‘Hello and welcome to Trottingham everypony!’ The lilac form which greeted them off the train was drawn as the image of hospitality and friendliness, aspect topped by a paler mane, short and regimented strictly straight by a comb. ‘It’s simply wonderful to be hosting a team making such waves as yours! Again a most rapturous welcome!’
‘Erm… thanks for having us’ Dawn attempted to match in reply, acting as the obvious spokespony for the crew at her back. Their previous arrival at Baltimare had been very different, far more formally managed, involving the signing of a variety of official documents. This was almost the reverse, not unwelcome, but unexpected.
‘Ah yes, Miss Melody right?’ The purple earth mare wore an extremely adorned red coat, buttoned in gold with embroidered braiding spiralling away from these fastenings across its front. Further buttons and fringe meanwhile decorated its shoulder boards, whilst a broad white sash bisected the whole ensemble, much like a dress cavalry jacket. ‘Or would you prefer Dawn?’
‘Dawn’s fine thanks.’
‘Spiffing! Coronet, and I’ll be your team’s liaison for the duration of your stay.’ She extended a forehoof and they shook, the sole similarity to previous experience. ‘Please don’t hesitate to inquire if you need anything or have any query. Now, if your vehicles can follow the signposts they’re sure to find their way, meanwhile if you’d like to come with me we can take the more scenic route?’
‘Lead the way’ the captain replied, giving a quick glance back to her equally bemused comrades.
They passed from the platform into the town proper, the fine weather having followed them there in transit from Appleoosa, the sun shining down from an only sparsely clouded sky. Trottingham was hardly small, but weirdly as they strolled through it the place felt it, in the same way their hometown defied its actual proportions through its traditionalism. Here though the quaintness was taken to a whole new level. Every dwelling they passed, no matter its actual scale, constructed itself as a cottage, fronted at least by old looking black-stained timbers and whitewashed panels. In front of most were set lush gardens overflowing with flowers, whilst above similar clusters of blooms dangled from hanging baskets and vines snaked like bunting across the promenades they walked. The streets were broad parade pitches, the buildings that flanked them low and surrounded by greenery, seemingly every second one some kind of small shop, all meaning that it stretched far beyond the boundaries of any normal urban centre.
‘First visit?’ Coronet asked as they exited the open plan maze, coming into a particularly large cobblestone plaza, having remained politely quiet while her audience took everything in.
‘Yeah’ Dawn nodded, matched by most at her back.
‘Same’ Blossom agreed, ‘but it’s a lot like Hoofington if you don’t mind the comparison.’
‘Not at all, although I might say that we’re the slightly more refined sibling. From what I hear we’re a pair a lot like you and your neighbours Dodge Junction.’ Their guide remained all smiles throughout. ‘I must say though that it is splendid to finally have a serious squad coming from your neck of the woods. Dodge has never been much cop if you’ll pardon me saying so.’
They passed by what seemed to be the repair shed they were supposed to be making for, although they more had the look of squat barns, simply thatched like all other structures. In the beautiful weather most stood with their fronts open, letting in the sunshine and out the clamour of busy tools, although even these seemed to conduct themselves with a more reserved etiquette. In those that they went by Trottingam’s crimson clad mechanics worked on their vehicles, or rather hulks which had been them. The machines looked like they had taken quite the pounding, most lacking tracks and with sections of armour hanging off or bent at crazy angles. A couple were even in the midst of having their main guns removed, the mighty weapons actually having been bent out of shape by heavy impacts.
‘Baltimare put up quite the fight’ Coronet clarified, following her audience’s looks, ‘although I guess that’s what tends to happen when two earth teams square off. As you can see our Lions took rather the severe beating, but they still served out a sound drubbing. At least it was a good clean fight, although perhaps a tad dull, neither of which can be taken for granted next time since we’re set to face the Shades.’
‘Those are Lions?’ Coquette asked from the back of the party.
‘That’s right, we have quite a few of their variants in our motor pool. Those ones are Lion Mark Eights for example.’1
‘But they look nothing like our Lion’ the golden earth mare continued, this time changing to a whisper.
‘Ours is a Cheetah Four remember’ Blossom answered equally quietly, ‘Little Lion is just a nickname.’
‘Why, I mean other than of course to make this needlessly confusing and me look stupid of course?’
‘You’ll have to get Toff to clarify it, but yeah that sounds about right. All the serial numbers, designations and nicknames are probably part of an Equestria wide conspiracy set up just to mess with you.’
The whistle stop tour came to its end as the cobblestones widened out into a large plateau, flanked by a pair of double size maintenance buildings and with an open air fuelling station at its far end. Past these pumps and berths the ground and road surface fell away, becoming instead a quickly branching dirt path meandering its way through rolling fields. Light slopes melted away into one another, streams and small rivers running between them, occasionally bridged by stone arches. Some patches stood out as areas of low grassy ferns, but most was covered by the densely packed rows of vineyards, their tall frames and associated vines creating a maze of leafy walls.
Familiar engines rumbled into earshot, marking the arrival of their five tank column, immediately being directed into the first large shed.
‘So then, this’ll be your domain for the duration and Las Pegasus will be across from you’ Coronet concluded. ‘When they arrive we’ll do refreshments, then you’ll have until tomorrow to do prep and…’ She stopped as a far louder mechanised thunder appeared. ‘Ah, speak of the Siren!’
‘What the buck is that thing?!’ both Coquette and Split exclaimed in unison, verbalising what everypony else struck silent was thinking.
If those tanks that they had so recently discovered in the lake were elephants then the thing approaching them (quite literally making the ground tremble even from a distance) was a mammoth, a decidedly deformed mutant mammoth. The creature was extremely long and thin, no broader than the average heavy tank but trailing a good three times the length further backwards behind the sloped box of its prow. From this foundation sprouted a trio of crazy stacked growths, formed from multiple turrets as if severed from many smaller vehicles and then absorbed along its spine. The base of the fore and aft piles was recognisably made out of the same weapon mount which Stalliongrad’s flagtank had been equipped with, sporting the same angular front and rearward facing machinegun. On top of the first one then another turret popped out from its roof, smaller with a dual autocannon as its armament, a second of these smaller double weapons being recessed just behind on the hull. The back meanwhile was the tallest of the vehicle’s spires, having a smaller single cannon atop its base one and then an unknown structure of scaffolding and rails towering further above that. Finally at its centre was its largest weapons: a great revolving box, with a smaller one on its roof like the rest, hosting a pair of cut down versions of their Rhino’s huge howitzer. Nine more smaller war machines trailed in formation behind, but it was hard to pay them any heed as the titan came to a stop in front of the opposing shed.
---
‘That’s all very nice and all, but seriously what the buck is that thing?’ Split asked for a second time. ‘I count seven turrets and ten cannons, plus three machineguns for buck’s sake!’
The Panther’s five mare crew sat at the centre of a long table decked in white lace edged cloth, surrounded by the rest of their team further along its length. Opposite them similar furniture had been arranged for Las Pegasus’ larger squad, both sides arrayed facing one another across the cobbled ground in front of their sheds. In the western city’s case however they more had their prize behemoth for their backdrop, it not having fit in their maintenance area. A third table was meanwhile placed across the flank of the opposing factions, filled with their red coated hosts. In front of everypony a lavish afternoon tea had been served, dainty cups and other paraphernalia feeling totally at odds with what they were there for, not to mention the silent interrogation two of the parties were giving one another over the empty divide.
‘Cue Toff.’ Blossom halved a scone she had selected, liberally applying cream and jam, but only to the first of the pieces, before digging in.
‘Official designation is the PHex+20’ Toffee answered excitedly through a mouthful of sandwich (a sandwich she had constructed out of several of the crust-less things masquerading as real ones), ‘generally known as the Hexer.’2
‘Yay more numbers!’ Coquette groaned, ‘at least it’s not another freaking “Lion” though!’
‘This one’s easy to remember’ the caramel expert continued, assembling a second plateful from the table’s spread. ‘There’s only ever been one Hexer, plus look at it! It’s not exactly easy to forget!’
‘What exactly are we up against here?’ Dawn’s face had not exited its concerned look since the massive creature’s appearance and her worry slipped into her query.
‘It’s an experimental type of Hydra, part of research into using such vehicles in air style combat. It’s also the only tank ever, at least partially, developed by Air Marshall Dash’ Toffee added, gaining another set of turquoise ears to her audience from further down the table. ‘The story goes that her only major input on the project was the demand that the vehicle was “twenty percent more” than anypony else’s, but the results of this were disappointing so twenty became two hundred. It never worked though cos it was underpowered, making it too slow to keep up with even heavy tanks, and it also had a tendency to break apart on rough terrain since its hull couldn’t support its weight.’ She pointed to a pair of massive hinge joints placed between its three main turret piles. ‘They obviously got a hold of it at some point and have been working on getting it functioning; those flex joints being one of their fixes.’
‘It’s got to have weaknesses?’
‘I would’ve said speed, but they beat Whinnyaoplis to get here so we’ve gotta assume that they’ve upped the engine enough to at least partly overcome that. Also their other vehicles are lights and fast which would make no sense if their toughest couldn’t at least try to keep up with them.’
‘What about manoeuvrability?’ Blossom suggested, moving on to prepping the second half of her scone. ‘Bearing in mind its length its turning circle must be terrible.’
‘Very true’ Toffee nodded. ‘The only other thing I can think of is that it’s not actually that heavily armoured all over. Any of our guns could do damage to certain parts of it with the right range.’
Split made a sweeping motion with her wing. ‘Let’s just charge in blasting then and ram the damn thing.’
‘Nope.’ Dawn shook her head, pushing her plate away to clear a space before her. ‘The match is annihilation and they have twice our numbers, so losing anypony is going to make it much tougher. Also the council gave me an earful about ramming because of the repairs which had to be done last time.’ She selected a particularly large slice of cake, placing it where her plate had been. ‘The Hexer.’ Next she collected nine macaroons. ‘Their… Tornados, right?’
‘Yep’ the driver confirmed, ‘the rest of their kit are all PT-70s, better than our earlier version in a couple of ways, but generally they’re on par.’3
‘So what are they going to do with all of that?’
‘They’ve got enough to divide and conquer.’ Toffee reached over, moving a trio of the macaroons about the cake and the rest into their own formation. ‘I’d suspect something like that: six scouts to locate us in force, then three in reserve guarding their sledgehammer, which will follow and try to crush us based on the other’s reports. In doing so either of these groups can outgun our whole team, whichever finds us first, and then they’ll hope to converge and wipe us out.’
A quintet of differently decorated cupcakes joined the confectionary collection in play. Dawn moved them about. She organised them together, she divided them apart in groups, quite aware that all her actions were under the scrutiny of her comrades and friends. Her mind filled in the details of the movements, thrusts, feints and counters, but nothing seemed to click, the pressure in her head from her expectant audience pressing in tighter. ‘We have to divide as well, to try and whittle down their numbers without letting them link up, but… I’m not exactly sure how we can achieve that.’
‘A suggestion: might you be overthinking things?’ Blossom lightly levitated her tea in front of her lips, blowing steam from its surface. ‘I know you feel like everything’s supposed to be on your shoulders, but trying to stage manage everything in minute detail is impossible, there are far too many variables for any one pony to keep track of.’
‘Even you’ Split complimented. ‘We’re all a team in this.’
Toffee, whose concerted efforts seemed to have actually satiated her appetite, gave a supportive smile. ‘Self-dependence is the hallmark of a good tank commander.4 You can handle the broad game, and then we’ll all help make it happen.’
‘Too right!’ Coquette remained the brightest of all of them, although to their surprise she then went beyond this perfect if simple summation of the collective feeling, rising to her hooves. ‘Together we’ve got this! Isn’t that right everypony?’ She raised her teacup high as if it were something far grander. ‘Cheers to victory!’
‘To victory!’ Everypony got to their hooves and followed suit, drawn up together as Coquette showed off her infinite capacity to say exactly what was needed, lifting all spirits with her words.
Dawn followed with the rest, carried on the general swell, uncaring therefore of the askance glances they got in return from the team opposite. The faux pas equally drew a few disapproving splutters from a couple at their host’s table. In the corner of her eye however she caught the end of Trottingham’s company where Coronet and an unknown comrade shared a quiet laugh before they both sent a nod and a smile her way, raising their cups up in kind.
---
Is this really going to work a second time?
Coquette huffed, looking up from her station. ‘Dahlia’s asking for another sitrep’ she repeated, her growing exasperation evident. ‘Please give me something to tell her, she’s threatening to put her damn music back on!’
Dawn could relate, but that did not necessarily give her a helpful answer to send back. The waiting was the worst, caught on the precipice but not quite falling, stuck on the start line before a race. What was coming kept her on the edge, kept wound up tight, yet equally there was enough distance to allow her mind time to dwell. Allotted the space to vocalise, her mind was her greatest critic, doubting, questioning, whilst it sadistically took on the guise of those she cared about. Had she done enough?
‘Dawn?’
Can you be enough for them?
‘Dawn?’
Unclear, every better answer blurred as the question felt like it had a very different meaning depending on who she considered. For most she wanted to be a good leader, but for others she wanted to be a bit more, much more maybe…
‘Dawn?!’
Meanwhile, back in reality! Focus on the present, not the unrealisable!
The captain was pulled back from her thoughts. ‘Oh yeah, sorry… tell her…’
‘Please, anything…’ Coquette stopped mid-plea, listening intently at her headset. ‘Never mind, scratch that.’
‘Fate provides’ Blossom observed, moving to tap the pegasus beside her. ‘Wake up hotshot, it’s time to shine.’
‘Rhino still undetected, making its approach’ the radio mare reported, her succeeding silence casting all rising hopes back to the floor before this turned into a small giggle. ‘Just messing with you. More importantly the other two are on their way with all targets in tow! They’re less than a minute out!’
‘Buck yeah, finally!’ both Split and Toffee cheered in unison, sharing a grin and a hoof bump as they recognised their own mimicry.
‘Panther reads and is waiting’ Dawn responded. ‘Belle, make sure Rook’s aware as well please, and everypony else get ready.’ She rose up into her cupola, breathing in the flower scented air, tinged a bit as it was by the baser notes of fuel fumes. They rested in what was very much a chocolate box village, the kind of intrinsically smiley hamlet which would adorn a postcard, except like the larger facsimile of Trottingham proper this view was false. The place was the game map’s one prominent urban feature, beyond a few scattered outbuildings placed in the surrounding vineyards the only other thing of note being a small forested region in the south. As it was they had deployed themselves just off centre within the geography, near the northern edge of this settled landmark.
‘Silver and co copy all.’
The captain looked to her right and the malevolently fanged form of their Hydra One, receiving a nod from the blue unicorn in its central turret. The two tanks were placed at either side of a crossroads which bisected the village, the second of a pair that created a box of central streets. ‘What formation are Las Pegasus in?’
‘Ruby reports two groups of three following one another, each one formed up as an arrow.’
‘Perfect. Get us into position Toff.’ Dawn sent Rook a nod of her own, whilst beneath her the tank swung away, turning to and approaching the next intersection in line parallel to the one her counterpart covered. She kept her sights behind her, watching the Hydra and its roadway intently.
‘Rhino almost has eyes on target, meanwhile others have entered town!’
A cacophony of screaming engines made their presence perfectly clear, reverberating through the village’s narrow streets and breaking any tranquillity it may have had. For the crews however the experience was very different, inner tensions winding tighter as their systems gifted them their first doses of adrenaline. The competing noises grew, hard to locate.
All of a sudden a pair of tanks broke across Rook’s intersection, passing the unicorn hidden in cover to one side. They were the Tornado and the Little Lion, their commanders ducked under cover and their turrets faced to the rear, firing as they dashed across the junction. A matte sand coloured and lightning cloud decorated trio were quick to follow, three of Las Pegasus’ nine reconnaissance vehicles which all seemed to ooze the speed and performance required of that role. Toffee had called them PT-70s, later Tornado models, although unlike their own their crews were one mare sparser. Their forms were all sharp lines and straight points, designed to cleanly cut as opposed to bluntly cleave their way through the air, their turrets even sloping back like shark fins. As this first three passed their guns remained silent, for now at least more focused on their pursuit.
Now Rook!
Dawn found her mind’s shout to be needless as on cue the Hydra stormed out of hiding, placing its weighty form across the crossroads at an angle. As it had moved its turret had swivelled to target where the enemy had appeared from and now it roared, its smaller front machinegun following suit furiously.
‘One down, the rest pulling to the left.’
As she spun back round the captain’s eyes caught a couple of redundant shell bursts as they landed harmlessly just off target, failing to hit the multi-turreted barrier. In front of her: another crossed intersection, empty and remaining so as the second stretched. As suddenly as before first one and then a second enemy tank revved into the void. ‘Fire!’ The divide between her order and their shot was next to non-existent, slamming squarely into the first PT-70’s side, instantly knocking it out. Its now lonely partner began to spin its turret to reply as it tore off, continuing in its progress. The junction however proved too big a piece of open ground to cross, the Panther impossibly quickly spitting forth another shell and punching the fleeing vehicle in the stern. Both wounded vehicles began to glow, voicing their defeat. ‘Buck yes!’ Dawn found herself cheering before she could catch herself.
‘Couldn’t have put it better myself’ Split seconded, falling back of her weapon’s controls with a satisfied sigh. ‘Points on the loading Bloss!’
‘Muscle memory and practice’ Blossom returned flippantly, although it was evident that she felt some pride in her efforts.
Further congratulations were cut off by a shout from the coms. ‘Hexer is firing!’
‘At wha…’
From her place outside Dawn was just able to register a faint whistling sound before the first rocket fell on a nearby cottage, with flaming tail burning straight through the structure’s thatch to detonate within. There was a white hot flash and then there was flame burning bright behind its blown out windows. Without a moment of respite the rest of the deadly shower came raining down, hammering all around and throwing debris up into a whirlwind. In from this two sets of hooves dragged the captain, landing her back in her seat whilst magic sealed the hatch.
‘Are you crazy?!’ the pink owner of one of the forceful forehooves demanded. ‘You’ve not even got your goggles on!’
‘Don’t tell me the fearless Split Second was scared?’ Blossom wore a far less hardened but equally concerned visage.
‘No!’ The pegasus turned defensive. ‘I was just worried okay!’
‘Sure you were. She has a point though.’ The hazel unicorn nodded to the hatch and then to her captain’s forehead. ‘For all the wards in the world the stuff we’re shooting at each other isn’t entirely risk free you know, plus Crystal got you those to wear not just to decorate your head with.’
‘Sorry.’ Dawn blinked, pulling the lens down over her eyes. ‘I just kind of got caught up in the moment. It’s sort of pretty and… raw you know.’
‘Whatever psycho’ Split nudged, ‘just try not to get your head blown off by your own insanity!’
‘I don’t know; I get what she means’ Blossom countered.
‘That’s no gauge at all!’
The captain looked between the gunner and loader, finding their conversation more than surreal, after all the world was exploding just outside and they were treating it like rain. In a way there was likewise nothing they could do about it, but it was still odd. Beyond the Panther’s protective shell the incendiary downpour came to a close and at the same time Dawn’s thoughts regained their lucidity. ‘They’ve stopped?’
‘Probably’ Toffee spoke up from below, moving on to regarding the launch rails she had previously explained. ‘With an artillery system like that, we’re talking eighteen to twenty missiles per salvo, so it takes a while to reload between shots…’
‘Nope!’ Coquette cut in, ‘the Rhino engaged them to draw their attention. So far they’ve got one of their sentries and still haven’t been located.’
‘Tell Dice thanks, she probably just saved us. Damage report?’
‘We seem fine’ the farmer replied, before a report from the radio mare.
‘Rook took a couple pretty close and they lost a track. They’re not out though.’
Dawn rose once more, opening the hatch and brushing aside a light pink hoof which held her back. ‘I can see better from up there, and I promise I’ll be careful’ she reassured. Back in her spot smoke filled her nostrils, many of the surrounding buildings set ablaze and crackling, her eyes roving back to the Hydra’s intersection. The blue unicorn’s tank was indeed crippled, one of its tracks running limply off its drive wheel where the commander and her comrades were already trying to reattach it. ‘Move us over there to assist.’
‘If the Hexer fires again we probably won’t be so lucky’ Blossom warned.
‘Dice bagged another one!’ Coquette yelled into her mic, ‘she’s not sure how long she can stay undetected though.’
From the stranded tank its commander turned. Locking eyes with Dawn, Rook shook her head, waving he captain off.
‘But…’
The navy-maned unicorn remained adamant, shaking her head again and pointing in the direction the other vehicles had disappeared.
‘Okay, good luck!’ Dawn reluctantly shouted back. ‘Toff, get us out of here; stick to the plan and link up with the others.’
‘Will do.’
The Panther was back in motion, trundling through the newly decimated remains of the hamlet. Craters and burnt out structures pressed in from both sides as their tracks crunched their way forward, scrabbling over fallen brickwork. In the distance there was an audible rattle as the Hexer launched the last of its loaded rockets, evidently blindly chasing the Rhino with saturation. Then they broke into the open, hitting a dirt track through the vineyards.
‘Sitrep from other group: one enemy down, two remaining, but have lost the Tornado. And before you ask, Lens and the rest are fine’ Coquette pre-emptively added.
Dawn just noticed this addition however. ‘Double time it Toff!’ She thumped the lid of the exit hatch, attacking the image of Crystal outnumbered by pursuers which her mind had formed for her.
The Panther leapt forward, breaking into a sprint. It ran between the vines, its turret looking like a ship sailing through the foliage with its hull hidden. They slipped down into the base of a valley, sliding through a stream at the bottom to scale the other side, their driver pushing the machine’s limits.
‘There they are below us!’ Split called out, rotating the gun about face.
From the vantage point they looked down on the fields stretched below where a road snaked through the landscape, currently occupied by a trio of tanks. The Little Lion remained just ahead, Las Pegasus’ pair more keeping pace and taking shots than actually chasing anymore. Ahead of their route the stream their audience had just crossed joined a river, guided into a sharply cut channel, crossed over by a bridge.
‘Split, target the crossing and fire on my mark.’
The cruiser below had its dual guns pointed backward, replying as it veered, avoiding the enemy fire.
‘Just a little more…’
The front of the Little Lion’s treads hit the bridge.
‘Fire!’
The shell arced through the air, aided by the rise the Panther sat on. Just as the first of Las Pegasus’ Tornados was about to cross the ordinance struck, felling the path before it and sending the machine prow first into a steep tumble. It crashed into the water, nose crumbling as it was stuck fast, immobilised. Its partner meanwhile screeched sideways to a halt just avoiding the fall, but in doing so exposing itself. Crystal needed no second invitation, likewise halting to steady her own vehicle and then firing with both cannons, finishing the other adversary. The silvery unicorn looked up smiling and gave a wave.
And breath.
Dawn did so, taking a much needed deep breath. ‘Okay, let’s finish this.’
---
The two tanks rolled side by side, the sun at their back rising to its noontime throne. They moved together in parallel, each occupying a track between the vines, their passage wafting mellow scents up from the leaves. Weird as it was therefore, for all the speed and fury of their movement, they could have as easily been simply out for a stroll.
Dawn looked to the Little Lion’s commander running beside her, catching a set of silvery irises as they likewise rose to a furtive glance. Given the space to be wary they both self-consciously burnt, dropping their gazes as they felt their cheeks turn pinkish. A moment later though they both ventured a look back, again catching one another’s eye and mirrored blushing face, each coaxing a little smile out of their opposite.
‘Rhino’s been spotted!’ Coquette called.
Focus please!
‘Tell them we’re almost there. If they can they should pull back and we’ll link up.’ Dawn ducked into the turret, pulling up the map and definitively drawing a forehoof to its southwest corner. ‘Any report from Rook?’
‘Refitting the treads as we speak, doesn’t want to leave us to have all the fun.’
Both armoured vehicles rounded a final corner in their track, passing around a small hillock where the last of their adversaries awaited them, arriving just in time to see the Hexer’s monstrous central cannons fire into the vines. The shells landed unseen, blowing outward a cloud of torn up foliage, then the rest of the mammoth creature’s guns engaged the same spot in a terrible downpour. The last Las Pegasus Tornado followed suit.
‘Rhino’s out!’
Damn it!
Before any more eloquent response could be mounted the Hexer’s rear stack of weapons spun about, spitting a hoard of missiles into the air. The rockets tore away over the horizon, painting smoking lines with their fiery tails.
‘What are they firing at?’ Dawn asked a bit confused. ‘They can’t have spotted us from there, so where are they sending those?’
There was some rustling from below as Blossom borrowed the map, muttering to herself. ‘By trajectory and direction it’s… the village! They must know Rook’s still there!’
No!
Heavy detonations thundered in the distance.
‘No response from the Hydra’ Coquette reported sadly, desperately working at her radio’s dials. ‘I can’t reach them at all.’
Buck it! What now? That evens things up again, or rather throws the scales back against you.
Dawn froze questions flooding her mind. Their two vehicles had come to a stop on the cusp of the plain, whilst below likewise their adversaries drew up side by side. The challenge was clear. Running would only prolong the inevitable, whilst giving the hunters the advantage. It had to end here, but Las Pegasus’ behemoth remained, forcing her to falter. She had to look away, turning to clear the beast’s image from her thoughts, accidentally in doing so again matching eyes with the commander next to her.
Crystal remained radiant, delicate and slender, in vast antithesis to the rugged war machine now caked in dirt which she rode. In her irises though there was steel, reinforced and more adamantine in her smile as she replied with a definite nod.
‘This is it everypony, the odds are equal’ the captain decided. ‘First focus on their last escort, then we’ll take the Hexer. Little Lion follow our lead. Charge!’
The two predatory cats pounced into motion, the lighter of the two coming into line behind the Panther; meanwhile their rivals remained in parallel as they likewise made their move. Both sides ran at each other, Las Pegasus attempting a couple of shots which were expertly avoided, until nothing remained of the distance between them. At the last possible moment Appleoosa’s command tank turned off, veering to the right and being followed by its ally, putting the enemy Tornado between themselves and the land battleship it guarded, hammering blows into the sleek sentry. They broke off the attack, haring away and then screeching to a halt, turning about like jousters set to attempt a second clash. The Hexer however did not mimic them, unconcerned by and ignoring the loss of its final friend, instead turning side on to become a wall of weaponry in their way. To attempt a second assault became comparable to suicide.
‘Toff, we need to relocate, try to out manoeuvre then have another go’ Dawn spoke into her mic.
‘Got it; reversing.’
‘We can’t’ Blossom interrupted surprisingly, ‘we’re at the edge of the game area. They’ve got us hemmed into the corner, meaning if we go backward at all we’ll probably get disqualified for going out of bounds. We can only go forward’ she sighed. ‘They trapped us.’
The Hexer’s many turrets all leisurely turned their way, obviously well aware of their manoeuvre and therefore enjoying the guaranteed kills to come, mocking their prey. Its weapons divided, smugly picking their targets with a crushing confidence.
‘Bucking assholes!’ Split exploded. ‘They’re still in range, so even if they’ve got us let’s make sure they have to hurt for it!’
Dawn held off on the command, the enemy’s self-confidence perfectly potent. The pegasus was right, some kind of vain glorious display was all that was really open to them, but she was paused by disappointment.
‘Hold on… new contact behind them!’
The captain’s eyes shot for the track where they had been but moments ago, catching the arrival of a furiously galloping vehicle, the multiturreted tank bearing down, its prow blackened but still with its decorative fangs visible. Its three turrets swung to strike a broadside.
‘It’s Rook!’
Their Hydra One opened fire with everything it had, hurling projectiles at its much larger sibling, slamming shots into its exposed flank. The Hexer could not reply to these wounds, stuck with all its weapons facing in the wrong direction.
‘Fire!’ Dawn roared.
Both the Panther and the Little Lion opened up in support, trapping the leviathan between walls of fire, its confused attempts at reply going wide. Its treads were quickly shredded, its turrets smashed, the whole beast being battered into an inoperable pulp. A delighted chorus of cries rose up from its slayers as they repeatedly struck, Dawn included, her elation becoming a happy and relieved exhale as the rival machine flashed crimson, declaring its defeat. On impulse her eyes went back to Crystal’s, her visage consumed by beaming.
*Bang!*
Something hit the pale cream captain, roughly snapping her neck backward as it struck her in the forehead.
‘Dawn!’
Everything went black.