her assistant Spike to answer it for her. Acknowledging her request, the small dragon ran for the door, turned the knob, and greeted the soaking wet visitors that stood angrily on the other side. Rainbow Dash was the first one to enter, followed by the other six in the following order: Applejack, Big Macintosh, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Zecora. Although unhappy about having to rush over on short notice in the pouring rain, the six were forgiving, and willing to hear whatever it was Twilight had to say. Except Rainbow Dash of course, who was ready to strangle whoever got on her last nerve. “This had better be good, Twilight. I won’t be able to fly for a week with my wings wet like this!” She exclaimed. “Whoa, calm down there sugarcube. If Twilight wanted us here during a big storm, it must be for a good reason.” Applejack reasoned. “I brought you all here on account of a new experiment that I have devised!” Twilight announced. Everyone except Rainbow Dash and Rarity oohed and awed. “Ooh, what is it, what is it? Oh, I can’t wait!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “It’s a trans-dimensional teleportation spell. If it works, we shouldn’t be in Equestria anymore.” Twilight answered. This earned gasps from everyone in the room, even Spike. “Where exactly would it take us?” Rarity asked. … “Well first of all, somewhere where it’s not raining.” Twilight answered. The group let out a sigh of relief. Anywhere without rain was good at this point. “Well, that’s good. What is this place like?” Fluttershy asked. “Well, has anyone heard of a human? Mythical creatures that walk on two legs?” Most of the group nodded their heads. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Twilight. Humans? We’re not four-year-olds.” “The place we’d be going to has living humans as their dominant species. You’d be surprised; humans have intelligence that’s unmatched by any other species.” Twilight explained. “Is it a happy place with lots of partying?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight shrugged. “I’m not sure. After all, it is an alternate universe.” … “Let’s pick up the pace. I’d kind of like to see this new place.” Zecora suggested. “Okay then. I’d like everyone to form a circle around me please.” Twilight ordered. The seven ponies did as they were told, and formed a circle around Twilight. Spike stood next to her anxiously. “Spike, you too. Join the circle.” Twilight whispered to him. “Really? I get to be in one of your experiments?” He asked. “Yeah, why not? I’m also going to this alternate universe, so we can’t just leave you behind.” Twilight replied. Following her orders, Spike eagerly joined the circle in between Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Twilight ordered them all to hold each other’s hooves. … Once they had done so, Twilight began the spell. A steady stream of magic flowed from her horn, and began to travel downwards toward the ground. When it had touched the hardwood floor, it spread out, enveloping the ground that they were all standing on, and dying it a deep purple. The group standing around Twilight watched in wonder and awe at the floor as the magic swirled around them like a whirlpool. The purple hue on the floor began to change to black, and before anyone in the group could react, the floor opened up. The group suddenly screamed as they fell into a dark abyss. ……………………………………… They weren’t falling for long, however. The darkness they were falling in opened up, and they landed on hard, concrete ground. After recovering from the breath that was knocked out of them, the group stood up, and looked around. They appeared to be on a bridge that connected a large red barn and a blue factory. The barn even had the word “RED” printed on it, and the factory had the word “BLU” written on it. The bridge crossed over a ravine that seemed to have no bottom. Stars dotted the sky, as it was nighttime. “Where are we?” Fluttershy asked. “Beats me. I’m pretty sure this is not the location I intended to be teleported to.” Twilight responded, sounding confused. “Hey, I may have gotten a C in English back in school, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how you spell the word ‘blue’.” Rainbow Dash observed, pointing at the factory. “That’s an acronym. Below the word ‘BLU’, it says ‘Builders’ League United’.” Twilight replied. “And over on that barn, it says “Reliable Excavation Demolition’.” Applejack added. Big Mac shook his head. “Gee, that’s a fight just waiting to happen.” … The group heard an alien voice. “Hey, what’s with the colored horses? This doesn’t make any freaking sense.” They all turned toward the sound of the voice, and saw a teenage human wearing a headset and a blue shirt. He carried a baseball bat with the word ‘BONK!’ on it in his hand. “Colored horses? That’s for babies!” Came another unfamiliar voice. After hearing the response, a much bigger and older-looking man came out of the factory. He was completely bald, and very wide. He wore the same color shirt with a golden fist badge embroidered on the bicep. A chain of bullets hung around his shoulder, and he carried a giant minigun in his two hands. They all just kind of stared at each other in amazement. The two humans have never seen colored ponies, and the colored ponies have never seen humans. It was a moment that would be remembered by both groups for a long time. The moment was gone however when more humans began to come out of the factory and the barn to observe the scene. Everyone coming out of the factory wore blue, and everyone coming out of the barn wore red. There were so many different kinds of humans. There was a thick-armored man with a rocket launcher and an oversized helmet, a guy wearing an optical mask that had a flamethrower, a guy with a hard hat and a wrench, a German-looking guy with a strange power pack on his back and a long trench coat, an Australian guy with a hat and a sniper rifle, a black man with a bulletproof vest and a sticky-bomb launcher, and a masked man in a suit with a knife in his hand. The strangest thing was that there was two of every kind of human; one wearing each color. After the moment of confusion and wonder, the blue guy wearing the hard hat stepped forward, and held out his hand. “Welcome to Mann Co., partner.” He greeted. To be Continued… Author's Note I'm back! Although, I technically never left... I hope you enjoy the second installment of the Twilight's Experiments franchise!
Distribution“Who are ya? And what are ya doin’ here in our fine DoubleCross?” The red-wearing black man asked. “DoubleCross? This place is called DoubleCross?” Rarity asked. “Aye.” The blue-wearing black man added. “Where are ya from?” “Before we answer that, could you all please give us your names? It’s kind of difficult to distinguish all of you.” Twilight asked. Acknowledging her request, all eighteen of the mysterious men gave them their names. The teenager was named Scout, the armored rocket-launcher was Soldier, the mask-wearing flame-bearer was Pyro, the hard hat was Engineer, the minigun-wielder was Heavy, the black man was Demoman, the trench coat-wearer was Medic, the Australian rifle-bearer was Sniper, and the masked and suited guy was Spy. Go figure. “Well…now what are we supposed to do? We’re in the middle of some place we’ve never seen, in front of a bunch of creatures we don’t know, on a bridge that leads over Celestia-knows-what.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Maybe you can just get out of here. We need to get to the next arena for the next battle mode.” Red Scout answered rudely. “Wait!” The Blue Spy interjected, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “They might be of some use.” “How? They don’t even have fingers to shoot a gun.” Red Scout argued. Fluttershy gasped at the word ‘gun’ being mentioned. This didn’t look like a universe that she would enjoy. “That can be worked around. We might be able to add them among our ranks.” The Blue Spy added. “Alright little babies, who’s ready to get split up for good?” Red Heavy laughed. … The group of ponies shuddered. The thought of being split up and forced to fight each other seemed unbearable. “Wait, you can’t just expect us to break apart from each other! We’re friends!” Spike exclaimed. This just made the eighteen men laugh. “We have no friends here, mate. It’s all just cold-blooded killing.” Blue Sniper replied with a chuckle. The group gasped. This was going to be a long and treacherous journey. … Since there were nine newcomers, which was an odd number, the teams had to settle who would get the bigger half. The ponies expected there to be a coin toss or Rock Paper Scissors, but boy were they wrong. The Spy from both teams walked up in front of each other, and raised their Ambassadors. At a precise moment, Blue Soldier yelled, “Draw!” Suddenly, a loud gunshot fire slammed into everyone’s eardrums as Red Spy’s bullet passed through Blue Spy’s skull. Blue Spy crumpled to the ground, blood pouring out of the wound on the side of his head. All of the ponies gasped. Fluttershy began to cry. “I…I can’t believe you killed him! Now what are we going to do?” Applejack asked in horror. … As if in answer to her question, another Blue Spy came running out of the factory as if nothing had happened. He looked down at his own corpse, and shook his head. “Nice shot. I acknowledge your speed and accuracy.” He said. The ponies were dumbfounded. He was shot right in the head, and walked out of it like it was nothing! “Let me inform you on a little something. In this world, you respawn if you die. It’s as simple as that.” Red Engineer explained. Red Spy’s victory meant that team RED would get five ponies on their team, and team BLU would get four. Team RED also got first pick on who they wanted on their team, and what class they’d play as. The agreement was that this same routine would happen after each round, when the teams are scrambled. “You, big red pony! You come over here and fight with me as a Heavy!” Red Heavy exclaimed. “Eeyup.” Big Mac replied. He turned, waved goodbye to Applejack, and walked over next to Red Heavy as part of the RED team. “Hey, Skittles! You look like a strong fighter. Come fight for team BLU as my fellow Scout!” Blue Scout ordered. “Aw, yeah! This is going to be awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She flew over to Blue Scout, and slapped him a high five. … This method of distribution went on for the next ten minutes. Big Mac, Zecora, Pinkie Pie and Rarity ended up on team RED, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike joined team BLU. Big Mac was a Heavy, Zecora was a Demoman, Pinkie Pie was a Pyro, Rarity was a Spy, Rainbow Dash was a Scout, Applejack was a Engineer, and Spike was a Soldier. Twilight and Fluttershy were the only ones left. “Ay, mate! You look you got a keen eye; come snipe alongside me for team BLU!” Blue Sniper exclaimed. Twilight turned to Fluttershy with a tear in her eye. “I’m so sorry this had to happen. I’ll try not to shoot at you, okay?” Fluttershy nodded sadly as she watched Twilight walk over to Blue Sniper’s side. She was the last one picked, just as she predicted. “You don’t look like the kind that likes to shoot. How about you help me heal my team, and work for team RED?” Red Medic suggested. There was a weight to be lifted off her shoulders. She wouldn’t have to shoot anybody. She could go around doing what she did best: healing. … “Now we have two things left to do. First, we have to arm our new recruits with weapons. And second, we have to show up at Well tomorrow for an Arena battle!” Red Spy declared. “And the winner of that battle will get the bigger half of the recruits for the next battle, which will be Control Points at the Badlands!” Blue Soldier added. After these declarations, the two teams split up and walked away in different directions. Twilight seemed very confused. “Um…sorry to bother you, uh…Sniper, but what exactly is going on?” “Don’t you worry mate, when we get you your weapons, we’ll inform you on everything. And when we get to the battlefield tomorrow, stay by me so you know the best spots to camp out.” Sniper replied. Twilight sighed. Even knowing that they were going to respawn, she couldn’t bear the thought of having to shoot at her own friends. To be Continued… Author's Note Now it's time to get this party started!
Arena ModeIt is recommended that you listen to a specific song while reading this chapter, and all the chapters that come after it. The link to the music will be posted right at the moment where the music should be listened to. You'll find the link pasted in this chapter where it should be listened to. If the music stops playing, just replay it in the new tab. Of course, all of this is optional. Battle Arena #1: Well (Arena) The first thing the split group of ponies expected was a long walk from the DoubleCross to the Well. In reality, it took almost no time at all. The Engineers could somehow build teleporters, so apparently that’s how these humans get around. Anyway, this whole ‘RED vs. BLU’ thing was really making Twilight nervous. Before they had left, Sniper went to the resupply box, and gave her a giant sniper rifle. He also gave her a machete-looking thing, and a few empty jars. Lastly, they all got fitted into authentic Builders’ League United uniforms. Now she was standing with the rest of team BLU in the resupply lockers at the Well, waiting for the Arena battle to start. A grown man had just given her a sniper rifle, so this was not going to end well. “By the way Mr. Sniper, I never got to ask you. What are these empty jars for?” She asked. Blue Sniper looked down at her. “Well mate, as a Sniper, you’re going to be camping out for a bloody long time. If you ever need to use the bathroom, you use those jars. And then, later on, you can throw them at enemies to deal mini-crits!” He replied. Great, so now blood isn’t the only thing that’s going to be spilled all over the battlefield. That’s just lovely. Twilight turned toward Rainbow Dash. “How are you doing over there?” She saw Rainbow Dash jogging in place next to Blue Scout, holding a scattergun and looking happier than when she performed her first Sonic Rainboom. “Are you kidding? This is the best thing to ever happen to me! I’m going to have so much fun blowing dudes’ heads off with this gun!” Rainbow Dash eagerly replied. Twilight turned toward Applejack, who seemed to be getting a long explanation lecture from the Blue Engineer. “Everything going good for you so far?” She asked. Applejack glanced over at her. “Oh, just a minute sugarcube. I’m trying to understand what this nice man is telling me.” There were a lot of ups and downs to being an Engineer, so Blue Engineer was trying everything he could to make Applejack understand the concept of sentry guns and dispensers. Lastly, Twilight turned to Spike. She couldn’t exactly see his face, because it was covered with an army helmet that looked like a big iron bowl. She also never thought she’d get a view of the baby dragon holding a rocket launcher. “Are you sure you can handle this, Spike?” Spike pushed the helmet up a little bit so he could see Twilight’s face. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, if we respawn, it can’t be that bad, can it?” … Blue Soldier turned toward them. “Actually, there’ll be no instant respawning in Arena Mode. Everyone who dies stays dead until the round is over.” “…We do respawn though, right?” Spike asked. “Yes, after the round.” Blue Soldier replied. … Suddenly, a woman’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Mission begins in ten seconds.” Twilight and her three friends tensed up, ready for battle. The other standard team BLU members let out battle cries. “5…4…3…2…1……FIGHT!” The woman on the loudspeaker announced. The main doors to the resupply room opened, and everyone on both teams ran out into the open battlefield. ……………………………………… Playing with Danger .................................................... The first thing Twilight did was look for Blue Sniper. When she found him standing not far from resupply, she heard him tell her to follow him. So that’s just what she did. Blue Sniper led her to a spot that got a perfect view of the action, but was secluded enough so they won’t get noticed. At least she hoped. After she got into position and knelt down, she put the scope of the rifle up to her eye. What she saw was a magnified view of the battlefield many yards away. A crosshair centered the rifle’s target. “Okay mate, now I want you to…” … Twilight waited patiently for Blue Sniper to finish his sentence. After a few seconds, when she still didn’t hear anything, she looked away from the scope to see his limp body lying dead on the ground. A bullet hole was clearly visible in his forehead, and blood leaked out of it. Apparently the Blue Sniper just got sniped. Once Twilight remembered that you don’t respawn in Arena Mode, she began to panic for a second. “Okay, calm down. He’ll come back after the round. Just focus on doing my job.” She whispered. She put her eye back up to the scope. In the crosshair, she noticed the Red Sniper standing off in a far corner on the other side of the battlefield. “He must’ve been the one that sniped the Blue Sniper…” She thought. She breathed slowly, and took steady aim. When she got the center of the crosshair steadily locked onto Red Sniper’s head, she pulled the trigger. Suddenly, in her view, she saw Red Sniper’s head explode in a fine mist of red that sailed through the air for a solid five feet. She had killed him, and now he wouldn’t respawn until the end of the round. … She breathed again. “That’s one down…” Suddenly, she felt a white-hot pain shoot up through her spine and all over her body. Right before she could scream at the sudden sensation of pain, she fell forward, dead in a matter of seconds. Shortly after, Rarity appeared behind her from thin air, wearing a red suit and mask. She casually removed the blade from Twilight’s back. “My my darling, you’re going to have to be quicker than that.” Rarity chuckled, disappearing into an invisible state once again. ………………………………………… Big Mac was finally beginning to get the hang of using the big heavy minigun that he possessed. Although it was extremely oversized and overweight, he felt that he was the only one of his team besides the other Heavy that could handle it. He ran as fast as he could without dropping the minigun into the center building. He figured that’s where the most players were, so he’d have more targets to shoot. He entered the main doors, and turned a corner, and started getting peppered with bullets and rockets from a blue sentry gun. He noticed Applejack standing next to it, wearing a hardhat and a pair of overalls. He also noticed her laughing. He quickly hid behind the corner in which he had entered, breathing heavily. If he got hit with one more bullet, he’d surely be out of the round. “Yeehaw! I bet those bullets sting, don’t they brother?” He heard Applejack taunt. He grunted angrily under his breath. Soon after, he heard Applejack cry out in pain, and then the sound of a thud on the ground. Confused, he stepped back into the main building to see what it came from. He saw Applejack lying dead on the ground with a knife in her back. Red Spy stood behind her, destroying the sentry gun with an Electro Sapper. Once his work was done, he glanced up at Big Mac, and disappeared. … Before Big Mac could do anything else, he was shot hard through his hip by a scattergun bullet. He took the shot like a colt, and didn’t even cry out. He just fell to the ground, and dropped the minigun. Rainbow Dash, the firer of the bullet that killed off the brunt farmer, howled like a hyena. “Yeah, take that farmboy!” She yelled. ……………………………………… Unfortunately, team RED’s only professional Medic was killed a few seconds prior by Blue Soldier’s rocket launcher. Now, team RED’s entire healing force relied on Fluttershy alone. She stood awkwardly next to the resupply locker, quivering in fear, holding a syringe gun that she didn’t plan on using. That’s how she spent most of the round so far. Suddenly, she heard that strange woman announce something over the loudspeaker. “Alert! The Control Point is now available for capture!” She didn’t exactly know what a Control Point was, but it didn’t matter at the moment. She heard a voice calling for a Medic. She pulled out The Vaccinator, a special medi-gun that had been granted to her by the Red Medic. Hunting out the voice, she spotted Red Soldier, who appeared to be in need of help. She quickly flew over to him, and pulled the lever on The Vaccinator. A steady stream of red smoke was emitted from the tool, focusing on Red Soldier. Immediately, his wounds seemed to disappear, and he was back on his feet like nothing had happened. “You deserve a medal, doc!” Red Soldier exclaimed. Fluttershy smiled at his compliment. “Now come on, follow me!” He added. Red Soldier ran off toward the center building, with Fluttershy overhealing him from behind. … By the time they had actually reached the building, two of Fluttershy’s four Ubercharges were ready for use. “Um…I’m fully charged, if you want to…” She began. “I’m ready! Charge me, doc!” Red Soldier exclaimed. Fluttershy pulled the lever on her power pack, and both of them began to glow very bright red. Miniature bolts of red lightning flew off of both her and Red Soldier as they stormed the main building, killing off a barrage of BLU fighters with rockets before they could capture the Control Point. “Whoa! Fluttershy, how are you doing that?!” Rainbow Dash asked. She got out her scattergun, and started desperately shooting at both of them, with no effect. While this was going on, she quickly flew back and forth, dodging all of Red Soldier’s rockets. … Right when Red Soldier had to reload, Fluttershy’s Ubercharge had run out. However, Rainbow Dash also had to reload at that exact moment. Red Soldier had finished reloading right before Rainbow Dash, because he had less ammo to put in his launcher. He shot a rocket at Rainbow Dash, which hit her directly in the gut, blowing her to pieces. Blood flew in all directions, pelting Fluttershy and Red Soldier. “Thanks for the aid, doc! But we still have one more to kill…” Red Soldier said. “Are we the only ones left on team RED?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes. But there’s only one fighter left on team BLU, and I think we can take them. Are you ready?” Fluttershy’s recent Ubercharge had pumped her up. She had never felt so confident in her life. “I’m ready.” She replied. … Red Soldier ran for the Control Point with Fluttershy overhealing him in the meantime. The Control Point activated, and steadily began to turn red. “Come on…come on…almost there…” Suddenly, Red Soldier was headshot by an Ambassador bullet. He cried out, and fell to the ground. Fluttershy gasped loudly, and tried to heal him back to life, with no avail. The Control Point was still turning red, and had seconds to go before team RED won the Arena battle. However, Fluttershy’s confidence had completely vanished. A Spy was among her, and she needed to stay alive for just a few more seconds if her team was going to win the battle. She began to quiver violently again, and made little yelping noises out of pure terror. She pulled out her syringe gun, and aimed it at thin air, hoping to kill anyone who walked into its range. Suddenly, she was assaulted by a paralyzing pain that surged through all of her veins. She yelped loudly, and collapsed to the ground. … Blue Spy, who was standing behind her, removed the blade from her back, and brushed his shoulders. “What a shame. You got blood on my suit.” He mumbled. ……………………………………… Everyone on the battle field instantly respawned in their resupply lockers. The woman on the loudspeaker announced, “Victory goes to team BLU!” Everyone from team BLU and team RED walked out of their resupply lockers toward the main building where Blue Spy had made the final kill. Even Fluttershy respawned, and got a glimpse of her dead body. Team BLU lined up on one side of the building, while team RED lined up on the other side. Blue Spy, who got the final kill, got to begin with the choices for team BLU. “As the winners of the first Arena battle, I would like to begin our choices for team BLU’s recruits during the Badlands Control Points battle.” Blue Spy announced. Everyone in the building nodded. “To start, I would like Ms. Rarity to fight as Spy for team BLU. She has proven herself to be stealthy, cunning, and strategic during the battle that took place this evening.” Blue Spy ordered. Rarity, basking in the sunlight of the compliment that she had just received, walked over to the BLU side. Her red suit was to be changed over to blue for the next battle. … This procedure went on for the next ten minutes. All of the ponies kept their classes, but some moved teams. Team BLU now consists of Zecora, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. Team RED now consists of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Big Mac, and Spike. “So now we meet tomorrow at the Badlands for a Control Points battle!” Red Soldier exclaimed. After everyone agreed, the two teams walked off in their own separate directions. To be Continued… Author's Note 2,200 words in one afternoon is a big deal for me! It took me FOREVER...... By the way, when the ponies are scrambled to each team after each battle, I determine who goes where by rolling dice. The orientations are completely random!
Control Points ModeBattle Arena #2: Badlands (Control Points) By the time both teams got to the Badlands, Red Sniper had explained to Twilight how Control Points work. Five would be set up throughout the map. Two would belong to team BLU, and two would belong to team RED. One would be neutral. The teams’ most important Control Point would be locked until the previous one is captured. If a single team can advance across the map and take all of the Control Points, they win the round. Fortunately, there’s only a fifteen-second interval between respawns. “You got all that, mate?” Red Sniper asked. Twilight nodded. She looked around the resupply locker, and inspected her team. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash and Spike had switched teams with her, so they were still on her team. Applejack was replaced by Big Mac, and by the looks of the gun he was carrying, they’d probably be better off this way. Twilight kept telling herself over and over again to watch her own back during the round. After all, Rarity was still not on her team, and Snipers tended to be the number one target for backstabbing. Whenever she felt the time was right, she’d literally have to throw jars of her own piss at thin air, hoping to reveal a Spy. “This is just going to keep getting worse.” She muttered to herself. …………………………………… Over in team BLU’s resupply, Fluttershy was trying desperately to build her confidence for the Control Points battle. That knife from the previous battle burned like fire in her back, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to endure it again. “No hard feelings about my brutal assault on your back yesterday, right Ms. Fluttershy?” Blue Spy asked her. “Um…it’s fine, I guess.” She replied. She aimed her medi-gun at Blue Spy, and pulled the lever, giving him a quick overheal to start the battle. “I give my thanks, doctor.” Pinkie Pie came running up to Fluttershy, wielding her flamethrower. “Mmph! Mmm mmm MMM!” She yelled. “Oh, Pinkie Pie? I can’t hear you under your optical mask.” Fluttershy mentioned politely. Pinkie Pie lifted the optical mask, and spoke rather clearly in Fluttershy’s face. “Why can’t you overheal ME like that?” “Gosh Pinkie Pie, I didn’t know. You never asked. Besides…I’m kind of afraid of fire.” Fluttershy sheepishly responded. … Without saying a word, Pinkie Pie put her mask back on, and aimed the flamethrower at Fluttershy. She pulled the trigger, and a cloud of flames shot out of the weapon in terrifying amounts. Fluttershy squealed loudly, and covered her face with her medi-gun. However, she realized that the flames weren’t burning her. They collided with her body, but didn’t seem to make an impact. Pinkie stopped the flow of flames, and took her mask back off. “See silly, you can’t kill your own teammates!” She giggled. “Pinkie Pie, if you want to be overhealed so badly, please go ask Blue Medic. I want to overheal Blue Heavy so I can get a lot of points.” Fluttershy pleaded. “Thank you doctor!” Blue Heavy called, hearing their conversation. … Suddenly, the woman on the loudspeaker announced the ten-second warning. Everyone on both teams prepped for battle. Fluttershy ran over behind Blue Heavy, and began to overheal him with The Vaccinator. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” …………………………………. Playing with Danger …………………………………. Both teams let out battle cries, and marched out in pursuit of the first Control Point. The ones who stayed behind were the Spies and the Snipers. They had more important work to do. … Applejack knew that the first thing that would happen if she tried to get the Control Point was going to be bloody. So instead, she hunted out a spot near the Control Point that was out of the way, and got out her trusty wrench. “Okay y’all, I’m putting a dispenser right here!” She announced. Blue Scout gave her a thumbs-up as he ran by with his baseball bat. Close behind him was Blue Heavy, being healed by Fluttershy. As Applejack worked on the dispenser, Blue Engineer approached her location. “Mind if I take advantage of your dispenser?” He asked. “Be my guest.” Applejack answered. … Blue Engineer got out his wrench, and began to set up a defense mechanism. “Building a sentry!” He announced. Blue Engineer was working on a small, average sentry gun. In order to upgrade it to a rapid-fire, rocket-launching, Heavy-killing defense monstrosity, he would need more metal. That’s where Applejack’s dispenser came in. Not long after completing the dispenser, Applejack began to work on a sentry gun of her own. Both Engineers continued to work on sentry guns, getting more metal from Applejack’s dispenser. Soon, they were both fully upgraded. “Now what?” Applejack asked, wiping sweat from her forehead. “Now? Now we wait.” Blue Engineer replied with a smirk on his face. … Rainbow Dash and Red Scout ran onto the Control Point, scatterguns ablaze. Surprisingly, they managed to hold off team BLU’s defenses long enough to capture the first Control Point for team RED. They slapped a high-five, and began to run around the corner to the next Control Point. Suddenly, they were pumped so full of bullets and rockets from the Engineers’ sentry guns that they literally blew into pieces. Now it was Blue Engineer’s and Applejack’s turn to slap a high-five. ……………………………………… Spike ran out from team RED’s base toward the location of the newly-captured Control Point. He had to continuously keep pushing his helmet out of his face, because it would constantly droop down into his vision. He turned the corner that was just past the Control Point, and started getting hit with bullets from the two sentry guns. Noticing that he was being fired at, he quickly hid back around the corner. He thought for a second on what to do. Then he remembered what Red Soldier had told him earlier. He crouched, aimed the rocket launcher at his feet, and fired. He took slight damage, but was propelled high into the sky. From up here, he could clearly see the whole map. He quickly looked down to where the two sentry guns and the two Engineers were located, and fired again. It made a solid impact on Blue Engineer’s head, and blew everything up. Blue Engineer, Applejack, the two sentry guns, and the dispenser were destroyed. Spike fell back down to earth, landing firmly on his feet. He quickly reloaded his rocket launcher, and began to advance toward team BLU’s base. “Whoa, that was amazing!” He exclaimed. “Excellent work, soldier! Now our team can advance on team BLU!” Red Soldier added. He must’ve been right around the corner when Spike blew up the sentry guns. Spike smiled, and the two of them ran forward to the next Control Point. As they were running, Spike heard a noise behind him. He turned, and saw Twilight running up behind them. “Twilight, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be sniping?” He asked. “Yeah, but I had to take care of something first.” Twilight responded. She ran around behind Spike, and jammed a knife in his back. Spike gasped. The form of red-wearing Twilight was replaced by blue-wearing Rarity. “Sorry Spikey-Wikey, but I couldn’t let you take the Control Point.” She whispered in his ear. … Not long after Spike fell to the ground, Red Soldier noticed Rarity. “Spy! Attack!” He yelled. He fired a rocket at Rarity, and before she could cloak herself again, she was blown up by the impact. Using the temporary loss of the Spy as an advantage, Red Soldier quickly climbed the spiraled hill that led to team BLU’s first central Control Point. Aiming his rocket launcher, he was prepared to fight off anyone who got in his way. A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash came running around the corner. She began to climb the spiral hill, and joined Red Soldier in capturing the Control Point. Red Soldier shot Rainbow Dash with his rocket launcher. It blew up on contact with Rainbow Dash’s body, but nothing happened. “Hey man, what are you doing?” She asked. “Just checking for Spies.” Red Soldier replied. … As the Control Point began to turn red, the duo heard a clattering noise. Before they could distinguish what it was coming from, they were blown sky-high by the bombs that were strategically placed beneath them. Zecora appeared from a secluded corner, holding her bomb launcher. “If you had checked your feet, you wouldn’t have become dead meat.” She smirked. She launched some sticky bombs up onto the Control Point, and hid back in her corner. ……………………………………… After spending a long time in her camping location, Twilight decided that she would have to move if she was going to get any kills. She had already managed to fill up three jars, and had no one to throw them at. She was also getting strained from sitting in one position for too long. She packed up her three jars and her sniper rifle, and left the battlements that she had been sitting on for the entire battle so far. … Believe it or not, a more cozy second set of battlements was waiting for her right next to the neutral Control Point. Except when she looked at it, it appeared to have been taken over by her team. She set up her rifle in one of the windows, and put her eye up to the scope. When she looked around, she saw Blue Heavy pummeling through her teammates with his minigun’s rapid-fire. “Well we can’t have that, now can we?” She whispered to herself. She took steady aim, getting the crosshair fixed onto Blue Heavy’s head. When she felt that it was in the right position, she pulled the trigger. She saw blood fly out of Blue Heavy’s head, and she heard him cry out a little. She had headshot him. However, he was still alive. “What the…? How is that possible?” She exclaimed. She looked back through the scope. When she took a closer look, as Blue Heavy advanced onto team RED’s Control Point, she saw Fluttershy healing him from close behind. “Oh, Fluttershy. I’m sorry I have to do this.” She aimed the crosshair at Fluttershy’s head. When the lines matched up, Twilight pulled the trigger. However, right when she did so, Fluttershy moved forward a little. … As Fluttershy followed and healed Blue Heavy, she heard something whip by her ear. She smacked her ear, thinking it was a bug. Not long after, she heard another whip. “Um, Heavy? I think I’m being shot at.” Fluttershy mentioned quietly. Her voice sounded as if she was about to throw up. Very panicked, and barely able to stay choked down. “Get behind me, doctor!” Blue Heavy commanded. Fluttershy did as she was told. Right then, her Ubercharge was ready to go. “Charge me!” Blue Heavy exclaimed. Right before Fluttershy pulled the lever on her power pack, a bullet passed through her head, as well as Blue Heavy’s chest. They both yelped loudly, and collapsed to the ground. Blood poured out of their wounds. … Twilight cocked the rifle, put her eye back up to the scope, and smiled. “Two for one.” ……………………………………… Twilight’s brutal double kill allowed team RED enough time to capture team BLU’s first central Control Point. Only a couple fighters died from Zecora’s sticky-bomb defense. Since team RED only had one Control Point to go, they all advanced into team BLU’s base. The neutral Control Point zone was quiet. “Guess I’d better move inwards toward the action.” Twilight said to herself. … She packed up her stuff again, and turned to leave the battlement. However, the second she turned around, she saw Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway with her flamethrower. “Hey Twilight!” She exclaimed. Pinkie let loose on the flames, and after a brutal several seconds of screaming and writhing, Twilight burned alive. …………………………………… Big Mac intruded team BLU’s base, shooting his minigun like a madpony. In this desperate fit of rage, he managed to finish off team BLU’s Sniper, Spy, and Engineer. He even killed off Fluttershy and Rarity. Not long after his main intrusion, Red Medic had followed him in there, and began to overheal him. “Let’s capture zee Control Point and win zee round!” Red Medic exclaimed. He activated an Ubercharge that he had previously saved up, and the two of them became invincible. They walked onto the last Control Point, and it started to turn red. More RED reinforcements began to flood into the BLU base. However, by the time Red Medic’s and Big Mac’s Ubercharge had run out, Blue Medic had built one up. He overhealed Blue Heavy, and activated Ubercharge. Blue Heavy began to pepper team RED with bullets, and managed to kill almost everyone off. Meanwhile, the last Control Point had seconds to go before team RED won the battle. Red Medic hid behind Big Mac while continuing to heal him. Big Mac desperately kept firing his minigun, trying to hold off team BLU. Suddenly, his gun stopped firing. … “What’s wrong?” Red Medic asked. “I think I’m out of ammo!” Big Mac exclaimed in reply. The Blues’ Ubercharge had run out, but Blue Heavy was still firing. Big Mac began to take damage, and Red Medic’s healing would only go so far. Suddenly, a charged bullet passed through Blue Medic’s and Blue Heavy’s head. They collapsed to the ground, and dropped their weapons. Big Mac and Red Medic looked toward the direction of the bullet, and saw Twilight standing in the entrance to team BLU’s base with her rifle held up. She brought it to her mouth, and blew smoke from the nozzle. “Did I miss anything?” She asked. … Right then, the last Control Point was captured for team RED. They had won the battle. “Victory, team RED!” The woman on the loudspeaker announced. Everyone on team RED jumped around and cheered. Victory always felt good. …………………………………… After the battle, both teams lined up near the central Control Point, and began the second recruit exchange. Big Mac and Red Medic got to choose first for team RED, since they captured the last Control Point. The teams are now scrambled as follows. Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy are on team RED. Rainbow Dash, Zecora, Big Mac, and Pinkie Pie are on team BLU. … “And now, just as planned, we meet tomorrow at the Nucleus for a King of the Hill battle!” Red Soldier announced. The teams agreed on the terms, and walked off in separate directions. “King of the Hill! That sounds like fun.” Rainbow Dash thought to herself. To be Continued… Author's Note I had to go to church today, so this might've been a little rushed. After doing all the game modes, I plan on making this story go out with a bang! Who's up for Mann vs. Machine?
King of the Hill ModeBattle Arena #3: Nucleus (King of the Hill) “So, you have to capture a Control Point, and hang on to it for a few minutes without the other team taking it over?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yeah, that’s it. When you’re a Scout, it’s quick and easy!” Blue Scout answered. After saying this, Blue Scout reached around in his seemingly-bottomless pocket, and pulled out a strange red and yellow soda can. In large red letters, the word ‘BONK!’ was imprinted on the side. “Um…are you sure that stuff is safe?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It’s Atomic Punch. Do you want a can?” Blue Scout replied. “Sure, I guess.” … Blue Scout handed the beverage to Rainbow Dash. She examined it closely. “Make sure you use that only when the time is right. It’s just as important to us Scouts as the Sandvich is to Heavies.” Blue Scout added. Rainbow Dash had seen a Heavy eating a Sandvich in the last round. The results were catastrophic for the other team. She smiled evilly, and gripped the can in her hoof. “I promise I’ll make excellent use of this.” …………………………… Meanwhile, in the other resupply, Rarity practiced flicking her butterfly knife out of the shaft. It made a loud metallic clanking noise when she did so, and she was worried that it might give her away. Red Spy noticed her concerns by the look on her face. He walked over to her. “If you want to stay hidden, I suggest you use this.” He said. Rarity glanced over at him as he handed her a large icicle. She took it very carefully, hoping not to break it. “Am I supposed to use this as a knife?” She asked, dismayed. “I assure you that if you do, the results will please you. Try it during the battle if you wish.” Red Spy explained. … Rarity shrugged, and pocketed the icicle. “Okay, if you insist.” “However, I must warn you. Try to stay away from that pink poofy friend of yours. Her flamethrower could spell disaster for your new weapon.” Red Spy added. … Without a ten-second warning, the woman on the loudspeaker suddenly began the countdown. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” … The resupply lockers opened, and both teams ran out into the battlefield. The ponies were dumbfounded by the large, spinning nuclear generator that hung over the Control Point. …………………………………… Playing with Danger …………………………………… Rarity, who had rapidly gotten good at being quick as well as stealthy, was already cloaked and invisible by the time she had left her resupply locker. She sported the Cloak and Dagger, so as long as she stood still, she could lie deep undercover in the middle of team BLU’s side of the battlefield. … Running around the entire battlefield, Rarity made her way to the region of team BLU’s resupply locker. Along the way, she had to keep stopping in order to recharge the Cloak and Dagger. Once she had made it around, she stood still, and patiently waited right in front of team BLU’s locker. Other team BLU members walked in and out, going about their business without even noticing her. She even saw Zecora and Pinkie Pie exit the resupply locker. After waiting for about ten seconds, the woman on the loudspeaker began to count down again, much to Rarity’s confusion. “5…4…3…2…1…Point is now available for capture!” She exclaimed over the entire battlefield. The large nuclear generator began to lift upward, revealing a small compartment underneath it that contained the Control Point. A cluster of bridges began to extend, connecting the battlefield to the compartment. As of now, any team could capture the Control Point. … Rarity knew that capturing Control Points is not something Spies are good at, so she stuck around BLU’s resupply to eliminate anyone that might get in team RED’s way. Right then, Blue Sniper exited the resupply locker, and went around to a pile of boxes that sat a few feet in front of her. He hid behind them, and began sniping some of team RED’s fighters. Rarity saw Blue Sniper headshot Fluttershy with her own eyes. This angered her greatly. Rarity uncloaked, and was now visible to any BLU team member who would happen to turn her way. She slowly approached Blue Sniper, and pulled out the icicle that Red Spy had given her. She took a deep breath, and plunged the tip of the icicle into Blue Sniper’s back. He reached around and grasped the wound, but before he could make a sound, his entire body froze into a giant ice statue. Not a noise was made, so no BLU fighters noticed the kill she had just made. “Excellent…I like this thing.” She whispered as she recloaked. … Right then, team RED had captured the Control Point. BLU fighters began to pour into the area of the Point, trying to capture it for themselves. However, they were efficiently held off by Spike and Applejack’s sentry gun. A large timer counted down from three minutes above team RED’s resupply locker. Caught up with all the action from the Control Point, Rarity hadn’t noticed Pinkie Pie, who had walked around and accidentally run into her, making her slightly visible. “Hey, I think I found a Spy!” Pinkie exclaimed. Rarity turned around toward Pinkie Pie. Then she looked down at herself, and saw that her cloak had been ruptured. Pinkie Pie lowered her flamethrower, aiming it right at Rarity. Rarity’s eyes went wide, and she gasped. “Pinkie, wait! No!” Ignoring her plea, Pinkie Pie pulled the lever, and a large plume of flames shot out of her weapon, engulfing Rarity. Rarity screamed loudly, which echoed throughout the battlefield. Then she fell to the ground and deteriorated from the flames that ate at her skin, until there was no more. … Rainbow Dash came running around the corner, following the sound of the scream that had just pierced her eardrums. She found Pinkie Pie standing over Rarity’s burning corpse outside of their resupply locker. “Hey Pinkie, nice job!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She held up her hoof, and they slapped a high five. ………………………………… Meanwhile, Twilight was standing in a similar spot as Blue Sniper was, right behind a few boxes that stood outside team RED’s locker. Snipers were also not good at capturing Control Points, so she left that job to the Soldiers, Scouts and Heavies. She noticed that Zecora and Blue Demoman were beginning to take over the Control Point as they armed it with sticky bombs. Taking steady aim, Twilight lined the crosshair with Blue Demoman’s head, and pulled the trigger. Right as the bullet left her rifle, Zecora moved in behind Blue Demoman. It passed through Blue Demoman’s skull, and went through to Zecora’s, killing them both. Twilight reloaded and put her eye back up to the scope without saying a word. Just then, she heard a suspicious noise. She put the rifle down, picked up a jar, and threw it behind her within a couple seconds. The jar broke when it hit the ground, and a splash of her ‘jarate’ flew into the air. Some of it settled, and dripped down an invisible silhouette. She had revealed a Spy. Blue Spy cried out in surprise as Twilight drove her kukri into him, finishing him off with a mini-crit. … She rolled her eyes, turned around, and continued to snipe. In the scope, she noticed Rainbow Dash. Right at that time, Rainbow Dash had noticed her as well. Twilight followed Rainbow Dash in the scope as she ran around the side of the battlefield, approaching her location. She got out another jar, and was prepared for the worst. Just before Rainbow Dash had gotten to Twilight, however, Fluttershy had noticed the commotion, and had walked around to Twilight with her Ubercharge ready. As Rainbow Dash raised her bat, ready to strike, Twilight and Fluttershy were engulfed in a vicious, familiar red glow. … Remembering the Ubercharge from the Arena battle, Rainbow Dash gasped, turned around in one step, and ran the other way. Going back to her scope, Twilight followed Rainbow Dash as closely as she could. When she thought Rainbow Dash lined up with the crosshair, she pulled the trigger. Rainbow Dash cried out in agony as a bullet suddenly entered her abdomen. She collapsed to the ground while in mid-dash, sliding forward for a few seconds while tracing blood. Then, she bled out. … Twilight removed her eye from the scope. “Oh, would you look at that! I got you right in the ovaries.” She exclaimed. Fluttershy chuckled. ………………………………… A few moments later, Rainbow Dash respawned in team BLU’s resupply locker. A large, angry frown was spread across her face. Just because she was dead didn’t mean she couldn’t hear Twilight’s taunt. “The ovaries, huh? We’ll see about that.” She grumbled. Seconds later, she heard loud laughter coming from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Blue Medic laughing at her. “You got shot in zee ovaries? Oh, zat is rich!” He laughed. … Without saying anything, Rainbow Dash walked up to Blue Medic, and whacked him upside the head with her baseball bat. After that, she walked over to Blue Sniper, swiped his jar of jarate, and threw it in Blue Medic’s face. … Running back out of resupply, Rainbow Dash once again headed straight for Twilight to get revenge. She noticed that Twilight had begun to scope her, and she knew she would get shot in a few moments. She got out her can of Atomic Punch, and quickly drank it down. Suddenly, her speed and strength were increased ten-fold. Running almost as fast as a cheetah, Rainbow Dash zipped over to Twilight’s location like a blurred streak. Twilight got out her SMG, and began to rapid-fire at Rainbow Dash. Every single bullet seemed to go right through her as she dodged them faster than a vibration. “Hold still!” Twilight grunted. Ignoring her, Rainbow Dash got out her baseball bat, and started whacking Twilight like an Engineer with his wrench. It didn’t take long for Twilight to be crumpled like trash paper, with broken bones covering her body. Before Twilight could choke out a noise, Rainbow Dash finished her off with her scattergun. … “The ovaries, huh? How about next time I shove my baseball bat right up your ass?!” Rainbow Dash yelled. ………………………………. Just after Twilight had respawned, team RED had won the battle. Sadly, team BLU never got the Control Point. “Victory team RED!” Came the announcement. Rainbow Dash noticed that all of her weapons had suddenly stopped working. Likewise, all of team RED’s weapons were glowing with energy, as they were all crit-boosted. … Twilight left resupply, and noticed Rainbow Dash standing off to the side with her hooves over her head. She strolled over to her, and beat her down with her kukri, enjoying the sounds of her scream. Once Rainbow Dash was dead, Twilight kicked her corpse into the large pit like a piece of leftover trash. After a few seconds, a splat was heard as the corpse hit bottom. “Revenge is better served cold, bitch!” Twilight yelled down at it. Red Soldier, who had been standing not far away, heard Twilight’s outburst. “Whoa, calm down, private. This is a respectful war we’re running here.” He ordered. Twilight didn’t care. It took a lot to upset her, but Rainbow Dash had really gotten on her last nerve. …………………………………. Since team RED had won the battle, they got to keep all of their recruits. No one changed teams after this battle. As both teams lined up to agree on battle terms, they noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash staring at each other, nostrils flaring. “Are you okay, mate?” Red Sniper asked Twilight. Twilight shook her head. “That little twerp is pissing me off. I’m going to end her.” Red Sniper shrugged. “We get that kind of hatred around here a lot. Use that anger to your advantage.” … “Yo Skittles, how are you doing?” Blue Scout whispered to Rainbow Dash. “Badly. I’m going to kill that egghead if it’s the last thing I do.” Rainbow Dash angrily replied through clenched teeth. … During the incident, the teams had agreed on meeting at the mountain of Upward for a Payload battle. After this agreement, they walked off in separate directions. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were still on opposing teams. A bomb had just been set, and both teams were silently waiting for its detonation. To be Continued… Author's Note Thought I should spice it up a little bit. Hope you enjoyed. :)
Payload ModeBattle Arena #4: Upward (Payload) Early the next morning, all nine of the recruits were woken by their respective classes. None of them were happy about this. … “Yo Skittles, it’s time to get up!” Blue Scout exclaimed, tapping on Rainbow Dash with his baseball bat. Rainbow Dash swiped at him with her hoof, and reluctantly sat up. She yawned, and rubbed her head. “Come on man, I thought battles didn’t usually start until mid-afternoon.” She muttered. “Yeah, but this one’s different. A big storm is heading for Upward Mountain, so we got strict orders to start battle in the morning.” Blue Scout responded. “Strict orders? From who? I don’t take orders from anypony.” Rainbow Dash asked. “You know that crazy lady who always yells crap over the intercom? She’s our boss. No one knows her name, or has seen her face. She’s more mysterious than those backstabbing Spies.” Blue Scout answered. “And by the way, the word is pronounced ‘anybody’, not ‘anypony’.” “Anybody? That sounds weird.” ……………………………………… “So what do we do in Payload?” Fluttershy asked Red Medic shortly after being woken from a peaceful slumber. “Team BLU tries to getz a bomb to our base, and vee try to stop zem. Just follow my lead, and you should be okay.” Red Medic explained. During Red Medic’s explanation, Fluttershy couldn’t help but notice Red Demoman gulping down a large bottle of Scottish rum. She just hoped they weren’t having Zecora do the same thing. ……………………………… “Rise and shine, mate. We got big job to do today.” Red Sniper whispered. He nudged Twilight a couple times. “Ugh……five more minutes…” She mumbled. “No time for that, mate. Once we get everyone up and moving, we’re off to the resupply lockers. Are you ready to kill that rainbow-headed mate of yours?” “Why do you keep saying ‘mate’? Rainbow Dash and I are just friends.” “You don’t seem like friends to me. You two were at each other’s necks at the end of that battle yesterday.” “I hope she’ll learn to understand. After all, none of this killing is personal.” Twilight mentioned. “That’s a good point. Between you and me, I think Blue Medic and Red Heavy are gay for each other.” Red Sniper whispered. Twilight stared at Red Sniper with a confused look on her face. “What makes you think that?” “Think about it, mate. All of this battling that you’ve been doing is our entire lives. We’re not allowed to leave, change teams, nor have truces or anything. Every day, we kill, kill, and kill some more. It gets lonely sometimes.” Red Sniper explained. “Sounds tough.” Twilight responded. “And on top of that, you ponies are the only females we’ve ever came in contact with all our lives. Can you really blame Blue Medic and Red Heavy?” “No…I guess not. You see, the world we come from is just the opposite of yours. It’s all centered on friendship and harmony. In fact, yesterday was the first time Rainbow Dash ever snapped at me like that.” “A world like this can change you, mate. You just have to know how to use the hardships to your advantage. In about a week, the nine of you will be forced to fight off an almost-unstoppable menace by yourselves as a team.” Red Sniper explained. “An unstoppable menace? What do you mean?” Twilight anxiously asked. … “Mission begins in sixty seconds! Team BLU, report to your resupply locker!” The announcer exclaimed. … “I can’t tell you now. All I can say is that you eventually have to put your differences aside and learn to fight together. If you manage to do this, you will truly have the power to defend Mann Co. with a hoof tied behind your back. We will all be counting on you.” Red Sniper informed. After saying this, he headed for the BLU resupply locker to prepare for battle. Twilight nervously followed. …………………………………… Once she had arrived with Red Sniper, she met up with Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. All the other standard classes were there too, standing outside team BLU’s resupply locker in wait. Red Demoman armed the entrances with sticky bombs, while Applejack and Red Engineer built sentry guns around the base. Fighters from team BLU peered outside the doors and saw all the preparations being done. “Why are we allowed to walk around before battle while they have to stay in their resupply locker?” Spike asked Red Soldier. Red Soldier pointed to the cart sitting on the track that contained the bomb. “You see that cart there? It has a bomb in it, and our job is to prevent team BLU from pushing it to our base. We’re allowed just over a minute to prepare our defenses before team BLU is allowed to leave.” Red Soldier explained. Spike gazed up the mountain at the massive RED base that sat at the top. “This should be easy! How are they going to get this cart all the way up the mountain?” Spike smirked. “They have two Heavies, and two Scouts. They happen to be really good at pushing carts.” Red Soldier countered. Spike peered into team BLU’s locker, and saw Big Mac and Rainbow Dash talking to Blue Heavy and Blue Scout. “Oh…” … Suddenly, the announcer started the countdown. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” … Team BLU’s locker doors opened, and they ran out in pursuit of team RED’s defenses. Several of them were blown up immediately by Red Demoman’s sticky bombs. …………………………………… Playing with Danger …………………………………… Right as the battle started, Applejack’s sentry gun began to get peppered by Blue Heavy. She squatted behind it, and rapidly smacked it with her wrench to keep it intact as it shot back at him. Eventually, Applejack’s sentry gun won the battle. However, she was out of metal. Looking around, she saw that Red Engineer had built a dispenser on the other side of the base. She began to run over to it with all her might. Barely missing being shot by several rockets and rapid-fire bullets, she made her way to the other side, where her supplies were regenerated. However, when she turned around, she spotted Blue Spy disabling her sentry gun with an Electro Sapper. “Hey, you stupid Spy! Get away from my sentry gun!” She exclaimed. She pulled out her pistol, and fired it rapidly at the Spy. The Spy looked up, and gasped. Suddenly, he used his cloak, and was out of her sight. Ignoring the Spy for now, Applejack ran back toward her sentry gun as fast as she could. Just before she could get her wrench back out to make repairs, it was too late. The sentry gun exploded. Shielding her face from flying pieces of twisted metal, Applejack groaned. “What a great way to start a battle……” … Right then, she suddenly collapsed to the ground without making a noise. Blue Spy, who had reappeared just moments ago, removed his special knife from her back. He was disguised as her within seconds. “Why can’t every Spy have the privilege of using Your Eternal Reward?” He smirked. …………………………………… Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Blue Scout had begun to push the bomb cart with all their might. “Come on Skittles, push! We need to get this bomb to the hatch!” Blue Scout grunted. “Hey, I’m trying my hardest!” Rainbow Dash replied. … “Alert! Five minutes left in the mission! Five minutes left in the mission!” The announcer exclaimed. … “This is impossible! How are we going to get this thing up the mountain in five minutes?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Just keep pushing, and you’ll find out how!” Blue Scout answered. Right then, he was killed by Red Engineer’s sentry gun. … “Hey, I need a little help pushing the cart here!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Heeding her call, Blue Soldier, Big Mac, and Pinkie Pie ran over to help her out. With four fighters pushing, the cart began to move much faster. …………………………………. Twilight, who had been standing on a ledge a little further back, was approached by Red Sniper. “We need to keep them from getting the cart any further!” He exclaimed. “No dip, Sherlock. Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do this whole time?” Twilight annoyingly replied. “No mate, you don’t understand. If that cart passes our first checkpoint, the enemies receive an extra five minutes!” He explained. “Oh…well okay then.” … “Oh, and by the way…” Red Sniper added. He walked up to Twilight, and plunged a knife in her back. Without screaming, Twilight fell to the ground. The appearance of Red Sniper was replaced by the appearance of Twilight. “As you could see by looking at me, I murdered your filthy friend quite a while ago.” Blue Spy said. … Spike ran up to him. “Twilight, we have a problem. If they get the bomb to the checkpoint, they receive extra time!” “Hmm……that seems like a problem.” Blue Spy replied, playing along. “Hey, could you do me a favor?” “Um…yeah, sure.” Spike responded. “Could you please turn around?” “Uh…why?” “Just do it.” Spike reluctantly turned around, confused. Blue Spy gripped his knife, and sent it through the back of Spike’s war uniform. As Spike fell, Blue Spy took the appearance of him. … “What an idiot.” Blue Spy muttered, rolling his eyes. …………………………………… “The bomb is approaching a checkpoint! Stop them!” The announcer cried out. Fluttershy latched her Vaccinator beam onto Red Heavy as he advanced forward, assaulting the bomb-pushers with a barrage of bullets. For a while, team BLU’s fighters seemed to drop like flies. But right then, out of the wild blue, a sniper bullet whizzed by, piercing Fluttershy’s skull. She squealed, and fell to the ground. Blood leaked from her wound. Blue Sniper waved his hand in the air with a big smile on his face. “There ya go!” He exclaimed. … Red Heavy noticed the loss of his Medic, and turned toward Blue Sniper, sending bullets in his direction. However, before he could finish off Blue Sniper, he met the same fate as Fluttershy did moments ago. ………………………………. “The enemy has received additional time……” The announcer angrily confronted over the loudspeaker. The clock was now set for a little over nine minutes as the cart approached a small cave in the side of the mountain. This announcement was made just as Twilight had respawned in team RED’s resupply locker. This was hopeless! Everything her team tried just ended up foiled as the bomb advanced along the track toward their base. Destruction seemed inevitable. No. She had to move on. Keep fighting until the end. That’s what Red Sniper had taught her, and that is what was going to be necessary for whatever they would have to face later on. … With her determination re-fired, Twilight exited the resupply locker, and advanced toward the location of the bomb. ………………………………… Once she was in view of the bomb, she ducked down, and aimed the rifle toward the mob of BLU fighters who were pushing the cart in her direction. She wasn’t aiming at any specific target, so she fired in their general direction. Coincidentally, her bullet flew right into Rainbow Dash’s head, making her topple to the ground. The cart began to move significantly slower. “Oops, it appears I accidentally killed you again. Next time, try shooting first!” She exclaimed. Fluttershy ran by just then, giving Twilight an overheal on her way by. … As the cart loomed closer, Twilight switched to her SMG, and used it to rapid-fire at the remaining cart-assailants. As they began to notice her, she quickly threw a jar of jarate at them, covering all of them. Then she continued to shoot. Using this method, she efficiently killed off everyone who was currently pushing the cart. The cart stopped moving, and was lying stationary. … Red Sniper began to approach her. She glanced at him, and quickly began peppering him with bullets from her SMG. “Hey, what are you doing, mate?” He asked, confused. “Sorry. I thought you were a Spy.” She chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “Nah, it’s okay. I understand Blue Spy killed me earlier and probably looked like me.” … As Red Sniper continued on his normal business, Twilight spotted Rainbow Dash approaching the bomb. She took steady aim, put her eye to the scope, and fired. She missed her. As Rainbow Dash continued to get closer, Twilight pulled out her SMG, and began to fire. Rainbow Dash got out her baseball bat, ready to take out her unicorn nemesis. However, Twilight must’ve gotten lucky with her aim, because she ended up killing Rainbow Dash with her bullet spray. Twilight was now dominating Rainbow Dash. A symbol of two clashing fists would now appear above her head every time Rainbow Dash looked at her. Dominating! “Whoa…that was weird.” Before she could really think it over again, she was headshot by Blue Sniper. ………………………………. By the time most of team RED was on their feet again, team BLU had gotten the bomb out of the cave and past another checkpoint. The time was reset to nine minutes again. Blue Engineer barely had enough time to construct a sentry gun right next to the bomb. Now his team could push it along while being able to hold off team RED. Big Mac, Blue Heavy, and Blue Spy ran over to begin doing some nasty spawn-camping as Blue Engineer worked to upgrade his sentry gun. In the meantime, Rainbow Dash, Blue Scout, and Pinkie Pie pushed the cart along further. … Team BLU was mastering the concept of working together as a team. Without giving team RED a chance to defend, they had the cart along the next checkpoint, and were getting down to the last stretch of track before team RED’s base would be bombed. Since the bomb was further along now, fighters from team RED began to respawn in the final base instead of the resupply locker. Now that they appeared in a different area, they wouldn’t have to worry about being spawn-killed. Rarity ran out for some vain attempts at backstabbing, while Fluttershy ran around trying to patch up her team that was having trouble staying together. Twilight and Red Sniper hung back to kill from a distance. … Despite their team’s desperate attempts to keep the bomb away from the hatch, the kills kept wracking in, and the bomb grew ever closer. At one point, Red Sniper ran into the field to assist his team more directly. Twilight reluctantly hung back. Just as she put her eye up to the scope to make another kill, she was grabbed from behind. Her attacker spun her around, and gripped her tight by her collar. “So, you think this is funny?” Rainbow Dash growled through gritted teeth. “Grrgg……acckk……” Twilight choked. She grabbed at her collar with her hooves, trying desperately to loosen Rainbow Dash’s grip, as it was suffocating her. Rainbow Dash only tightened her grip, and lifted Twilight off the ground. She was now hanging by her collar. Twilight’s face started to turn blue. Her eyes rolled back in her head. “I am so sick of taking your crap. If we ever get out of this mess, don’t expect me to be your friend anymore. Screw the Elements of Harmony!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Still holding Twilight by her collar, Rainbow Dash walked over to the hatch, and shoved Twilight inside. Twilight fell down into the pit, and splatted on the bottom. Rainbow Dash had established a revenge kill. Revenge! … Right as this happened, Big Mac had pushed the cart over the edge of the hatch. It fell into the pit, and exploded in a dazzling array of smoke and fire as it hit bottom. Sparks, billows of smoke, and huge clouds of flame shot into the sky as team BLU had won the battle. ………………………………………. After the explosion, once all the fighters on both teams had respawned, they all lined up one side to another just as they always did. Since team BLU had won the battle, they would get the bigger half of the recruits. The new recruits were scrambled as follows. Zecora, Rarity, Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie are now on team BLU. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack are now on team RED. “The next battle will be Attack/Defend at the Gorge!” Red Soldier announced. The teams agreed on the terms, and walked off in separate directions. … Red Sniper sighed in exasperation. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were now on the same team. To be Continued… Author's Note Sorry about the late update. School's been really hard on me last week.
Attack/Defend ModeBattle Arena #5: Gorge (Attack/Defend) Rainbow Dash stood as far away from Twilight as possible in team RED’s resupply locker as they waited for the next battle to begin. Twilight kept glancing over at her, only to see a look of annoyance and anger plastered on her face. Every time she saw this, she sighed. While this was going on, Red Soldier marched up in front of the group of RED fighters. “Alright men, team BLU is going to seize our base by capturing our two Control Points. All we have to do is prevent them from doing so for ten minutes, and victory is ours!” “Yeah!” They all shouted in reply. Red Soldier turned toward Rainbow Dash, who was standing away from the group. “Come on, private. We all stick together as a team!” “I will not fight alongside Twilight, and there is no way you can make me change my mind!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed defiantly. Red Soldier and the rest of team RED were taken back by this sudden rebellious response. “Oh no… Is not the time for little-babies to have little temper-tantrums!” Red Heavy groaned. “Yeah, mate. It’s either you fight on this team with my colleague, or we put you on spectate.” Red Sniper added. … “What in the hay does it mean to be on spectate?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It means to get taken out of the battle. You’ll be set to only watch the battle, and you won’t be able to fight. Once someone is put into spectate, we have no way to get them back out.” Red Spy explained. “Fine by me. It’s not like Scouts are good defenders anyway.” Red Engineer jeered. “Hey, feelings over here!” Red Scout exclaimed. … Finally, Rainbow Dash cut in. “Okay okay, fine! I’ll fight. Just keep me away from that piss-throwing freak!” “Well then… Bloody piker.” Red Sniper mumbled under his breath. …………………………… After team RED’s little group argument, their resupply doors opened. They were now permitted to run out into the battlefield to prepare their defenses for team BLU’s assault. “Mission begins in sixty seconds!” … Applejack and Red Engineer headed off to the sidelines to erect a few sentry guns. Fluttershy frantically scurried around, overhealing any nearby teammates as much as she could. Rainbow Dash bolted forward toward team BLU’s resupply, ready to take out as many fighters as she could once the alarm rang. Twilight sought out a secluded sniping location alongside Red Sniper. All the while, Zecora, Rarity, Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie waited in anticipation with the rest of their team in the BLU resupply locker. … Most of team BLU was pushing at the gates for freedom by the time the countdown had begun. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” … Team BLU busted out of their gates like a herd of hungry rhinos. Rainbow Dash began to shoot wildly at the advancing pack while running back and forth to avoid enemy fire, with little efficiency. She was quickly outnumbered, fourteen to one, and was killed almost instantly. Much to their demise. Secretly, Rainbow Dash’s plan was suicide at the hands of team BLU as a diversion to give Red Spy some cover. He had been hiding with the Cloak and Dagger in a corner, and was given the chance to crank out five backstabs before he was discovered. Now team RED was learning to fight with strategy. The battle was only just beginning. ……………………………………… Playing with Danger ……………………………………… After the massacre at the beginning of the battle, the remainder of team BLU’s forces advanced toward team RED’s first Control Point. A large chunk of them were killed by the strategically-placed sentry guns that lied on its other side. The only ones that remained were Blue Soldier and Zecora. They continued shooting what ammo they still had at a desperate attempt to hold back team RED. In the resulting crossfire, Applejack’s sentry gun was destroyed. Blue Soldier and Zecora stood back-to-back, firing explosives in both directions at team RED’s defenses. Right then, a charged rifle bullet whizzed by, piercing both of their skulls. They both collapsed to the ground. Twilight, the firer of the bullet, smirked to herself. “And Rainbow Dash says I’M the piss-throwing freak.” ……………………………… Team RED had only a moment to catch their breath before team BLU’s forces respawned and advanced toward the Control Point once again. Applejack and Red Engineer frantically worked together to construct another sentry gun. They had also built teleporters at the start of the battle so their team could get back to the scene of the action quickly after respawning. … As Red Engineer helped Applejack upgrade her sentry gun, he noticed that his teleporter had begun to take damage. He quickly sprinted over to it to make repairs, when he was suddenly backstabbed by Blue Spy. Red Sniper had noticed this occurrence through his scope from the distance, and flipped on his headset mic. “Hey, hard-hat recruit? Red Sniper here. Watch your back; we’ve got an enemy Spy!” “Got it, partner. Thanks for the warning!” Applejack responded over the speakers. … Red Sniper observed through the scope as Applejack stopped working, and pulled out a shotgun. When the Spy appeared behind her, she turned around, and shot him until he fell. Red Sniper smiled at the success as he prepared to return to sniping. However, right before he looked away, he noticed that the Spy had returned with the Dead Ringer. “Hey! Hard-hat! The Spy is behind you again!” He exclaimed in panic. Unfortunately, it was too late. The Spy had backstabbed Applejack, and sapped her sentry gun. … Red Sniper sighed, and took his eye from the scope. If only there was a way to counter Spies easier. If only… His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Rarity’s knife get jammed into his back. He fell to the ground, cursing on his way down. … Twilight heard what was going on, and noticed Rarity standing behind Red Sniper’s body. She gasped, and quickly threw a jar of jarate at her. The jar hit Rarity directly, and coated her in a thin layer of the yellow fluid. She gagged. “Oh Twilight, that is absolutely disgusting!” She whined. Twilight ran at her with her kukri, and smashed her with mini-crits until she fell. What was with all the Spies recently? Team BLU had more plans to back up their intrusion than Twilight had imagined. It was time to watch her back, because more Spies could pop in at any moment. ……………………………… While the Spy-uprising was occurring, the bigger brute fighters such as Big Mac, Blue Heavy, and Blue Soldier began to take over team RED’s first Control Point. Red Heavy and Red Soldier tried to stop them, with little efficiency. Spike soon came around, and began to assist in capturing the Point. Everyone who tried to stop them was headshot by Blue Sniper, who was standing slightly further back. With these offenses in order, team BLU eventually managed to capture the first Control Point. Now their job was to intrude the base and take over team RED’s last one. “Alert……the enemy has received additional time…” The announcer mumbled. ……………………………………… Just after the capture, the fighters who were standing on the Point began to advance in toward team RED’s base. However, they were soon fought off by a sentry gun that Applejack had rebuilt inside the base. They weren’t held off for long. The Spies had returned soon after, and were already on their way into the base without withholding the attention of team RED. In the meantime, Blue Scout and Pinkie Pie helped out with the front lines as team BLU steadily made their way in. … As Pinkie Pie jogged into the base behind Blue Scout, she noticed Red Scout coming up behind them. In defense, she opened fire on her flamethrower. Red Scout went up in flames, screaming as he did so. Pinkie noticed an invisible silhouette in the corner that also caught on fire. “Oh, hey Red Spy! You really need to find better hiding places, silly.” Pinkie giggled. She used her flamethrower to finish him off, and then continued into the base. ………………………………… RED forces held back near the final Control Point, ready for the second half of the invasion. After a few short minutes, BLU forces began to flood in, and the second bloodbath began. Fluttershy Ubercharged Red Heavy near the front lines, and a small mass of BLU fighters began to drop like flies. However, it wasn’t that easy. Just as the Ubercharge had run out, Rarity had stopped them both in their tracks with the Conniver’s Kunai. Both of their health supplies were absorbed into Rarity, massively overhealing her. “Quite better than the Spycicle, let me assure you.” She smirked, disappearing once again. … Team BLU’s plan was very well thought-out. Everything team RED tried had failed; team BLU always seemed to have their way around it. Twilight found a ledge off away from the battle that would be a good sniping location. She approached the spot, and kneeled down to assist her team. … Through the scope, she noticed Blue Heavy and Big Mac capturing the Control Point, while being assisted by Blue Medic. If her team ever tried to provoke them, they would surely end up killed. It was up to her to headshot all three of them and assure victory for a precious few-more minutes. She breathed, and took steady aim on Blue Medic’s head. If she was going to stop them, she would have to first take out their Medic. … Just before she pulled the trigger, Rainbow Dash came running by, and ran right into her. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, fat-ass!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “What did you just call me?” Twilight jeered. “Fat-ass. How about next time, you don’t carelessly get into ponies’ way all the time? You could’ve killed me!” “Watch where I was going? I was kneeling down sniping this whole time! You’re the one who came barreling through here like an idiot!” “You think I give a flying feather, Chuckle-nuts?” “Well, Skittles, if you had half a brain in order to actually GIVE a flying feather, I think you probably should.” “Only Scout is allowed to call me Skittles, you useless egghead!” Rainbow Dash flared. With that statement, she gave Twilight a solid punch in the face. Once Twilight had returned from the daze, she returned the favor with her Kukri. Soon, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were head-to-head in a solid grudge-match. … The rest of team RED watched in horror as their two best fighters fought each other on the battlement. The distraction had ultimately won the battle for team BLU, who had been capturing the Control Point the entire time. “You’re a disgrace, team RED! Team BLU won the battle!” The announcer scolded. Team BLU jumped around and cheered while team RED buried their face in their hands. They lost because of a childish fight. …………………………………… Team BLU’s victory ensured that all the recruits would stay in their respective positions. Having Rainbow Dash and Twilight on the same team would be their downfall. … Once the teams had time to reunite for discussion, Twilight and Rainbow Dash got the scolding of a lifetime. “What the hell did you think you were doing?! This is war, privates, and we will not tolerate fighting during war! Wait……not amongst your own team is what I meant to say.” Red Soldier stuttered. “See what I mean? Little baby fighting is very bad for our team!” Red Heavy added. Red Engineer and Red Medic shook their heads. “It’s good to know zat vee have some recruits on our team zat vee can trust.” Red Medic stated, putting his hand on Fluttershy’s head. … “Follow me, mate. There’s something I need to talk to you about.” Red Sniper ordered, pointing to Twilight. Twilight, curious as to why Red Sniper wanted her, reluctantly followed him. … After they were gone, Red Scout laughed. “Oh man, good ol’ Sniper is finally going to get some head, am I right?” Red Soldier slapped him. “Get it together, Scout! You’re embarrassing all of us!” …………………………………. Once they had left, Red Sniper turned to Twilight. “You seriously need to stop fighting with your friend, mate.” “Yeah yeah, I know. It’s just that…” “No, you don’t understand. Remember that ‘near unstoppable force’ I told you about before the Payload battle?” Twilight nodded. “It’s bigger than you think. You and your eight friends will be forced to defend Mann Co. against an army of robots, by yourselves.” “Robots? Shouldn’t be too hard.” “These are not just your average, ‘pick up an object’ kind of robots. These things are hyper-engineered, and are geared for battle. And what’s worse, they possess your mimicked abilities, ten-fold.” “What do you mean by that?” … Red Sniper walked away, and came back a few minutes later with a folder. “The owner of Mann Co, our very own Saxton Hale, managed to swipe this top-secret information from Gray Gravel Co. I think you should look inside.” Twilight opened up the folder, and looked inside. Much to her surprise, a bunch of blueprints were tucked inside, along with a bunch of strikingly-relatable pictures. “W…What the heck is this?!” Twilight exclaimed in exasperation. “These are the metallic clones of you and your friends. They’ve been engineered to possess ten times of your matched abilities.” “Well, how are we supposed to beat them?” “That’s for you and your friends to decide. I will wish you luck, but for now, we should get some much-needed rest for tomorrow’s Special Delivery battle.” … With this, Red Sniper walked off, leaving Twilight to stare in anxiety. To be Continued… Author's Note Sorry about the late update again. Like I said before, school's being difficult on me with the end of the year coming up.
Special Delivery ModeBattle Arena #6: Doomsday (Special Delivery) As time passed, Twilight found herself getting more and more affiliated with Red Sniper. He has been helping her out tremendously over the past few days, ranging from giving her little hints and tips to advising her on plain social skills in this world of warfare. She hated to admit it, but she didn’t really want to leave team RED. Sometimes between battles, she would have thoughts that she would quickly discard, due to their sheer magnitude. Thoughts about not leaving the Team Fortress 2 world. Regardless of all the blood and killing, there was no death. These eighteen men, even though they kill each other on a regular basis, seem to get along like a family. They’re all that they have. Twilight kind of wanted to be a part of that peace, without bearing the weight of the Elements of Harmony. ……………………………….. She was snapped out of her thoughts, however, when she saw Red Scout and Rainbow Dash bickering about her in a different corner. She rolled her eyes, and sighed. Red Sniper approached her. “Ah, forget about them, mate. At least you know you have me and your other friends to back you up.” He put his hand on Twilight’s shoulder. She looked up at him, and smiled. “Now what do you say we go kick some BLU ass?” He suggested. “Sounds like a plan!” Twilight responded. ……………………………………… “Okay Fluttershy, zee point of Special Delivery is to getz a briefcase called zee Australium to zee rocket warhead without letting zee other team do zee same. Scouts are usually zee best ones to do this, so I want you to heal them as much as you can.” Red Medic explained. “Okay, I will.” Fluttershy replied. Just as the countdown began, Red Medic and Fluttershy began to carry out their plan by overhealing Red Scout and Rainbow Dash. “Hey thanks, pally!” Red Scout exclaimed. … “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” The resupply locker doors opened, and both teams barreled out, heading straight for the location of the Australium. Sirens went off as the battle began. …………………………………. Playing with Danger …………………………………. “Gentlemen, today we make history!” The announcer rasped over the intercom. … Chaos erupted as both teams reached the drop site. The Australium sat on a plank at the bottom of both teams’ ledge, unable to be obtained for another thirty seconds. Shots rang out through the atmosphere as both teams fought for premature dominance. However, there seemed to be a troubling lack of Engineers at the drop site. Everyone else was present, but Blue Engineer, Red Engineer, and Applejack were not. “Where are our Engineers?” Rainbow Dash anxiously asked Red Scout. “Probably out near the rocket building sentry guns. Them hard-hats sure know how to stay prepared.” Red Scout answered. … “The Australium will be available for pickup in 3…2…1…” The announcer started. Immediately after, she had another announcement. “The enemy has picked up the Australium! Stop them!” Red Spy, answering the call, pursued the carrier of the Australium, determined to stop them with his knife. He turned a sewer corner, and saw the carrier. Before he could sneak up to establish a backstab, the carrier turned around, noticing him. To his surprise, Red Spy was greeted with Pinkie Pie’s face. “Oh crap! A Pyro! Time to retreat!” Were the thoughts that ran through Red Spy’s head at that very moment. “Wait monsieur, no!” He pleaded. Pinkie ignored him, opening fire on her deadly flamethrower. Red Spy cried out in agony, and fell to the ground as a burning crisp. At this point, Pinkie Pie was dominating him. Domination! Pinkie laughed. “Silly Spy, this is our Australium!” She laughed again. “Hey, that sounds funny! Australium, Australium, Australium, Australium……” She continued to babble that word over and over again as she trotted off, in pursuit of the rocket. She hadn’t noticed that Red Spy had reappeared in the sewer with the Dead Ringer moments later. His decoy cadaver continued to burn, yet he did not. “Sorry madam, but this is the end of the line for you.” He grumbled, following her toward the rocket. ………………………………. Pinkie Pie left the sewer, and was now out into the open battlefield. The Australium was beginning to get rather heavy on her back, making her walk rather slowly. Blue Medic noticed that she was carrying the Australium, and jumped down off of the ledge to assist her with his built-up Ubercharge. “I am fully charged, Pyro! Ready ven you are!” “Okey-dokey-lokey! Show me what you’ve got!” … A mere fraction of a second before Blue Medic pulled the trigger on his power pack, Red Spy sprinted forward and backstabbed him in a swift motion. Blue Medic barely got the word “Spy” out of his mouth before he fell silent on the ground. Red Spy then turned around and headshot Pinkie with the Ambassador before she could react. A spray of blood streamed out of her head as she fell, along with the Australium. “You see Pinkie; maniacs like you always have bad things happen to them when they play with fire. Also when you play around with me.” Red Spy taunted, throwing a cigarette onto her corpse. Revenge! “The enemy has dropped the Australium! Red Spy has earned the achievement: Dr. Nooooo!” The announcer exclaimed. ……………………………… Team BLU now had forty-five seconds to recover the Australium before it would once again become open to all teams. Applejack noticed it sitting around, and jogged over to it. She knelt down, and quickly built a disposable sentry gun to keep a temporary guard of the Australium before they would steal it at the drop site. She turned around, and noticed Red Engineer giving her a thumbs-up from his location at the rocket. She returned the favor. … Just as planned, anyone from team BLU who attempted to approach the Australium got shot to death by Applejack’s sentry gun. The long span of time between respawns left enough time for the Australium to return to the drop site, where Rainbow Dash hastily picked it up. “We have the Australium!” The announcer anxiously exclaimed. “That lady needs to find a hobby…” Rainbow Dash mumbled as she sprinted toward the rocket with the Australium on her back. She pulled out the Force a Nature, and prepared to inject bullets into anyone who got in her way. ……………………………… Red Spy had been stealthily slinking around in the meantime, managing to backstab and sap the buildings of Blue Engineer. This closed off a chunk of team BLU’s defense, allowing Rainbow Dash more clearance to reach the rocket. Using her speed as her main ally, she bolted to the lift that lied at the base of the rocket, and began to get elevated up to the rocket warhead. “We are on the lift!” The announcer interjected once again. … Red Heavy and Red Pyro leapt up onto the lift to assist Rainbow Dash in the delivery. At the same time, fighters from team BLU began to pour into the battlefield, led by Blue Heavy, Big Mac, Blue Pyro, and Pinkie Pie. Big Mac and Blue Heavy opened fire, mowing down the lift until Red Pyro fell. Red Heavy remained strong for a few more seconds, but was also eventually killed from the assault. Rainbow Dash’s speed allowed her to remain untouched. The lift continued to elevate. Loud sirens began to blare as Rainbow Dash was lifted ever higher toward the rocket warhead with the Australium. More BLU fighters desperately kept flooding into the battlefield to stop them, with little efficiency. … Twilight climbed the ramps off to the side to reach Rainbow Dash’s height. Once she was granted clearance, she leapt across the gap and onto the lift to assist Rainbow Dash in fending off the barrage of BLU fighters. The sirens blared with increasing volume and frequency, as the lift was seconds away from maximum height. “Hey, I don’t need your help, egghead!” Rainbow Dash defiantly exclaimed. Rainbow Dash stomped over to Twilight, and shoved her off the lift. She yelped as she toppled over the edge, and fell all the way to the bottom. She hit the ground hard on her back. An audible cracking noise could be heard from several of Twilight’s bones. Twilight writhed in agony on the ground, unable to breathe with the wind knocked out of her. She coughed up a small splash of blood. … Red Sniper noticed the incident from his sniping location a little further back. He gasped, and ran for Twilight’s aid as fast as he could. … Rainbow Dash laughed evilly as she witnessed Twilight’s excruciating impact on the unforgiving ground below. She continued to laugh as the lift reached maximum height. The rocket warhead opened, and Rainbow Dash secured the Australium inside. Once she had it strapped in, the rocket took off. “Yes! Team RED has delivered the Australium!” Much to all of the ponies’ surprise, the rocket made it about fifty feet into the air, and fell off to the side, crashing into and obliterating a nearby control tower. “Oh no… Gentlemen, this never happened.” The announcer stuttered. The massive explosion secured the victory for team RED. As the lift retreated back to its original position, many team RED fighters approached Rainbow Dash to cheer and congratulate her. They never noticed the dastardly deed that she had just performed. ……………………………… Team RED’s victory was the last thing on Red Sniper’s mind at that very moment. He knelt over Twilight’s broken body, and lifted her head up. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, and a stream of blood poured out of her mouth. “Medic! I need a Medic over here!” He cried out. Fluttershy heard his call, and came running over to him with her medi-gun ready. “Oh my, what happened to Twilight?” She asked. “It doesn’t matter now, just heal her!” Red Sniper demanded. … Fluttershy aimed the medi-gun at Twilight, and pulled the lever. A steady stream of red smoke was emitted from the instrument, focusing on Twilight’s body. Twilight’s wounds slowly began to vanish. Twilight sat up, and rubbed her head. “What just happened? Am I dead?” “Far from it, mate. I understand that you respawn in this world, but I couldn’t bear to see you suffer on your way down.” Red Sniper explained, smiling. … The rest of team RED stopped congratulating Rainbow Dash for a moment to see what was going on with Twilight. They all walked over to where she lied with Red Sniper and Fluttershy. “Gosh partner, what happened?” Red Engineer worriedly asked. “It was nothing, mate. Rainbow Dash pushed Twily off the lift right before we won the battle. She would’ve died, if it weren’t for Fluttershy. If it were me, I’d have hated to respawn after suffering pain like that!” Red Sniper explained. Twilight’s eyes widened. Did Red Sniper just call her ‘Twily’? Only her brother Shining Armor had ever called her that. Does he actually care about her? … At this news, all of team RED gave Rainbow Dash a dirty look. She smiled sheepishly. “Come on guys, at least I helped us win the battle!” She suggested. Red Heavy shook his head. “Once a little baby, always a little baby. You are not credit to team!” With this, he turned his back on Rainbow Dash, and walked off. The rest of team RED did the same. Rainbow Dash went from being praised to shunned in ten seconds flat. ……………………………… As team RED prepared to walk off the battlefield, they were stopped by Blue Soldier. “I don’t mean to interrupt or anything, but aren’t we going to scramble the teams?” He asked. … Team RED admitted to forgetting this. The teams lined up, and the trade began. To start, team RED selected Rarity to be on their team. Now it was team BLU’s turn. … Blue Sniper stepped forward. “Um…I’ll take Twilight.” He announced. Twilight reluctantly began to walk to the other side to join team BLU as instructed. However, she was stopped by Red Sniper before she could do so. “Hold on a second, mate! What if I want Twilight to stay on my team?” He defiantly ordered. “Well, I don’t think you get a choice, mate. I selected her, so she’s mine.” Blue Sniper objected. “Over my dead body.” With this, Red Sniper drew his Machina, and headshot Blue Sniper to the ground without saying anything else. Both teams watched in shock as Blue Sniper fell to Red Sniper’s knees. “There. Now she’s mine.” Red Sniper stated. On the outside, Twilight simply shrugged, and walked back to team RED’s side. On the inside, she was thrilled that Red Sniper actually killed someone to keep her on his team. Was she just valuable, or did Red Sniper actually have a liking for her? …………………………………… The team scramble continued. The teams are now oriented as follows: Twilight, Rarity, Big Mac, Zecora, and Spike are now on team RED. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy are now on team BLU. It was no surprise that team RED was quick to get rid of Rainbow Dash after what had happened earlier. … “Alright men, now we show up tomorrow at 2fort for a Capture the Flag battle!” Red Soldier announced. “And after that, our recruits are left to fight the robot army!” Blue Soldier added. The teams agreed on the terms, and walked off in their separate directions. … All of the ponies except Twilight were shocked and frightened by what Blue Soldier had said. Why weren’t they informed about having to fight by themselves to defend Mann Co? To be Continued… Author's Note I apologize; that was the best Doomsday image I could find. I decided to skip Payload Race mode, since it was too similar to regular Payload mode. I decided to save Capture the Flag for the last game mode, since it is my favorite! After this, the Mann vs Machine finale will commence! P.S. For my next 'Twilight's Experiments' story, I'm thinking about doing Mario Kart 7. Any other suggestions and/or comments?
Capture the Flag ModeBattle Arena #7: 2fort (Capture the Flag) The first thing Twilight was thinking when the teams arrived at 2fort was how glad she was that Rainbow Dash was off her team. Ever since her joke about the ovaries at Nucleus, Rainbow Dash had been pounding at her angrily like a misguided serial-killer. Now that she was on the other team, she had the opportunity. Once again, Red Sniper approached her. “Isn’t this place beautiful? It’s my favorite map. It’s got the best battlements in all of our battle maps put together!” He sighed. “It’s also the oldest.” Twilight was fiddling with her hooves, looking down toward the floor. … “Hey mate, what’s got you down?” He asked worriedly. “It’s Rainbow Dash. Ever since I made that taunt at Nucleus, she’s hated me. How am I supposed to return to Equestria and the Elements of Harmony if she can’t stand me?” She paused for a moment, and sniffled. “We used to be great friends…” “Well, who said you had to go back?” Red Sniper suggested. “What? What are you talking about?” “I’m saying you don’t have to go back to your world. It sounds like you had a lot of responsibility there, being a hero of the world and all. Here, all you have to do is shoot people and piss in jars.” He said, chuckling at the gag. “But…I feel like if I stay, I’d be abandoning my friends in Equestria who need me. What if everypony needed the Elements of Harmony, and I wasn’t there to help?” “Mate, that’s in a whole different universe from where you are. With what little knowledge of physics I still have from high school, while you’re in a different universe, things carry on as they would in the old one. As far as I can tell, a copy of you should still be living in Equestria.” Red Sniper explained. … “But…are you sure? This place is totally different from Equestria, and I don’t know how it will affect everypony.” Twilight asked. “Well mate, think about it this way. Your other friends still like you. The rest of the team-members like you. And most importantly, I like you.” “You really do like me? Like a friend?” Red Sniper thought for a second. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” … Twilight looked confused. “What do you mean by that?” Red Sniper smiled. “You’ll find out in time. And I’m not just speaking for myself. Look around.” Twilight did a scan of the resupply locker. Scattered around the room, she saw her pony friends talking, laughing, and socializing with their respective classes. Even Rarity and Red Spy seemed to be having a good time. “Uh……okay. I’ll take your word for it.” Twilight reluctantly agreed. … Soon after their miniature conversation, the countdown began for the final battle before the inevitable demise that lied before Twilight and her friends. “5…4…3…2…1…FIGHT!” The resupply locker doors opened, and both teams charged out, ready for battle. The Snipers headed for the battlements, the Engineers went for the Intelligence rooms, and the other classes headed for the enemy base. Chaos erupted as they met at the bridge in the center. ………………………………… Playing with Danger ………………………………… If there were two people that Applejack trusted the most, it would be Red and Blue Engineer. And at this point, she only had to rely on Blue Engineer, hence being on his team this time around. As soon as they left the resupply locker, they headed straight for the room that contained their Intelligence. Blue Engineer was the one who actually started for said room; Applejack just decided to follow him. … Once they had arrived, Blue Engineer turned around to begin building. But when he did, he was surprised to see Applejack standing behind him. “Whoa partner, what are you doing here?” He asked. “Well, I just thought I’d follow ya. This seems like a smart place to build them sentry guns.” Applejack replied. “It most certainly is. However, I think it would benefit us even more if you would go build your sentry gun at our base’s sewer entrance. Spies, Scouts, and various other classes like to go that way.” Blue Engineer suggested. “Alrighty then.” … Applejack took her tool box, and jogged out the door. Blue Engineer set his tool box down, took out a sandwich, and got to work. The first thing he wanted to build was a dispenser. ……………………………….. Meanwhile, Applejack left the Intelligence room, and began to work her way through the base on her way to the sewers. Several times, her teammates would randomly shoot at her or whack her with knives, checking to see if she was a disguised Spy. That got old sometimes. … Applejack jogged down the hallway, past the main corridor, down the stairs, through the sewer pipe, and into the small secondary control room that connected their base to the outside hub. Applejack could faintly hear gunfire from down the sewer exit. She opened her tool box, and began working on a dispenser. Whenever she needed, she would use the small weapon box in the corner to resupply her metal. After working patiently for a few minutes, Applejack had a simple dispenser. She would upgrade it later, but for now, she had to get started on a sentry gun. Using small portions of metal that was periodically being supplied to her through her dispenser, Applejack worked on a level-one sentry gun. The machine rose out of its tool box, twisted around on its main axle, adjusted its head, extended its firing nozzle, and aimed into position. After a mere fifteen seconds, her defense weapon was ready. … Her next step was to upgrade her creations. She used her wrench to work on her dispenser and her sentry gun. After a few impatient minutes of sweaty work, Applejack had a fully-upgraded, rocket-firing, Heavy-killing, rather-beautiful pile of engineered steel known as Team BLU Defense Turret #2. Applejack stood back, sighed, and admired her hard work. Right then, Red Scout came charging through the sewer, and got blown to smithereens by the creation. “Now that…is a gun.” Applejack stated. ………………………………. Meanwhile, while Applejack built her arsenal in the BLU sewers, Spike was defensively shooting rockets from the BLU battlements. Blue Sniper was standing a few feet away, also taking advantage of the genius shelf. Fluttershy came running around the corner. Spike turned to her, and waved. “Hey, Spike. Are you doing okay up here?” She asked. “Yeah, I’m doing fine. I managed to blow up Zecora and Big Mac. Had a good laugh here and there.” He chuckled. Fluttershy chuckled a little as well. … “Hey, could you give me an overheal so I can rocket jump to the RED base?” Spike asked. “Um, I don’t think that’d be necessary. You seem to be doing fine. By the way, I meant to ask you something.” Fluttershy started. “Yeah?” “What were the plans for stopping team RED? Someone told me there’d be a game plan, but they never actually explained it to me.” “Oh, well Blue Soldier told me everything. It’s quite an awesome plan! In our sewers, we have Applejack building a sentry gun to keep out secret intruders. So the only real way into the base is across the main bridge. However, we strategically placed all of our brute classes, such as Blue Heavy and Blue Demoman at the front to keep them out that way as well. We’ve got our Spy hidden somewhere in our base to take out anyone who manages to get in. And if all else fails, we have Blue Engineer in the Intelligence room to keep someone from capturing it. It’s pretty good, if I do say so myself.” Spike explained. … Fluttershy rubbed her chin, and nodded. “That does sound like a pretty good plan. It’s weird how no one told me about it.” “Yeah, I know.” Spike turned around, and continued rocket-blasting. Fluttershy raised her knife, and stabbed Spike in the back. He fell forward, and plunged right off the battlements. Fluttershy instantly changed back into Rarity. “Thanks for the information, Spikey-Wikey!” She exclaimed. … Blue Sniper quickly took notice of the situation, and turned around. Rarity remembered that she had lost her disguise, and was displaying the color red to all of her enemies. “Hey bloody Spy, get back here!” Blue Sniper ordered. He whipped out his Kukri, and charged toward Rarity. Rarity gasped, and quickly cloaked out of sight. Blue Sniper rapidly smacked mid-air with his knife, trying desperately to disclose her location. When he couldn’t find her, he growled in frustration. “Stupid bloody RED Spies!” He yelled. Just after his angry outburst, he was sniped by Twilight. … Team BLU’s top-secret plan had just been revealed to all of team RED. At this point, it was either find a new plan, or inevitably lose. …………………………………… Rarity headed back to her own base as fast as she could. Before she could make it into the front entryway, her cloak ran out. She rapidly became visible to everybody on the map. Blue Spy quickly noticed her from the battlements. Without taking time to aim, he raised up his Ambassador, and pulled the trigger. … Just before Rarity made it into her base, a bullet whizzed by her ear faster than the speed of sound. She yelped, and covered her ear, checking to see if she was hit. Luckily, Blue Spy missed her by a hair. She sprinted into the base, grateful that she got away. Now her next step was to report her findings to the rest of her team. …………………………… Rarity made her way up the stairs, and onto the battlements. There, she found Twilight and Red Sniper lying down rather close to each other in front of the window. Their sniper rifles were pointed out toward the battlefield. “Excuse me, mister Red Sniper?” Rarity asked. Red Sniper pulled his eye from the scope, and turned to look at Rarity. Twilight did the same. “I understand you’re one of the few people on this team who possess a headset. I figured you knew how to broadcast information to whoever needs it, so I came to you.” “What is it, mate?” Red Sniper asked impatiently. “I have disclosed some top-secret information from Spike on team BLU. It’s information on team BLU’s entire game-plan.” She explained. Red Sniper smiled. “Excellent! Give me the details.” … Rarity took the time to explain to Red Sniper exactly what team BLU had in mind for keeping them out of the base. All the while, Twilight kept watch for any possible incoming attacks. By the time Rarity was done, Red Sniper was grinning wildly. “Great work, Spy! I’ll broadcast a counter-plan now!” … Red Sniper activated his headset, and adjusted the mouthpiece. He cleared his throat, and began. The words broadcasted through speakers scattered around the RED base, and only team RED could hear it. “Attention team RED! Our excellent Spy has just come back to us with important team BLU information! I need all Heavies, Demomen, and Engineer sentry guns at the front entrance. All Spies report to the BLU sewers to take out a defensive BLU sentry gun. Everyone else, head straight forward toward the Intelligence. We’re going to take this base by force!” Red Sniper announced. The rest of team RED who heard the announcement cheered, and began to carry out the plan just as instructed. …………………………………… Blue Sniper, Blue Heavy, Blue Demoman, and any other BLU team members that were standing near the front lines were surprised when they saw a barrage of team RED fighters begin to pour out of their base all at once. Blue Heavy, Blue Demoman, and Pinkie Pie moved forward in an attempt to stop the sudden intruders, but were killed quickly. Team BLU was being attacked! Blue Sniper ran back through the base to alert Blue Soldier, Spike, and Blue Pyro about the intrusion. They were the last brute classes that could slow down the attack that were at easy access. ………………………………. Applejack heard a lot of commotion coming from the base above her head. For a moment, she wondered what it was, but then quickly got back to focusing on her buildings. After a few seconds, Blue Soldier entered through the sewer exit. Without even looking at her, he walked right up to her sentry gun, and placed a sapper. Steady streams of stray electricity flowed out of the sentry gun as it was slowly shut down of its energy. “Hey Spy, quit sappin’ my sentry gun!” Applejack ordered. She grabbed her wrench, and charged at Blue Soldier. Blue Soldier swiped a knife at her, instantly losing his disguise, and changing into Red Spy. He and Applejack began a melee match. Applejack whacked Red Spy with her wrench, and Red Spy stabbed Applejack with his Big Earner. For a moment, it seemed like no one was going to win. Suddenly, Rarity appeared from mid-air in the corner behind Applejack. She steadily raised her knife, and plunged it into Applejack’s back. Applejack cried out, and fell to the floor. … “Excellent job, colleague. Now let’s get moving!” Red Spy ordered. Red Spy and Rarity activated a couple of BLU disguises, and headed down the sewer to join up in team RED’s raid. ……………………………………… Once they had climbed the stairs, they met up with the mob of RED fighters that moved down the hall swiftly. A Pyro or a Demoman would’ve been able to efficiently take all of them out in one hit. However, they were held back by Big Mac and Red Heavy. … The team barreled down the basement stairs, and made their way into the Intelligence room. A few of their fighters were quickly lost due to the level-three sentry gun that lied just inside the doorway. Zecora and Red Demoman quickly got rid of it with a few grenades. Red Scout sprinted forward, and grabbed the briefcase. He began to glow with a green outline, displaying his health quality. “We have taken the enemy Intelligence!” The announcer exclaimed over the loudspeaker. … As fast as his teenage legs could carry him, Red Scout barreled out of the Intelligence room, leaving the rest of his team behind. They followed him at a slower pace, ready to defend him on the way out of the BLU base. …………………………………… No sooner did Red Scout make it out of the basement, another announcement was given over the loudspeaker. “Alert! The enemy has taken our Intelligence…” “What?! That’s impossible!” Red Scout interjected. A static voice slowly came into frequency over Red Scout’s headset. Listening closely, Red Scout could recognize the voice of his former-colleague: Rainbow Dash. “No it’s not, Chucklehead. Now it’s time for us to see who’s really faster!” She challenged. … Intruder Alert! ... Red Scout gasped. That little rat! Rainbow Dash is the stealer of the RED Intelligence! She must’ve been hiding out in the base when the invasion started. … Red Scout grunted, and swiftly took off running as fast as he could go without dropping the Intelligence. He darted back and forth down the hallways, exiting the BLU base through the front entrance within a mere few seconds. As soon as he did so, however, he noticed that Rainbow Dash had done the same. They stared at each other viciously from both sides of the bridge. They barely got to for a just a couple seconds when the rest of team RED piled out of the BLU base. Shots rang out, all in attempt to hit Rainbow Dash and buy time for Red Scout to capture the Intelligence. “Nice try, but I’ve got a little weapon of my own!” Rainbow Dash laughed. Rainbow Dash spread her wings, and took off into the sky. All of team RED watched in shock as Rainbow Dash soared over the battlefield with the RED Intelligence. … Red Sniper also noticed this from the RED battlements. “Oh, no you don’t! That’s not even legal!” He growled. He put his eye up to the scope, and fired a shot. The sniper bullet whizzed through the air, and punctured Rainbow Dash’s left wing in mid-flight. A spray of blood streamed from Rainbow Dash’s wing. She cried out in agony, and began to spiral downward like a burning helicopter. “Run Scout, run!” Red Sniper yelled at the top of his lungs. Red Scout, obeying orders, took off to secure the Intelligence with the few precious seconds remaining on his shoulders. … Just before hitting the ground, Rainbow Dash whipped out the Force a Nature, and fired beneath her, thrusting her upward with enough force to slow her descent. She landed safely on the BLU battlements, where she continued her race on hoof, regardless of her injured wing. The entire battle now rested on whoever could reach their Intelligence room first. ……………………………… Rainbow Dash bolted through her base with the Intelligence on her back. Her mane blew backward in the wind that was produced from her blinding speed. She jetted down the basement stairs, around the hallway corner, and toward the Intelligence room. All she had to do was place the Intelligence on the shelf in front of her, and her team won the battle. “Ah, victory feels good!” She sighed to herself. She took the Intelligence off her back, and held it in front of her. A mere fraction of a second before she placed the Intelligence, she was backstabbed by Red Spy. Rainbow Dash cursed very loudly, and collapsed to the floor. “This is Rainbow Dash! Rainbows make me cry! Over!” He taunted, prancing around like a pretty princess. “Go jump off a bridge.” ………………………………. Seconds later, Red Scout captured the BLU Intelligence. “Success! Team RED has secured the BLU Intelligence!” The announcer exclaimed. Team RED had once again won the battle. No matter how hard Rainbow Dash tried, she just couldn’t counter her enemies. ……………………………………… After everyone respawned, they met at the bridge in the center of 2fort. RED stood on one side, and BLU stood on the other. A few seconds of long, solemn silence commenced among both teams. “Well, what are you waiting for? Do the freaking team scramble!” Rainbow Dash impatiently demanded. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. There will not be another battle after this.” Red Soldier announced. … All of the ponies gasped. “What do y’all mean?” Applejack asked worriedly. “We have a very special guest who will be governing you for the time-being. If you manage to succeed in the upcoming trial, the battles will continue, and everything will return to normal.” Blue Soldier explained. “Who? Who is the special guest?” Pinkie Pie asked. … A few of the fighters from team RED parted to the side, and a tall lady who had just arrived on the scene stepped forward. “Greetings. I am your announcer.” The lady stated. … The ponies gasped again. “So you’re the one who needs to get a hobby?” Rainbow Dash asked in wonder and awe. The announcer gave her a dirty look. “Well, if you HAVE to put it that way.” “So…what’s going on? What are you going to do to us?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “You have been selected to defend Mann Co. against Gray Gravel Co.’s army of robots. If you let them bomb our shipping base, we’re all done for!” The announcer started. … “And how do we have a snowball’s chance of doing that?” Applejack asked defiantly. “Figure it out. You will not be getting any help from any of your human colleagues. However, I will still give you the news feed on incoming threats such as Spy-bots, Engineer-bots, and sentry-busters.” The announcer added. “Now, off you go!” “But wait, what if…” Before Applejack could finish her sentence, the announcer snapped her fingers, and the ponies were whisked off to Mannworks Shipping Facility. ……………………………… After a few seconds of silence, Blue Scout said something. “Hey, can I touch your boobs?” He asked the announcer. Everyone on both teams, including the announcer, gave him a look of pure disgust. He chuckled awkwardly. “Eh heh heh……never mind.” To be Continued… Author's Note Yeah yeah yeah, I know. You're supposed to capture the Intelligence three times in order to win instead of just one. If I did that, this chapter would've been five times as long as most of the story put together. Anyway, I changed the music that is played during each chapter. If you go back and look at them, you'll see what I mean. I just think this sounds better. The next chapter is Mann vs Machine! >:D
Mann vs. Machine Mode (Part 1)Final Battle Arena: Mannworks (Mann vs. Machine) In a brilliant flash of light, all the ponies were sent to Mannworks Shipping Facility to begin the fight. They were all dazed at first, blinking their eyes and shaking their heads. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were among the first to come to. Everyone else followed shortly after. Looking around, the ponies noticed that they were in a garage room of some sort. Some slide-open doors lied at the front, leading to the outside world. Some windows gave them the view around them. Ignoring the two UPGRADE stations on both sides of the garage, the ponies walked outside to take a look at where they were going to be fighting. ……………………………… I highly recommend that you listen to this! It sets the mood. The Calm ……………………………… As soon as they left the garage, they were hit by a moderate breeze. The sun was on the far side of the sky. However, it was blocked by the brigade of thick, dark clouds that covered the horizon. The ponies’ mouths dropped when they spotted the cliff on the other side of the map. A large alien-looking ship was parked on the ledge, headlights ablaze. A large hatch was on the front, which was currently wide-open. On its top, several satellite dishes and electromagnetic sensors spun around, giving off quiet beeps as they monitored the horizon. Fluttershy gulped. … Their session of wonder and awe was suddenly interrupted when the announcer spoke over their headsets. “Hurry, find an UPGRADE station! Prepare for operation Mannslaughter!” Mannslaughter? That didn’t sound good. “Hey y’all, over here!” Applejack gestured, pointing back toward the garage. The ponies followed her back to the garage. Once they got there, they found two big UPGRADE stations on both side-walls of the room. “Now how did we miss those?” Big Mac asked in a low voice. ……………………………… All of the ponies approached the two separate stations, and began to browse through their upgrade options. The first thing that caught Twilight’s eye was the explosive headshot upgrade. It could be upgraded three times, and it cost 350 credits each time. However, she only had 400 to start with. She shrugged, and purchased explosive headshot level 1. … She ran out into the battlefield in search of a good battlement for when the robots arrived. Once she had found a good ledge up near the front, she noticed Applejack setting up a sentry gun and a dispenser. “What would y’all do without me?” Applejack playfully boasted. … As the other ponies finished their upgrades and moved toward the front lines, the announcer came onto their headset again. “This is wave one of operation Mannslaughter. I will now give you the list of robots that you’ll be up against.” The announcer listed the upcoming robot force. For wave one, the ponies were going to be up against 7 giant Demo-bots, 12 Pyro-bots, 28 Steel-Heavy-bots, as well as Spy-bots and Sydney-Sniper-bots for support. Twilight sighed. “This is not going to be fun…” “Pfft, that’s nothing. Watch me take them all out with my bare hooves.” Rainbow Dash bragged. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rainbow. What if…” “Oh shut up, Twilight. I highly doubt you’ll be able to save the day with your stupid jars of piss.” Rainbow Dash scoffed. Twilight lurched forward, and grabbed Rainbow Dash by her red t-shirt. Rainbow Dash cried out in surprise. “No, how about you shut up? It’s about time you stop being such a cocky jerk, Rainbow. You’re not nearly as strong as you think you are. If you don’t knock this off, we’re all going to die!” Twilight scolded. “Get your nasty hooves off of me! I can kill all of these robots by myself!” Rainbow Dash demanded. “No, Rainbow. You can’t. You always act you’re a big shot, but the truth is, you’re not. Why do you think the Wonderbolts haven’t accepted you in their team in all these years? There are few things that you’ve actually accomplished in life. Everything else is just a big fake mass of ‘me, me, me’!” Twilight paused for a second, and balled up a fist. “If you don’t learn to fight like a team, our blood will be on your hooves!” When Twilight was finished, she shoved Rainbow Dash away. Rainbow Dash stared back at her with a hurt expression on her face. When Twilight glanced back at her, she noticed that Rainbow Dash had begun to cry. “Wait, Rainbow, I didn’t mean…” “Just stay the buck away from me, you stupid egghead!” Rainbow Dash cried. Before Twilight could say anything else, she took off running back toward the garage. … Rarity approached Twilight. “Did you actually manage to make Rainbow Dash cry?” She asked in awe. “Apparently so. I feel like such a bully…” Rarity shrugged. “I think she deserved it. That taunt you pulled back at Nucleus was actually kind of funny.” ……………………………… Their conversation was interrupted when loud clanking footsteps echoed from the ship. The announcer spoke over their headsets. “This is it! If they get that bomb to the hatchway, we’re all done for!” Twilight hurried back to the battlement, while Rarity ran out into the battlefield with Big Mac. She put on a disguise, and prepared her Electro-Sapper. “5…4…3…2…1…” ……………………………… This music isn't from TF2, but it makes a great final battle theme! The Legend of Zelda: Koloktos/Moldarach ……………………………… As soon as the announcer said ‘1’, the robots appeared over the hill. All of the ponies gasped loudly once they came into view. The first robots that came into view looked exactly like Pinkie Pie. Following closely behind was a massive Zecora bot that carried the bomb on its back. … The second the pony-bots dropped onto the battlefield, Applejack’s sentry gun began to pound them with bullets and rockets. The Pinkie-bots dropped rather quickly, but the Zecora-bot held strong. It rapid-fired grenades all over the battlefield while the ponies tried to stop it. Pinkie Pie and Spike were blown up rather quickly. They wouldn’t respawn for another fifteen seconds. Fluttershy, who had equipped the Kritzkrieg before the battle had started, Ubercharged Big Mac as he fired at the giant machine. Critical hits showered down on the giant bot until it exploded, dropping the bomb right on the ground. Credits were thrown into the air for the ponies to grab. “Yes!” The ponies all cheered. … Unfortunately, immediately after, another giant Zecora-bot marched off the ledge. It was accompanied by about a dozen steel-fisted Big Mac bots. Big Mac turned around, and fired at the second giant bomb-bot. Meanwhile, Applejack frantically whacked her sentry gun with her wrench as it continued to pepper the bots with bullets. She was supplied with metal by her dispenser. “Attention Engineers! We’ve got a sentry-buster!” The announcer cried out over the headsets. Right on cue, a giant bomb on legs jogged off the ledge, and began to approach Applejack. It ticked wildly like a primed time-bomb. “A sentry-buster? What in the hay is a sentry-buster?” Applejack asked. Her question was answered when the mobile-explosive made its way around the ledge, and up the stairs. It jogged up behind her. It stopped as its head began to spin. It beeped rapidly. Applejack turned around. “Hey, what the bu…” The buster exploded, obliterating all of Applejack’s buildings. At the same time, it launched Applejack’s dead body clear across the map. The ponies watched in horror as Applejack’s body flew over their heads. Now that the sentry gun was destroyed, their defenses were diminished. … The second giant Zecora-bot picked up the bomb. The steel Big Mac bots followed close behind. Big Mac continued to fire at it while being healed by Fluttershy. The Zecora-bot noticed this assault, and turned around, rapid-firing grenades at him. He took massive damage, but was kept alive by Fluttershy. Suddenly, the bot was blown to pieces by the sticky bombs that were placed on the ground. The real Zecora, who was standing nearby, chuckled to herself. “I have found what makes you tick. Next time, find someone else to mimic.” She exclaimed. “Thanks for the help!” Big Mac called. He and Fluttershy waved at her. She waved back. … As this was going on, another giant Zecora-bot and another half-dozen Pinkie-bots appeared off the ledge. Close behind were a few Twilight-bots, who were wielding Sydney-Sleepers. Twilight was astonished that all the bots looked just like her and her friends. It almost felt weird killing them. She took aim, and prepared to kill the identical assassin. But just as she got the scope to her eye, the bot fired first, and hit her right in the gut. Suddenly, she was covered in jarate. “Oh look! G-g-ggot you right in the ovary!” The bot taunted, waving its robotic hoof in the air. Okay, now it was just plain scary. How in Equestria was everything alike with these robots? It was almost like Gray Gravel Co planted a Spy to record their every move and word. … As Twilight lifted her rifle to finish off the sniper, she noticed Rarity backstab it from behind. She then jogged to the giant Zecora-bot, and planted a sapper, which slowed it down dramatically. “Keep the headshots going, Twilight! I’m trying to hold them off!” Rarity called from the battlefield ground below. Some of the Big Mac bots noticed Rarity from their location. “I s-s-ssee a Spy!” They called out in a computer voice. Before Rarity could make a cloaked escape, the Big Mac bots beat her to the ground with their steel fists. Twilight shuddered as she listened to Rarity’s agonizing cries. ………………………………. By now, Applejack had respawned along with Pinkie Pie and Spike. She used the teleporter that she had built before the battle, and made it to the front lines instantly. Getting out her tool box, she began a replacement sentry gun. “Here come the Spies!” The announcer warned over the headset. Big Mac came up the stairs, and stood next to Applejack as he fired bullets down onto the battlefield. “Hey sis’, put a dispenser here if you can.” He suggested. “I’m workin’ on it, big brother.” She hastily replied. … As Applejack worked, she noticed Big Mac get backstabbed right next to her. She turned quickly, and saw a Rarity-bot laughing behind his corpse. “M-my my darling, you’re going t-t-tto have to be qu-quicker than that.” The bot taunted. “Hey, don’t kill my big brother!” Applejack demanded. She turned toward the Rarity-bot, and beat it to death with her wrench. … After that little fit of rage, Applejack got back to work. With little effort, she got her second sentry gun to working order. Their main defense was restored. She went to the ammo box to get more metal, and began to work on the dispenser that Big Mac had wanted. She worked on two things at once. As the dispenser constructed itself, she worked to upgrade her sentry gun. As she did so, the sentry gun continued firing. It managed to kill off the rest of the Pinkie Pie and Big Mac bots. At this point, all that remained were the giant Zecora-bots. … “Alert! Another sentry-buster has entered the area!” The announcer warned. “Not this time.” Applejack whispered. She packed up the sentry gun into her toolbox, and took off with it on her shoulders. The sentry-buster chased her. Once she was out of range of the giant Zecora-bots, she stopped dead for a couple seconds. The sentry-buster ran right up to her, and began to detonate again. Right before it did so, however, Applejack began running again, narrowly missing the explosion. Back up the stairs, through the building, back onto the front battlements, and on the outer ledge, Applejack put her sentry gun back down. It continued to fire at the giant Zecora-bots. “All in a day’s work.” She chuckled. At the same time, she used her shotgun to take down any other Rarity-bots that attempted to kill her or her friends. ……………………………… Meanwhile, Twilight was at war with the Sydney-Snipers. A few of them were attempting to destroy Applejack’s sentry gun, a few of them were sniping her teammates as they tried desperately to destroy the few remaining giant Zecora-bots, and a few of them were trying to snipe her. Instead of lying down in one position, she was running back and forth, scoping and unscoping, trying to find a window of opportunity where she could focus enough to headshot them. Whenever she got hit, she would hide off to the side, and wait for the jarate to wear off. The last thing she needed was for her to get sniped while under the influence of mini-crits. … When her last chance came around, she quickly ran out, and finished off the last Twilight-bot. After the kill, she looked down below the battlement, and saw the last two giant Zecora-bots being crit-shot by Big Mac and Fluttershy. She took one last aim, and fired at one of the Zecora-bot’s head. The explosive headshot upgrade caused an electric bolt to travel to the other bot, which killed them both. They dropped a load of credits, which Big Mac and Fluttershy picked up. …………………………… Pause the music. …………………………… “You’ve defeated the wave! Good. Hurry, find an UPGRADE station!” The announcer ordered. Serious classes like Twilight and Zecora obeyed orders, and headed straight for the UPGRADE stations to prepare for the next wave. Other classes took some time to jump around and cheer about their victory. … The first thing Twilight did with her credits was finish upgrading her rifle’s explosive headshot. After that, she upgraded her rifle’s overall damage. Her strength was in her sniper rifle, so she figured she’d upgrade everything about it first. Even in the garage, there was still no sign of Rainbow Dash. “Dang it, where is Rainbow Dash? I didn’t mean to make her cry…” “I’m not sure where she ran off to. However, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” Zecora responded. Twilight sighed, and ran back out into the battlefield to prepare for the second wave. As she left the garage, most other classes were just entering. … Once she had reached the battlement, the announcer listed the bots for the second wave. For this wave, the ponies would be up against 8 giant Soldier-bots, 100 Scout-bots, 28 Quick-Fix-Medic-bots, plus Sniper and Spy bots for support. “Oh Celestia, why… This is impossible!” Twilight muttered to herself. Fluttershy approached her. “Are you okay, Twilight?” She asked. “No. This is probably the most difficult legion of robots in Mann Co history. And what’s worse, I scared off Rainbow Dash!” Twilight replied. “You actually scared off Rainbow Dash? I didn’t know you could do that…” “I can’t believe it either.” Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy. “I think this world is changing us. I know I would never do that in Equestria, and I know Rainbow Dash would’ve never pushed me off the lift at Doomsday the way she did. It’s like we’re all developing a hard outer shell.” Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Well, just think about me. Try to heal as much as you can, and only hurt when you absolutely have to. If you do that, the battle always goes your way!” Twilight thought about that response deeply. Once she actually looked it over, it seemed to make sense. “…Okay. I’ll try.” … “The robots are here! Protect Mann Co!” The announcer exclaimed. The ponies returned to their respective battle positions, and got ready for round two of living hell. “5…4…3…2…1…” ……………………………………… Resume the music. ……………………………………… Almost instantly, a massive barrage of Rainbow Dash bots came streaming over the hill. Their metallic mane and tail were painted all different colors to match Rainbow Dash’s colorful hair. All of them even had functional wings. Overwhelmed by the sudden colorful blur of Rainbow Dash bots, Twilight fired off a frazzled bullet. It didn’t even touch one of them. “Rarity, sap the Rainbow Dash bots so they’re easier to hit! We need to kill them before they start flying!” Twilight spoke over her headset. “I’m trying……but…….too fast……” Rarity replied. Her voice was cut off by a wave of feedback from the radio. There were too many bots in the area, and the mechanisms on top of the robots’ ship weren’t helping. The only ones who seemed to have a grip on the bots’ rapid speed were Applejack’s sentry gun and Big Mac. As Twilight tried to follow the rapid movement of bots, she noticed something. None of them were carrying the bomb. “Hey, where’s the…” She was cut off suddenly when she started getting beaten to death by a baseball bat. Before she could choke out a scream or a response, her skull was crushed in from the pressure of the metal instrument. … The Rainbow Dash bot standing behind her danced around wildly, flapping its aluminum wings. “Hey, is a-a-anyone keeping track of my eggheads batted in? BOINK!” The bot taunted. Applejack noticed the assault from a few feet away, and ran over to destroy the bot with her wrench. Shortly after doing so, however, she was overwhelmed by a horde of bots that swarmed her like a pack of angry wasps. They beat at her faster than she could even call for help. Within seconds, the Rainbow Dash bots had also killed Applejack. They headed straight off to the right, and destroyed her sentry gun as well. …………………………………. Spike continuously shot a barrage of rockets at the impending swarms of Rainbow Dash Scouts. Each time he hit one, the resulting explosion killed off a couple of them at a time. Just seconds ago, he witnessed the death of Twilight and Applejack. Moments before, he had overheard their conversation. The million-bit question had also confused him as well. Where was the bomb? … Almost right on cue to answer his question, a giant Spike-bot came marching over the ledge with about a half-dozen Fluttershy bots healing him from close behind. Its motor revved as it leapt off the cliff, and onto the ground. The bomb rested firmly on its back. Spike’s jaw went slack. He lifted up his helmet to get a better look. “Sweet Celestia above……” … Fluttershy ran up behind him. “What is it, Spike? What’s wrong?” Right after asking, Fluttershy followed Spike’s gaze. Up ahead, she noticed the group of Fluttershy bots that were healing giant-Spike. “Oh my……” … After staring in awe for a few seconds, Spike slowly lifted his rocket-launcher. Fluttershy, without saying a word, immediately set him up with the Kritzkrieg. “Come on guys, we can’t do this alone!” Pinkie Pie called from the distance. She was spamming the Fluttershy bots with fire while Zecora tried to bomb the giant Spike bot. “I’m charged, Spike! Do it!” Fluttershy yelled. Answering her call, Spike opened fire on his rockets. Fluttershy immediately Ubercharged him, which granted him critical hits. Spike shot rocket after rocket at his giant robotic clone. The critically-charged projectiles penetrated the armor of the giant bot, which seemed to slow it down drastically. Obviously, the bot noticed this, and turned to look at Spike and Fluttershy. It shot one rocket, which hit Spike directly in the feet. Spike was launched a few dozen feet into the air. He interjected for a brief moment, then worked to catch his balance. Once he had his focus, he shot a rocket down upon the giant Spike bot. The rocket hit the bot directly, and blew it to smithereens. Large chunks of metal and extra shrapnel flew through the air as the bot was obliterated from the massive explosion. One down, seven to go. … Unfortunately, what little health Spike had left was lost when he hit the ground. He collapsed on impact, and dropped his rocket-launcher. “It’s okay, Spike. You did good that time.” Fluttershy whispered over his corpse. ……………………………… “Alert! Their Spies are coming!” The announcer exclaimed over the ponies’ headsets. Also, at the same time, several Twilight bots had made their way into the battlefield. They stood behind rocks and hidden corners, and raised their rifles to diminish their competition. Rarity was running around disguised in the battlefield, going undetected by the robots. The second she saw the Twilight bots, she knew she had her chance. She ran up behind them, and starting backstabbing them one by one. They all fell to the ground, dead as a pile of twisted metal. The second she backstabbed the last one, she herself got backstabbed by her robotic clone. The clone of course had to do a taunt afterwards. ……………………………… A few more groups of Rainbow Dash bots leaked off the ledge as the battle continued. The first giant Spike bot had managed to get the bomb past the bridge, which was halfway through the map. Joining them were two more giant Spike bots, each with their own healing force of Fluttershy bots. All the ponies that were not waiting to respawn were firing everything they had at the giant Spike bots. Most of the Rainbow Dash bots were killed in the crossfire. By this point, most, if not all Rainbow Dash bots were destroyed. Some of the ponies let out a sigh of relief, knowing that they weren’t going to be back for another wave. … As her teammates fired at the giant Spike bots, Twilight noticed something. A Rainbow Dash bot that they had missed had picked up the bomb, and was carrying it to the hatch. “Wait, no!” She yelled. She jumped off of the battlement, and ran with all of her might to catch up with the bot intruder. However, it was simply too fast. “Alert, stop them from deploying the bomb!” The announcer exclaimed. A loud siren echoed throughout the entire map. The ponies up front were confused. The bot reached the hatch, and prepared to jump in. “No! We can’t lose like this!” Twilight yelled anxiously. … Just before the bot jumped into the hatch, Rarity appeared behind it. She jammed her knife into its back, and it fell down with a metallic clunk. “Oh Rarity…thank Celestia you happened to be standing there!” “Oh darling, it wasn’t that much of a big deal. I was just leaving after respawning!” She explained. “Well, if you hadn’t died, I’m sure we would’ve lost the battle!” “It was no trouble at all. Now come on; our team needs us!” Twilight and Rarity sprinted back into the battlefield, leaving the bomb to sit on the hatch unprotected. ……………………………… When Twilight had returned to the battlement, she noticed that the giant Spike bots were gone. She headed straight for Applejack. “Hey Applejack, I have important information.” She stated. “By the way Twi, in case you were wondering, we lost Pinkie Pie to the giant Spike bots. Just before she died though, she managed to burn both of them to death.” Applejack mentioned. “Well okay, that’s good. Listen, I need you to build a disposable sentry gun over at the hatch. The bomb got left there, and if a Rarity bot notices it, it’ll surely end the battle for us without us even noticing.” “Sure thing, Twilight. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Applejack took off running toward the hatch with her tool box in hoof. Twilight turned around, and prepared to snipe the last couple incoming giant Spike bots. … Both Fluttershy and Big Mac walked up the stairs and onto the battlements. Twilight turned to look at them. “Twilight, I have an idea. I need you to headshot one of the Spike bots with the explosive upgrade.” Fluttershy ordered. “Um…okay, I guess.” Twilight lifted up her sniper rifle, and aimed it at one of the giant bots’ head. Fluttershy used her Kritzkrieg, and gave Twilight a fast Ubercharge. Twilight headshot one of the giant Spike bots with a charged critical hit, which traveled to the other one via the explosive headshot. It dealt substantial damage to both of them. Fluttershy then switched her Ubercharge over to Big Mac, who used the remaining critical charge to pepper the bots with crits. Finally, they both exploded from the assault. ………………………………. Pause the music. ………………………………. “You have beaten them back! For the moment. Get to an UPGRADE station!” The announcer exclaimed. Twilight stopped for a moment, and listened closely to the announcer’s voice. “What’s wrong, Twilight? We just won the wave!” Fluttershy asked. “……I could’ve sworn I just heard Red Sniper’s voice in the background on that broadcast…” “Well, I don’t think you should worry about it right now. We have to get to an UPGRADE station before wave three starts.” Big Mac suggested. To be Continued… Author's Note I wanted so badly to put all of this into one chapter, but it just got to be too dang long. Will they defeat the robot army? What surprises await? Was that really Red Sniper Twilight heard over her headset? Where's Rainbow Dash? These questions and many more will be answered in the next chapter! And boy, do I have a cliffhanger waiting for you there! >:)
Mann vs. Machine Mode (Part 2)Operation Mannslaughter Continued As Twilight finished her upgrades and headed back out onto the battlefield for the third wave, she thought deeply to herself. Last time the announcer spoke over her headset, she could’ve sworn up and down that she heard Red Sniper’s voice in the background. It sounded like he was in the same room with the announcer. But why would that be? If the ponies’ colleagues weren’t allowed to fight with them, why would they be with the announcer? And while on the subject, why can’t they fight at all? What rule is there that states that all newcomers to the world of Mann Co have to be the ones to defend it against all odds? Above all, one question kept dominating Twilight’s mind. Where was Rainbow Dash? … “Twi, are you okay? You seem a little…out of it.” Applejack asked worriedly. Twilight shook herself out of her daze. She realized that she had been standing in place this whole time, and that she was needed on the battlefield. “Oh, sorry. I’m fine.” She replied. The two of them raced up toward the front lines, and prepared for the third wave. At the same time, the announcer gave the list of robots to be fought in the next battle. For wave three, the ponies would be up against 12 giant Scout bots, 2 tanks, 8 giant heavy bots, 20 Soldier bots, 20 Pyro bots, 24 Uber Medic bots, and Scouts and Snipers for support. … The ponies all took one last well-needed breath before the announcer started the countdown. “The attack has started! 5…4…3…2…1…” …………………………………. I'll give you the choice for music this time. They both go well with this chapter. The Legend of Zelda: Koloktos/Moldarach Theme Super Mario Galaxy 2: Bowser Jr. Boomsday …………………………………. Looks of pride and determination were plastered on the ponies’ faces as the first robots marched off the ledge. The battle started off with a handful of Spike and Pinkie bots. The only ponies at risk here were Rarity, Big Mac, and Fluttershy, as they were the ones up front on the battlefield. The other ponies hung back and waited for the onslaught to come their way. … With the help of Rarity’s sapper, Applejack’s sentry gun, and Big Mac’s brute bullet-rain, the first sub-wave of robots were terminated in a matter of seconds. There was no wait-time however, as more robots came barreling over the ledge the second the previous Pinkie bot had fallen. Not a sweat had been broken yet as the ponies upfront stepped back a little, giving the incoming bots some room to enter. A mess of supporting Rainbow Dash bots swarmed the battlefield, waving their bats in the air like deranged maniacs. Two massive Big Mac bots followed close behind, marching majestically like top kings. They each had a battalion of three Fluttershy bots keeping them sustained. “Big Mac, I need you, Fluttershy, and Applejack to aim your focus on the giant bots! Everyone else, kill the Medics!” Twilight ordered. The ponies nodded, and began to carry out the plan. The ponies willingly let Twilight lead their team. No one said anything about this; it just sort of ended up that way. … Just as ordered, Big Mac and Applejack opened fire on the giant Big Mac bot. Fluttershy activated Ubercharge, giving Big Mac a rain of critical hits. Unfortunately, right at that moment, the Fluttershy bots noticed the attack, and set off their Ubercharge on the Big Mac bot. A reflective blue halo surrounded the Big Mac bot and its assailants, granting them temporary immunity. “Fluttershy, shut it off! We’re wasting ammo on the bots’ Ubercharge!” Big Mac cried out. “I can’t! I can’t stop the Ubercharge!” Fluttershy replied in a panic. Big Mac stopped shooting at the bot. However, Fluttershy’s critical Ubercharge flowed on until it completely drained. By the time they got it recharged, it could be too late. … As this was happening, the two giant Big Mac bots fired continuously at the ponies with its giant minigun. Zecora, Rarity, Spike, and Applejack were quickly killed. Big Mac and Fluttershy realized the seriousness of the situation, and began to retreat. On their way back, however, they were noticed by the giant Big Mac bot. Still under the influence of its Ubercharge, the bot fired relentlessly at the duo until they fell to the ground in mid-dash. As Pinkie Pie ran forward to avenge Big Mac and Fluttershy, she was overwhelmed by Rainbow Dash bots. Even she fell silently to the power of the bot-battalion. ………………………………. “How could you all die at once?!” The announcer scolded. Twilight listened to the angry announcement in horror as she realized that she was the only one alive. And worse, these were only the first two giant Big Mac bots to strike their defenses. Six more were on the way. Twilight began to panic. A strand of her mane sprung out of place. “Okay Twilight, don’t go crazy now. You know there’s something you can do!” She spoke to herself. Nothing was coming to her mind. Just before she threw in the towel, she looked down at the emblem on her sleeve. She studied the emblem for a few seconds. Suddenly, a realization came to her. The emblem represented a job. Team RED and team BLU didn’t make a difference. They were all part of the same company. And just as so, they had their parts to play. The emblem was what distinguished her from the rest of her teammates. Just as Pinkie Pie had a flame on her arm, and Applejack a wrench, she had her job that was assigned to her and her alone. Which means perhaps it’s not about being paranoid to keep other teammates organized; it’s about doing what you know is necessary to fulfill your duties and help your team excel. … Her face quickly changed from panicked to determined. A sinister smile formed on her face as she realized what she had to do. It was time to step up her game, and stop worrying about what her other teammates were doing. Taking out a jar of jarate that she had saved since Doomsday, Twilight reeled back with her arm, and hurled it at the incoming robots. “Bet you didn’t see this coming!” She yelled. The jar hit the giant Big Mac bot on the left. It broke open, soaking both giant bots with the yellow spray. Twilight immediately ducked down to the ground, and positioned her rifle. Taking quick yet steady aim, she pulled the trigger. The bullet twinkled in the dimming ray of the evening sun for the split-second it left the barrel and was in the air. Faster than the speed of sound, it slammed into the head of the first giant bot. Bolts of electricity caused by the ghostly energy of the Explosive Headshot upgrade traveled rapidly through the heads of all the nearby robots, killing every single one of them. The two giant Big Mac bots, along with their six Medics, collapsed to the ground with a loud metallic clang. “Snipers like me don’t deserve the bad rap that they’ve been getting.” Twilight stated casually, blowing on the nozzle of her rifle. ……………………………….. At that point, the rest of her team respawned in the resupply locker. They ran out as fast as they could; ready to keep fighting for Mann Co. Applejack passed by Twilight on her way back to the front ledge. She stopped briefly. “Are you okay, Twi? We noticed you were the last one standing.” She asked. “I’m fine, Applejack. In fact, I’ve never been better!” She happily responded. “Dear Celestia, did you kill both of those giant Big Mac bots by yourself?” “I sure did! Jarate really did the trick!” “Oh, well that’s great! Come on, we still have six more of those things to finish off!” … Applejack and Twilight sprinted forward to continue the fight near the front lines. They reached their favorite ledge just as another giant Big Mac bot appeared over the hill. It was being healed by three more Fluttershy bots. Alongside it was a miniature army of Spike and Pinkie Pie bots. “Come on! Show us what you’ve got!” Spike yelled up at the robots. The ponies were all as confident as could be when the robots marched toward the ledge. Their confidence was diminished, however, when an announcement came over their headsets. “Alert! A tank has entered the area!” … “Excuse me…a what-now?” Applejack stuttered. In answer to her question, a massive blue tank rolled slowly past the front gates. They burst open violently, throwing wooden shrapnel in every direction. “Whoa, nelly! Incoming!” She called. The ponies all turned their attention toward the tank. As it harmlessly rolled by, they launched their heavy-duty fire power straight at it. As bullets and rockets flew at it from every direction, it began to get dented and damaged. At the same time, however, two more Big Mac bots and their Fluttershy-assistants fell over the ledge. By the time the ponies would finally destroy the tank, the bots would be at the hatch. … “Spike! Come with me, and we’ll take care of the giant Big Mac bots! We’ll leave the tank to everypony else.” Twilight ordered. “Sure thing, Twilight!” Spike eagerly replied. Twilight and Spike ran around to the other side of the front-most building, where the giant bots were marching past. Spike instantly began spamming the Fluttershy bots with rockets to take them out. He killed the first two that were healing the bomb-carrying Big Mac bot, but failed to finish off the third one as it deployed its Ubercharge. As soon as it was struck with invulnerability, the giant bot opened fire on Twilight and Spike. It was impossible to avoid the stinging rapid-fire of the bot’s minigun. A few bullets managed to pierce Twilight and Spike’s flesh here and there. They were both bleeding considerably, yet continued to fire everything they had at the giant hunk of metal. Twilight could see from their position that the tank had begun to turn the corner, and was now headed in their direction. It was so beaten up that you could barely tell it was a tank. … Suddenly, right as this thought passed through Twilight’s mind, the tank exploded violently. Hundreds of shards of metal shrapnel flew through the air at lightning speeds. The bomb that the tank was carrying flew into the air. The metal shards of shrapnel, big and small, launched out from the explosion in all different directions. Twilight and Spike shielded their eyes as the shards flew in their direction. They were badly cut from the debris, which only increased the blood-flow. Drops of blood fell from their bodies as they quickly retreated, shooting at the giant bots on their way back. … Twilight threw a jar of jarate at the giant metal monsters. The jar burst open on impact, covering both of them with the warm liquid. Spike had trouble focusing his eyes. He tried to take steady aim with his rocket-launcher as he began to wobble backwards. He took three concentrated, yet frazzled shots. Luckily, they all managed to hit their target. The giant Big Mac bot exploded from the rocket impact, thanks to the jarate-induced mini-crit effect. … Shortly after the kill, Spike turned to Twilight. “Twilight…I…I feel dizzy…” He stuttered. “It must be from the blood-loss. You’re much smaller than me. Hurry, you need to find a health pack!” She stated. Spike barely heard her. He wobbled a couple more times, then fainted on the ground. The last of his blood drained from his cuts and wounds. What little life-force he had left was lost when the other giant jarate-covered Big Mac bot fired at his fainted body. “You have a tendency to make very heroic exits, my number-one-assistant.” Twilight smiled. The Big Mac bot took aim at her, and got ready to fire. Twilight quickly turned a corner to get out of its way, leaving Spike’s bled-out body on the ground. …………………………………………. The second Big Mac bot picked up the bomb. It was now dangerously close to the hatch. Big Mac and Fluttershy ran as fast as they could to the location of the giant bot to focus their fire power. “Okay Fluttershy, are you ready to use that critical Ubercharge?” He asked. “Wait!” A voice called. … Big Mac and Fluttershy looked around for the source of the voice, and saw Twilight on a high ledge, waving down at them. “Fluttershy, bring your Ubercharge to me! I have an idea!” She called down. Fluttershy shrugged, and ran up the ledge to Twilight’s location. She set her Kritzkrieg on Twilight. “I’ll tell you when.” Twilight ordered. Twilight scoped up on the giant bot’s head, and waited for the rifle to charge up. Once she heard the little click, she gave the signal. Fluttershy deployed the Ubercharge, and Twilight fired at the giant bot. The electric-bullet passed right through its titanium head. Twilight had managed to deal a critical headshot on a jarate-covered bot with a critical-Ubercharge. It took well over two-thousand damage. The bot exploded, dropping the bomb right where it used to stand. “Yes!” Twilight and Fluttershy cried. They slapped each other’s hooves. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but there are more giant Big Mac bots on their way!” Big Mac warned. ………………………………. The three of them ran back up to the front of the battlefield to kill the remaining giant bots as another threatening announcement came over their headsets. “Another tank has entered the area! Kill it!” The announcer rasped. They also received an indication that some Twilight bots had entered the area as well. Twilight assumed that Rarity would have them taken care of. … Fluttershy continued to heal Twilight to build up another critical Ubercharge. If done correctly, they could terminate any incoming giant bots in one or two headshots. The rest of their defense team worked with all that they had to destroy the remaining tank. Snipers weren’t exactly very strong against tanks, so Twilight hung back with Fluttershy in wait of an Ubercharge so they could destroy the two remaining giant Big Mac bots. Fluttershy had previously spent her credits to upgrade her Ubercharge rate, so it was building rather fast. “Okay Twilight, I’m almost ready. Cover the bots in jarate, and scope up to build charge.” Fluttershy suggested. Twilight did as Fluttershy had suggested. She threw her last jarate jar at the bots, which managed to cover them both. Then she scoped up, and waited patiently for the rifle to give full charge. “Okay Flutters, I’m ready. Activate the charge!” Fluttershy deployed her Ubercharge, granting Twilight’s rifle with critical hits. She aimed the crosshair at the giant Big Mac bot’s head, ready to fire. She pulled the trigger just as the bot prepared to fire at her. The bullet hit its head directly, traveling over to the other bot via the Explosive Headshot upgrade. Both of the bots took thousands of damage. A dazzling explosion ripped through the air around the ponies as both bots and their Medics were killed before they even reached the bomb. The only thing that remained was the tank. Twilight and Fluttershy slapped hooves again. ………………………………… Big Mac peppered the tank with bullets from his minigun. Applejack’s sentry gun helped with the damage, as well as Zecora’s grenade launcher, Pinkie Pie’s flamethrower, and Spike’s rocket launcher. The whole time Twilight and Fluttershy were attacking the bots, everyone else was attacking the tank. Finally, it was at the point of combustion. “Twilight, take cover!” Spike yelled. Twilight and Fluttershy ducked below the battlement as Spike shot one last rocket at the tank. Once the projectile made contact with the metal surface of the vehicle, a violent explosion occurred. Once again, shrapnel was thrown in all directions. … “You’ve beaten them back, for the moment. Hurry, find an UPGRADE station!” The announcer ordered. Three waves down, two to go. ……………………………………… Pause the music. ....................................................... Once the ponies purchased their upgrades, they headed out to the battlefield once again. Twilight made sure to upgrade her jarate recharge rate so she’d be able to use it more frequently. When Applejack noticed her from her side of the battlements, she found that most of Twilight’s stress had diminished. “You doing okay, Twilight?” She asked. “Yes, I’m fine. No complaints.” Twilight replied. “Are you sure? You seemed pretty frazzled at the beginning of that last wave.” “I agree. But during that last wave, I realized something. Teamwork has power; there is no doubt about that. But when it is properly organized, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.” “That sounds like some great advice.” “Just make sure you’re doing your job. That emblem on your shoulder has meaning.” … Applejack looked down at the wrench symbol on her shoulder. She smiled proudly. “You bet your flank I will.” “And make sure everyone else is doing their job as well. If Fluttershy pulls out that syringe gun, so help her…” Twilight rasped, balling up a fist. “…Well, okay then. I’ll keep that in mind.” ……………………………………… Right then, the countdown began. For the fourth wave, the ponies would be facing 6 giant Pyro bots, 11 giant Demo-bots, 38 Deflector-Heavy bots, 32 Demo-bots, 24 Demo-Knights, 13 Uber-Medic bots, 30 Soldier bots, and Spies for support. Fluttershy ran over to Twilight, and set her up with her Kritzkrieg. It was time to get an early advantage. The ponies took a deep breath, and raised their guns. “5…4…3…2…1…” …………………………………. Resume the music. …………………………………. Immediately, two giant Zecora bots marched over the hill and toward the ledge. Each one had a Fluttershy bot healing it from behind. One of them carried the bomb. They were accompanied by a pack of smaller Zecora and Spike bots. Instead of grenade launchers, the Zecora bots wielded swords. Celestia-forsaken swords. “Hey guys, make sure to not fire at the giant Zecora bots! That’ll activate their Ubercharge and ruin my opportunity!” Twilight yelled. The other ponies nodded, and began attacking the smaller bots that had just entered the battlefield. The giant bots and their Medics were not far behind. … Twilight threw her jar of jarate at the bomb-carrying giant Zecora bot. When the jar broke open, it covered both giant bots with the substance. She held up her rifle, and scoped up for a headshot. She gave Fluttershy the signal to deploy the Ubercharge. She pulled the trigger, and hit the first giant bot directly on its forehead. It traveled to all of the surrounding bots via the Explosive Headshot upgrade. … Before the Fluttershy bots could even deploy their Ubercharge, Twilight had killed all four of them, as well as some Spike bots that were close by. … The Zecora bots were not all that difficult to destroy, being that they were limited to melee weapons while the ponies wielded guns. The ponies kept firing frantically at whatever came at them. Soon, all of the small Zecora bots were destroyed. With only a split second to collect credits from the fallen robots, the wave continued. A few Big Mac bots starting running over the ledge. Applejack scoffed. “These varmints are easy to kill.” The group of bots fell over the ledge, and began firing at the ponies. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were killed from the quick assault. Spike backed up a few feet, and launched a rocket at the impending pack. The rocket projectile flew toward the Big Mac bots, and stopped dead in mid-air just before making contact. It dropped to the ground. … Spike’s jaw dropped. He lifted up his helmet, revealing his surprised face. “Okay…these are not ordinary Big Mac bots.” He muttered. Applejack was confused as well. As her sentry gun fired rapidly at the group of Big Mac bots, the bullets were destroying them instead of the rockets. They would get close, and then fall to the ground without touching the robots. “Well Spike, I guess we gotta kill ‘em with just regular ol’ bullets. Rockets ain’t gonna do us any good this time.” Applejack shrugged. “I’m way ahead of you.” Spike responded. Instead of a shotgun, he pulled out a futuristic-looking pistol, and held it out in front of him. It looked like some kind of space-gun. “What the hay is that thing?” Applejack asked. “It’s an indivisible particle-smasher. It’s called the Righteous Bison.” Spike proudly answered. “Well talking about it isn’t going to kill any robots! Give it a try!” Applejack ordered. … Spike aimed the weapon out in front of him, and fired a shot. A pulsating red beam shot out of the device, and flew toward the Big Mac bots. Upon contact, the bot hovered into the air a few inches, and disintegrated into nothing. The beam continued on, doing the same thing to any bots it happened to come in contact with. “Whoa, nelly! That’s some weapon you got there!” Applejack stated. “Yep. Blue Soldier gave it to me before the very first battle. I’ve been saving it for something like this. The best part about it is that it doesn’t require any ammo.” Spike explained, cradling the weapon toward his face. “You’d better be careful, though. You don’t want to accidentally disintegrate yourself!” Applejack warned. “Yeah, good point.” Spike agreed, firing another shot toward the Deflector-Macs. ……………………………………… Twilight respawned in the resupply locker, along with Rarity and Fluttershy. According to the monitor on the inside of the locker, the wave was over halfway done. Her jaw dropped. “How is that possible?!” … She ran back out into the battlefield from the resupply locker. Once she neared the front lines, she saw Spike and Applejack laughing. She walked up and climbed the steps. “What’s so funny?” She asked. “Check out this cool particle-thingy that Spike has! It’s amazing!” Applejack interjected. Applejack stepped aside, and gave Twilight a better look. She saw Spike standing on the ledge next to her, firing shot after shot from the Righteous Bison at the bots that were down on the ground. At the same time, Applejack’s sentry gun was peppering them with bullets and rockets. On the ground below the ledge, dead Big Mac bots littered the dirt. Spike and Applejack were currently attacking a battalion of giant Pinkie Pie bots. On the ground, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Mac were assisting with the damage from close range. “You should’ve seen it, Twi. Those Big Mac bots were immune to rockets! We were firing ‘em at them, but nothing was happening. So then Spike pulls out that fancy thing there, and suddenly, we’re on a roll!” Applejack explained. … Right as she finished her sentence, the first giant Pinkie bot exploded. The ponies on the ground flinched from the sudden loud noise. Pinkie laughed. “I think I’m the real Pinkie! And I know I’m not made of metal! ……Or am I?” She poked herself a couple times, feeling the thick flame-retardant suit that covered her body. “Yeah, I’m definitely not made of metal!” ………………………………. “Anyway, if we keep at the rate we’re going, this wave will be done in no time!” Applejack cheered. Twilight smiled, and nodded in agreement. … Suddenly, they were both spontaneously backstabbed by a Rarity bot. Once they fell to the ground, the bot taunted by pretending to fence with its knife. “Couldn’t you hear the warning, darling? I thi-i-i-ink it’s safe to say that you were cle-e-e-early outclassed this time around!” The bot stated in its glitchy voice. …………………………………… Things suddenly started to go downhill. Applejack’s sentry gun was sapped, Spike was backstabbed, and the rest of the ponies’ forces were killed by incoming grenade-Zecora bots and giant Pinkie bots. “Do NOT all die at once!” The announcer angrily scolded. … After a long and grueling 15 seconds, all eight of the ponies respawned at once. Not saying a word to each other, they ran back out to continue fighting. Applejack built a sentry gun right next to the hatch in case the robots ever get close to deploying the bomb. She ran forward, and placed a disposable gun further up to assist in defense. The robots were only just around the corner from the hatch. If even half of the ponies were to die now, the bomb would be deployed. … “Hang back! We can’t risk weakening our defenses in front of the hatch!” Twilight called out to her team. They obeyed, and stuck around just in front of the hatch to defend what little ground the bots had left to cover before victory. ………………………………………. The grenade-launching Zecora bots entered the area first. Big Mac and Spike attacked them with their heavy-duty force, while Rarity and Twilight tried killing silently and efficiently. Instead of targeting one pony for overhealing power, Fluttershy ran around throughout the hatch-area to tie up loose ends with her team’s health. The organization of the team’s energy kept the robots at bay. The Zecora bots were killed quickly. Close behind, however, were three giant Pinkie Pie bots and their Fluttershy bots. One of them carried the bomb. Twilight threw a jar of jarate at the giant bots. Two of them were hit. The second the bots were covered in jarate, they didn’t last long. Big Mac, Spike, and Pinkie Pie took full advantage of the mini-crits to the point where the bots exploded almost instantly. … Just before the ponies cheered, two final giant Zecora bots marched around the corner toward their area. Instead of cheering, their jaws dropped. … The last giant Pinkie bot picked up the bomb. A loud siren echoed throughout the map. “Alert! Stop them from deploying the bomb!” The announcer yelled. At the same time, more Spies flooded into the area. As Rarity noticed them, she tried her best to find them and backstab them before they could reach her teammates. She got most of them, with the exception of the two that killed Big Mac and Spike. “No! We needed them!” Twilight cried out. … “Twilight! Kill the giant Zecoras!” Fluttershy ordered, running up to set her up with the Kritzkrieg once again. Twilight covered the bots in jarate, and scoped up as Fluttershy used her last Ubercharge. Twilight aimed the crosshair, found her target, and fired the rifle. … She missed by a hair. Before she could get another shot out, the giant bots turned, fired some grenades, and blew up Fluttershy. “No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no!!!” Twilight screamed. She pounded her hoof on the ground in agony. … Meanwhile, the giant Pinkie bot approached the hatch with the bomb perched on its back. “Stop them from deploying the bomb! Stop them!” The announcer cried. The giant bot folded up its arms, twisted its head around until it clicked into position, and jumped into the hatch with the bomb. To be Continued… Author's Note When it comes to writing about an expert mission like Mannslaughter, you can't expect me to be that accurate. The order of which the robots enter the battlefield is being made up by me. I never get to play an expert mission, so I don't know the actual order. I'm sorry for the late update! It's summer, but I still have homework that's due on the first day of school! (Plus it's really difficult to write such a LONG chapter.)
Mann vs. Machine (Part 3 (The Final Wave!))……………………………………… Previously... A Heroic Song That You'll Probably Recognize ……………………………………… “Twilight! Kill the giant Zecoras!” Fluttershy ordered, running up to set her up with the Kritzkrieg once again. Twilight covered the bots in jarate, and scoped up as Fluttershy used her last Ubercharge. Twilight aimed the crosshair, found her target, and fired the rifle. … She missed by a hair. Before she could get another shot out, the giant bots turned, fired some grenades, and blew up Fluttershy. “No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no!!!” Twilight screamed. She pounded her hoof on the ground in agony. … Meanwhile, the giant Pinkie bot approached the hatch with the bomb perched on its back. “Stop them from deploying the bomb! Stop them!” The announcer cried. The giant bot folded up its arms, twisted its head around until it clicked into position, and jumped into the hatch with the bomb. ………………………… Now... ………………………… “No! We can’t lose! What will Red Sniper think?” Twilight cried. “Twilight, get down! The base is going to explode!” Rarity ordered. With a tear in her eye, Twilight ducked down to the ground, and covered her face with her hooves. She peeked up toward the hatch with one eye to see the robot jump into the hatch. … Suddenly, a split-second before the robot’s head entered the hatch, Rainbow Dash swooped in from the skies above. She swung her bat with ultimate strength, sending the robot’s head far across the map. The bomb detached from the robot, and fell onto the hatch. Twilight gasped. “Rainbow Dash! You came back!” Rainbow Dash turned to her, and winked. “I couldn’t leave my friends behind.” They both smiled warmly at each other for a couple seconds. Then, Rainbow Dash pulled out the Force a Nature, and began shooting the last giant Zecora bots. … The ponies got up off the ground one by one when they realized that they were still alive. Noticing Rainbow Dash’s return, a new spark of hope appeared within them. Along with it, a strong and determined will to fight. The only remaining bots in the wave were right in front of them, so it was still anyone’s game. Twilight consistently kept head-shooting the bot, dealing a couple-hundred damage at a time. While she was doing this, she waited patiently for her jarate to build back up. Rarity planted an Electro-Sapper at the robot’s hoof, temporarily slowing it down enough for Big Mac and Spike to respawn. They headed right outside, and began letting loose on the giant bot. … Just as the bot picked up the bomb and prepared to jump into the hatch, it was destroyed by Pinkie Pie’s flamethrower. The bomb dropped on the ground again. Twilight quickly threw another jar of jarate at the last bot. Once it was covered, killing it was quick and easy with the mini-crit power of all nine ponies. ………………………………… If you want to continue listening, be my guest. But otherwise, stop the music. ………………………………… “Another wave done! But they’ll be back… Return to the UPGRADE stations, where a prize will be waiting for you.” The announcer stated. … “Ooh, a prize! That sounds great.” Applejack chirped. Once all the robots were gone, Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still flying in the air. “Rainbow Dash, where have you been all this time?” She asked. “I was off the map for a little while. I needed some time for myself.” Rainbow Dash replied. “Time by yourself? We need all the forces we can get to fight off the robot army! We barely made it without you!” “Yeah…sorry about that. While I was gone, I did realize that I was kind of a jerk to you guys.” “You think?” “And I’m sorry about that too. This war we’re in is called TEAM Fortress 2 for a reason. There is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.” Twilight smiled. “It’s good to have you back.” She leaned over, and hugged Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash hugged her back. … Applejack poked her head out the resupply door. “Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Y’all need to come see this!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash turned, running over to join Applejack and the others in the resupply locker. ………………………………… When they arrived, they were surprised to see all the other ponies crowded around a big box in the middle of the garage. Twilight approached the box, and used her magic to cut the tape that held it shut. The ponies all gasped once they saw what was inside. … In the box lay a pile of weapons with name tags on them. There was one addressed to each pony from their respective classes. They all agreed to let Rainbow Dash find hers first. Rainbow Dash ravaged the box to find her weapon. After rummaging through all the weapons for a few seconds, she found hers lying at the bottom of the box. She picked it up, and looked at the nametag. It said, “To Rainbow Dash. From Red Scout.” It was the Flying Guillotine. Now, instead of a pistol, Rainbow Dash could throw a massive butcher’s knife at the robots to deal gradual damage. “Aw yeah, get a look at this baby!” Rainbow Dash beamed. She held the weapon out toward Fluttershy, who cringed and hid behind her Medi-gun. … Next, Spike rummaged around in the box in search of his weapon. Also at the very bottom, he found a very large futuristic-looking rocket-launcher-type…thing. He struggled to pick up the heavy weapon, and looked at the tag. “To Spike. From Red Soldier. You’ve done me proud!” He read. He studied the weapon. It was the Cow-Mangler 5000. It was an even stronger version of the Righteous Bison that would replace his rocket-launcher. “Hey, Applejack! If you thought that other weapon was cool, check this thing out!” Spike said eagerly. He pulled back the lever, and fired a charged beam from the weapon. It flew through the air, and exploded on the wall. “You’re lucky, Spike. I don’t get fancy stuff like that.” Applejack responded. … Next up was Pinkie Pie. She reached in the box, and pulled out a small pistol-looking device. The nametag stated that it was to Pinkie Pie, from Red Pyro. It was the Detonator. A flare-gun that shot small rounds that, when in contact with an enemy, would set them on fire. If they already were on fire, it would deal critical hits. She giggled. “Wow, this thing is weird!” She pointed it toward Fluttershy, who hid behind her Medi-gun again. “Stop pointing weapons at me, okay?” She whispered shyly. … Zecora was the next one to search the box, and got the Loch-n-Load from Red Demoman. A grenade launcher that was incredibly difficult to use, but dealt substantial damage if used correctly. … When Big Mac checked the box, he found the Huo-Long Heater from Red Heavy. It was the biggest thing in the entire box. The nametag said, “Go kill little baby robots for me! Make Heavy proud!” Now, when Big Mac spun up his minigun, he would be surrounded by a ring of flames that fended off from melee range. … Applejack checked the box, and found the Pomson 6000 from Red Engineer. It was a particle-smasher very similar to Spike’s new Cow-Mangler. “Hey Spike, guess who also got a cool new particle-thingy?” She taunted, holding up the weapon for him to see. … After Applejack, Fluttershy timidly stepped up to retrieve her weapon. After searching around, she found the Ubersaw from Red Medic. She read the nametag, which said, “I vas going to give you a Medic-gun, but I figured zee Kritzkrieg vas good enough for MvM. So, I givez you zee Ubersaw!” Whenever Fluttershy were to whack an enemy with the Ubersaw, she would gain 25% Ubercharge. … Rarity stepped forward, and picked her weapon out of the box. What she found was the Eternal Reward from Red Spy. “Yes! I’ve been waiting to get this knife ever since Blue Spy used it at Upward Mountain!” She beamed. Whenever Rarity were to backstab someone with the Eternal Reward, she would automatically disguise as the victim. At the same time, it made absolutely no noise when killing. On top of that, the dead body would automatically disappear, leaving no evidence. … Twilight was the last one to retrieve her weapon. However, there were two left in the box. “What the…?” She stuttered. She picked up both the weapons. One was a sniper rifle, and one was a long knife. She looked at the nametags, and found that they were both addressed to her from Red Sniper. “Looks like you got lucky, darling!” Rarity said. From Red Sniper, Twilight received the Hitman’s Heatmaker, and the Bushwacka. With the Heatmaker, Twilight was able to gain focus on enemies, and reload without unscoping. With the Bushwacka, she was able to deal crits instead of mini-crits. The nametag on both of the weapons read, “Go get ‘em, mate! I believe in you!” Twilight blushed slightly, and applied the weapons to her arsenal. ………………………………… “Alright, guys! Are we ready to do this?” Pinkie Pie yelled. “Yeah, bring it on!” Everyone else yelled in reply. The ponies all charged out of the resupply locker with their new weapons, ready for the most intense battle of their lives. On their way out, they received the scoop on the final wave. In the battle to end all battles, the ponies would face 8 giant Soldiers, 4 tanks, 8 giant Demos, 8 Uber-Medics, 60 Pyros, 25 Deflector-Heavies, 20 Steel Gauntlets, 45 Demo-Knights, as well as Sydney-Snipers and Spies for support. By the time Applejack got her sentry gun and dispenser set up, and everypony was in position, the countdown for the last wave began. …………………………………… The Final Wave! …………………………………… “This is the final wave! Protect the facility at all costs!” The announcer ordered. The ponies all exchanged determined glances, and raised their weapons. They stared at the ledge, ready to defend Mann Co one last time. “5…4…3…2…1…” … The beginning of the last of the robots appeared over the ledge. For the first time, the ponies actually let out battle cries. Two giant Spike bots marched over the hill, being healed by a Fluttershy bot each. They were assisted by a mess of Pinkie Pie bots. The moment they touched down on the ground, Big Mac opened fire on the Pinkie bots with Fluttershy healing him. ……………………………………… Super Mario Galaxy: Boomsday ……………………………………… Twilight scoped up with the Hitman’s Heatmaker, and headshot the assisting Fluttershy bot. The damage traveled over to the nearby giants and the other Fluttershy bot, killing the Fluttershy bots and damaging the giant bots. … Right after Twilight’s killing of the Medics, Big Mac left the Pyros in the hooves of the other ponies. He turned his attention to the giant Spike bots, which were now without Medics, and firing rapid rockets at his teammates. “Charge me, Flutters! Let’s finish these things off early!” Big Mac ordered. Fluttershy activated Ubercharge, and Big Mac peppered the first giant bot with critical hits. Coupled with Applejack’s sentry gun, it was quickly destroyed. … The bomb was dropped to the ground, where it was intercepted by the other giant Spike bot. Big Mac still had Ubercharge left, so he turned it over to the other bot. He continued firing constant critical shots at the bot, determined to finish it off as quickly as the first one. However, his gun suddenly stopped firing. “Uh…Big Mac? What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked. “I think I’m out of ammo! The ring of flames from this weapon is eating up my ammo!” Big Mac replied. The giant Spike bot turned toward Big Mac and Fluttershy, fired three rockets, and finished them off instantly. Then it turned toward Applejack’s sentry gun, and fired rockets at a pace too fast for Applejack to keep up. Her sentry gun was destroyed. …………………………………… “The giant bot must be a special rapid-fire Spike model…” Twilight whispered to herself. She retreated, running quickly to a battlement further back. Once she made it up the steps, she scoped up to try and kill the robot. She noticed that it was on very low health. The crits from Fluttershy’s Ubercharge must’ve worn it down. Twilight waited for the charge on her rifle to build. Once it was ready, she pulled the trigger on the bot’s head. The critical hit was just enough to finally finish it off. … Just as she was turning around to leave the battlement, she was attacked by a swarm of Pinkie bots. “Hey, wait a minute…!” She interjected. She was quickly burned alive before she could say another word. ……………………………………… Rainbow Dash flew around in the air, shooting Pinkie bots from out of their reach. Once they were dead, she would swoop down and pick up the credits. Although it was the final wave, credits could still be used to buy quick-respawns. As she was doing this, she noticed two more giant Spike bots and their Fluttershy bots marching toward the ledge. “Hmm…I wonder…” She whispered to herself. She pulled out the Flying Guillotine, and hurled it at the giant Spike bot. It flew down, and hit the bot right in the neck. However, instead of cutting the bot’s head right off, a flash of blue covered the robot, and the cleaver bounced right off. The bot continued on, and fell off the ledge and into the battlefield. … “Hey, what the hay?! That’s cheating!” She whined. She heard a voice calling her attention from the ground. She looked, and saw Rarity waving at her. She flew down to her. “What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently. “In case you were wondering, I don’t think you can damage the robots before they jump off the starting ledge.” Rarity explained. “What? That’s stupid!” Rarity shrugged. “It’s just the way it works.” … Suddenly, the newly-entered giant Spike bots rapid-fired rockets at them as they were talking, blowing them both to pieces. …………………………………. As soon as Applejack respawned, she headed up the stairs, and onto a battlement that was further back. When she got there, she noticed Twilight’s burning corpse lying on the ground. She shrugged, and began working on another sentry gun. She noticed that a duo of giant Spike bots and their Medics were heading down the path in which she was building. She whacked it with her wrench, making it build faster. By the time she got it upgraded to level 2, the robots were close enough for it to start shooting. The sentry gun fired constant bullets at the unsuspecting-robot-duo. After just a couple shots, the Fluttershy bots noticed the attack, and activated their Ubercharge on the giant bots. In response, the giant bots began shooting at Applejack and her sentry gun. … “Whoa, nelly!” She packed up the sentry gun in her toolbox, and took off with it toward the hatch. Once there, she placed it down, and waited for the Ubercharge to wear off. The sentry gun began shooting the giant bots again once they were in range. The giant Spike bots noticed her again, and started shooting rockets at her sentry gun. She frantically whacked it with her wrench, trying to keep it intact while it slowly wore away at the bots. … As she was rapidly repairing, she noticed Rarity uncloak from behind the robots. She was disguised as a Fluttershy bot. She attached a level 3 sapper to one of the Fluttershy bots, which applied the electro-suction effect to all four of the robots. The Fluttershy bots lowered their heads, completely disabled. The Spike bots were slowed down dramatically, making awkward steps as they tried to totter forward. She then backstabbed both of the Fluttershy bots, ran forward, and jammed her knife into the first giant bot’s metallic, scaly foot. The whole thing exploded, and the broken parts turned invisible. If some random pony were to walk onto the scene, it would look like nothing happened. Rarity was now disguised as a Spike bot. … As the other giant Spike bot teetered along slowly from its energy being drained out, Applejack’s sentry gun sprayed it with bullets until it also exploded. The bomb was dropped on the ground. Applejack looked up at Rarity. “How did you destroy that metal beast with just one stab in the foot?” “I guess he was jus-s-s-st low on health.” She replied. Her voice was masculine and computerized; just like a Spike bot. “Also, how did you respawn so fast?” “I used a qui-i-i-ick respawn. It costs fi-i-i-ive credits per second.” “Oh, I guess that makes sense.” …………………………………… All of the other dead ponies used the quick respawn to get back into the fight. They left the resupply locker, ran past the hatch, turned the first corner, and saw the bomb sitting in front of Applejack’s sentry gun. “What…how the hay did the bomb get all the way back here?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Don’t ask me! You were dead the whole time! I tried my best!” Applejack defiantly replied. Rainbow Dash was about to say something else, but held her tongue. More robots were coming over the ledge, so there was no time for discussion. …………………………………………… Applejack left her sentry gun in front of the bomb to keep it guarded while the rest of the ponies ran up front to continue fighting. One giant Zecora bot was approaching the ledge, followed by a ton of Pinkie Pie and Big Mac bots. “Watch out, there! I think those Big Mac bots are Deflectors, just like the last ones!” Twilight warned. Spike wasn’t sure, but to be safe, he took out the Cow-Mangler 5000. Applejack ran forward to help him with the Pomson 6000, leaving her sentry gun behind to defend the bomb. … Spike and Applejack worked together to destroy the Deflector-Mac bots with the ion beams from their particle-smashers, while the rest of the ponies assisted with killing the Pinkie bots. Big Mac and Fluttershy attacked the giant Zecora bot, waiting for an Ubercharge so they could finish it off. A few ponies dropped here and there from fire and bullets from the Big Mac bots. However, they were back in the fight quickly using earned credits to buy themselves back from the dead. … “Alert! There are multiple tanks!” The announcer warned. Just as Big Mac and Fluttershy killed the giant Zecora bot, two tanks rolled out of the twin gates at the front of the battlefield. At the same time, another giant Zecora bot and some Sydney-Twilight bots appeared over the ledge. “Okay…we need to split up the jobs. Pinkie Pie, you and me will attack the Twilight bots, as well as any incoming Big Mac bots. Big Mac, I want you and Fluttershy to attack any incoming giant bots. You two are the only ones who have the power to kill off the biggest brute force! Everyone else, attack the tanks!” Twilight ordered. Although she knew that everypony had a job for a reason, there were some moments where it simply wasn’t enough. Every team needs a strong leader, and that’s where she felt she fit into place. … The ponies cheered, and began to do their jobs. It was time to carry out Operation Botslaughter! …………………………………… Just as planned, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Zecora, Applejack, and Rarity split up, and began attacking both of the tanks. Before any of the Twilight bots could stop them, they would be killed by the real Twilight. As more Big Mac bots entered, Pinkie Pie would run forward and burn them. As she did so, she ran around them in circles, preventing them from locking onto her. She would get injured a couple times from the giant Zecora bots’ grenades, yet they were being depleted by Big Mac and Fluttershy. … Slowly but surely, the giant Zecora bots were being drained by Big Mac’s bullet-spray. Once Fluttershy built up and used her Ubercharge, the resulting crits quickly and efficiently finished them off. With their remaining Ubercharge power, they assisted Rainbow Dash and Spike with one of the tanks, waiting for another giant bot to climb the ledge. While the tanks were being attacked, a large mob of more Big Mac bots appeared over the ledge. However, not only were they huge, they didn’t have miniguns. Instead, they had large metal gloves for boxing. They were surprisingly easy to kill. Twilight immediately threw a jar of jarate at them, which covered about a third of them. Then Pinkie used her circle technique to burn them with mini-crits until they exploded. … During the commotion, the tanks continued on, taking dangerously miniscule damage. They were already halfway through the map, and they weren’t even down to two-thirds damage yet. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Big Mac and Fluttershy were patiently waiting for more robots at the front lines when they heard a call from Rainbow Dash. “Guys, we need some help back here! The tanks are going to make it to the hatch!” She called desperately. Twilight and the others ran back to aid the rest of the team in destroying the tanks. They needed to be terminated before they bombed the hatch. Twilight began to whack the tank with her Kukri while Pinkie Pie opened flame on it from a different angle. Big Mac and Fluttershy headed for the other tank to help the other half of the team. … Fluttershy didn’t say anything to Big Mac. As he peppered the tank with bullets, she opened Ubercharge the second she was ready. An endless shower of critical hits pounded into the tank, reducing its durability considerably. It quickly became beaten up to the point of combustion. Big Mac turned around, and spent the rest of his crits on the other tank. The first one blew up from being shot by Rarity’s Ambassador. … “Alert! More tanks have entered the area!” The announcer yelled. “What? Are you kidding me?” Rainbow Dash complained in exasperation. She flew high up in the sky to get a better view, and saw two more tanks entering the arena at the same time. Right as she flew back down to warn her teammates, she witnessed the other tank’s explosion from the remainder of Big Mac’s crit-boost. “Don’t cheer yet, guys. More tanks are on their way. I think I also saw some giant Spike bots coming over the ledge.” Rainbow Dash mentioned. “We’re on it!” Applejack replied confidently. ……………………………………… On their way back up to the front lines, the announcer broadcasted a Spy warning. More Rarity bots were now on the loose. Applejack and Pinkie Pie made their way up the battlement while the rest of the ponies headed into the battlefield to destroy the incoming tanks. Pinkie Pie guarded Applejack’s back from Spies while Applejack worked on a sentry gun to take out the last giant bots. … While Twilight was attacking one of the tanks with her teammates, she turned around, and threw a jar of jarate at the giant Spike bot. Once it was drenched, she continued whacking the tank. Applejack’s new sentry gun took full advantage of the mini-crit boost. Bullets flew at the bot with rapid speed. The bot fired rockets back at the gun with the exact same speed. However, Applejack’s super-upgraded construction speed kept the sentry gun alive under fire. Zecora turned her attention from the tank for just a second to fire one grenade at the giant bot. The mini-crit explosion coupled with Applejack’s sentry gun and the bot’s low health was enough to finally destroy it. At the same time, Pinkie Pie burned one more Rarity bot. “You have destroyed all Spy bots!” The announcer broadcasted. … All of the ponies’ attention was now focused on the tanks. Zecora went back to firing grenades at it, while Applejack’s sentry gun focused on it. Its durability was draining at an average speed. By the time it was a third of the way through the map, its durability was halfway gone. “Fluttershy, don’t you have an Ubercharge?” Big Mac asked. “No. I’m only at 55%!” She replied anxiously. Twilight was also out of jarate. It didn’t matter though, considering it had no effect on tanks. “Isn’t there anything we can do to make this go faster? We can’t afford to waste any more time!” Twilight asked. … Spike stepped in. “Well…Red Soldier gave me this thing a while back called the Buff Banner, but I don’t exactly know what it’s supposed to do…” “Who cares? Just use it!” Twilight ordered. Spike put the pack on his back, and blew into the trumpet that came with it. Immediately, all of the ponies’ weapons began to glow a blinding gold, and were charged with mini-crits. The mini-crit damage from every single pony depleted the first tank’s durability at an incredible rate. By the time it was two-thirds through the map, it was completely destroyed. … The ponies now had to take out the other one. However, since all of their attention was on the first one, the second one got a big head-start without receiving any damage. “Come on, move! We need to get this thing destroyed!” Rainbow Dash ordered. The ponies fired everything they had at the fourth and final tank of the wave. While they were doing so, they didn’t notice the giant Spike bot, giant Zecora bot, Sydney-Sniper bots, and barrage of Deflector Big Mac bots that were appearing over the ledge for a last-ditch effort. ……………………………………… The ponies never stopped firing at the tank. As it was being attacked, it turned the corner, and was traveling its last few yards before reaching the hatch. “The tank is almost to the hatch! Stop it!” The announcer cried out. The tank rolled up the ramp, and over to the hatch. As its compartment opened up to release the bomb, it became more and more banged up. Finally, just before successfully bombing the base, it was destroyed by a sticky bomb that Zecora had placed beneath it. “Yes! We did it! We actually did it!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “Um…I don’t think so, Rainbow Dash. Look up ahead.” Applejack stated. Rainbow Dash did as Applejack had said, and gasped. The ponies were closed in by one final sub-wave of robots. It was now time to fight off the last of the army right in front of the hatch. “We’re not down quite yet. Who’s ready for one last game of Tower Defense?” Twilight asked. …………………………………… Duty Calls for 162bpm …………………………………… Rarity cloaked, and headed up the stairs to eliminate the Twilight bots before they could jarate her teammates. Much to her dismay, they were wearing Razorbacks. “Oh, trying to make things more difficult, I see?” She smirked. She pulled out her Ambassador, and headshot them a couple of times to finish them off. As she was doing this, the rest of her teammates were attacking the Deflector Big Mac bots. … The giant Spike bot had the bomb, and had reached the hatch while the ponies were attacking the smaller bots. Just before jumping in to secure victory, the bot was slowed down when Pinkie Pie dove in to air-blast it away. Once it was a little farther away from the hatch, the ponies had more time to try and kill it. “Big Mac, I’m at full charge now!” Fluttershy announced. “Well, what are you waiting for? Do it!” He replied. When Fluttershy deployed her last Ubercharge on Big Mac, he turned his direction toward the giant Zecora bot instead of the Spike bot. The rest of the ponies were going to destroy it while it tried to deploy the bomb, so he needed to give them a head-start with the giant Zecora bot. … All the while, the Deflector Big Mac bots continued to fire at the ponies. Spike kept them under control by using the Cow-Mangler to finish them off one by one. After a while, the giant Spike bot was finally destroyed after being air-blasted away from the hatch over and over again. All that remained was the giant Zecora bot. It was massively damaged from Big Mac’s critical bullet-spray. Just before jumping into the hatch, one rocket from Applejack’s sentry gun finished it off. ……………………………………… “The robots have been defeated! I can’t believe you actually did it.” The announcer exclaimed in surprise. The ponies had defeated Operation Mannslaughter. To be Continued… Author's Note It's a double-chapter! Flip to the next page, and continue reading! :D
Now What?……………………………………… TF2 Saxxy 2011 Theme ……………………………………… The ponies jumped around and cheered. Pinkie Pie giggled wildly, shooting fire high into the sky from her flamethrower. Fluttershy cried quietly from the happiness and relief of being done. The impending battalion of robots had finally been defeated. Twilight and Rainbow Dash smiled warmly at each other, and gave each other a big hug. “You did good there, Rainbow Dash. I’m proud of how much you’ve grown since we came here.” Twilight whispered in her ear. … Right then, all of team RED ran out of the resupply garage to congratulate their colleagues. The ponies were very happy and surprised to see their human classes return to them. “Excellent work, soldier! You’re the best recruit that I’ve ever come to meet! You have honored this entire unit!” Red Soldier exclaimed. He walked up to Spike, and threw him up in the air. Spike laughed, and waved his arms around in mid-air. He fell back down, where Red Soldier caught him. … All of the ponies received congratulatory compliments from their classes. Twilight looked around, but couldn’t find Red Sniper. “Hey…where’s my class?” She asked sadly. As if on cue, Red Sniper came out of the resupply garage last. As soon as they saw each other, they grinned from ear-to-ear. “Hey, mate. You really made me proud today.” He stated. “Did you actually see us fighting?” Twilight asked him. “You bet I did. We were all in the control room with the announcer, watching your performance.” He answered. “Huh…I can’t believe it…” She stuttered. “It looks like you really came to realize what it means to be a team member as part of Mann Co. You sure learned a lot.” Red Sniper added. “Yeah… By the way, why didn’t you come out of the garage with everypony else?” She asked. “I had to explain something to the announcer.” He responded. “Oh really? What was that?” … Red Sniper bent over, and picked Twilight right up off the ground. She was surprised to suddenly be off the ground and in Red Sniper’s arms. Her surprise turned to shock, however, when Red Sniper kissed her. Her eyes went wide, then slowly closed as she accepted the sudden invitation. The other sixteen fighters turned, and noticed Red Sniper and Twilight. They stared for a couple seconds, then began to cheer and clap. The applause echoed throughout the map. … Red Sniper finally broke away from Twilight’s lips. “By the way mate, in this world, it’s pronounced, ‘everybody’.” He mentioned. Twilight didn’t care. For those couple of seconds, she was in heaven. In reality, she was still in Red Sniper’s arms, but to her, it didn’t make a difference. ………………………………………. “So, we’ve defeated the robot menace. Now what do we do?” Rainbow Dash asked. Red Sniper looked up at her. “Now, we go to Granary to meet up with team BLU for another Arena battle.” He explained. “Sounds good to me. I’d kind of like to get away from this map.” Twilight added. Red Sniper smiled. All eighteen Mann Co fighters, old and new, turned around, and left the Mannworks Shipping Facility. A whole new map lied ahead them to be fought on in the continuing battle for dominance. Let the bloodbath begin! THE END Author's Note Almost cried when writing this. :') That is how I like to end most stories. I really hope you enjoyed reading this installment of 'Twilight's Experiments'! My next installment will definitely be about Mario Kart 7. But for right now, I will continue production of 'A Life-Changing Blessing'. If you decided to watch me, thank you!
-AUTHOR ANNOUNCEMENT-Good news! For those of you who have been reading this story since its production, I have found the rest of the robots pics for the Attack/Defend chapter! I now have a robot picture of every single pony for you to see. To go straight to that chapter and view the pictures, click here. Also, a sequel to this story is very likely, so if you enjoyed this story, stay tuned at all costs! In the meantime, here is a cool video I found on YouTube!
