The sandstorm has been raging for three days now. Many of the Zoid pilots are starting to grow depressed from not being able to pilot their Zoids, my team included. Much of me and my team's time is spent inside of the Presidential Hammer Head. The others boarding inside the Hammer Head are Van, Fiona, Irvine, Moonbean, Zeke, Dr. D, Colonel Schubaltz, Thomas Schubaltz, President Camford, Rudolph, Rosso, Viola, Maya, Jess, Alex, and myself. Several us have had to share rooms, which won't end well.
"Alex, where the hell is my underwear!?" I shout as I walk out of the shower room into the common room with only a towel hanging around my waist.
"Hey, don't ask me. Why don't you ask the girl that was snooping in our room?" Alex said gesturing to Jess who was putting her hair in a ponytail.
"Hey! I did no such thing, I was looking for our last contract so I could add it to our records." Jess said defending herself.
"Well if neither of you took my underwear, who did?!" I shouted as Zeke walks in with a pair of my boxers in his mouth, "Zeke, give me my boxers, please."
"Rawr." Zeke said as he dropped the boxers and walked off.
"Thank you." I said picking up the boxers and walking back to the shower room to dress.
----0----
"Let's move it ponies! Get on the train!" Shining Armor shouted as a detachment of guards specially trained in dessert combat enter the train.
"Hey Shining." Twilight said as she and her friends walk up to the train platform.
"Twilight I will be honest with you, I do not like you coming with us." Shining said as the last of the guards enter the train
"I know, but I want to see these creatures brought to justice."
"Yeah and I wanna help find ma cousin!" Applejack says.
"Alright, alright get on the train and I will tell you everything we know." Shining Armor sighs as he and the girls board the train.
----0----
"Hey, Dr.D you wanted to see us?" I asked as Van, Herman, and Colonel Schubaltz enter the Hammer Head's briefing room.
"Yes, I did." Dr.D presses a few buttons an a holographic map of the surrounding area. "Now, this map was created by using a mixture of the Red Horn's 3-D radar, and the Gordos' sensor array. Now when the sandstorm clears we will begin moving north towards this path." Dr.D points to a pass 50 miles to the north of our current position.
"Dr.D, what is going to stop the ponies from chasing us though there?" Van asked.
"I am glad you asked that Van. You see, that pass is actually a border between the Ponies, and the Griffons."
"Wait, what! Griffons!?" I yell.
"Yes, Griffons. I manged to get that little tidbit of information from the captured ponies. Now when we cross the pass we should have a clear path to Canterlot." Dr. D says finishing up.
"What about the Griffons?" Colonel Schubaltz says.
"If they give us trouble, kill them."
"I can get behind that." I said cracking my knuckles, "So Doc, when do you think the sandstorm should stop?"
"Within the next day or two. However, we will need to keep an eye on the nearby town. I am recommending that Captain Herman, as well as Danny go on foot and begin reconnaissance on the town."
"That may work. What do you say Danny?" Herman asked me.
"I say we give it a shot." I said. This recon would be the first time me and Captain Herman would work side by side, most of the contract work I did for the Helic Republic was either raiding supply depots, or providing fire support for retreating troops, with each supply depot being worth 2,500, and every fire support mission being worth 5,000. Even with those large payouts we still favoring Imperial contracts, because those were mostly taking our rouge squads of Zoid pilots, which may not have paid much, but gave my Jess and I a better feeling then when we completed Republican contracts. Maya and Alex on the other hand favored the contracts the the Republic gave us.
"Very good, head over to the armory and get equipped with dessert gear." Dr. D said as Herman and I exited the Hammer Head.
"Jeez, the sand storm in getting bad." I said as we exited the Hammer Head and shielding our eyes as we made our way to the armory that had been set up.
"Yeah, you wouldn't think that this storm would end any time soon." Herman said as we made our way into the tent that served as the armory.
"Ah, Captain Herman. Dr. D said that you two would be coming by. I already have the desert gear ready." The quartermaster said as he gave us two sets of desert survival gear.
"Thank you." I said putting on the helmet and goggles, while grabbing a sniper rifle from the gun rack.
"I take it you want me to be your spotter?" Herman said putting on the helmet.
"Yep, would you mind grabbing a thermal spotting scope?" I said grabbing a backpack, grabbing extra ammo as well as supplies, and filling the backpack with them.
"Sure." Herman said grabbing a all weather assault rifle, and a thermal spotting scope. "You ready Danny?"
"Yeah, let's rock." I said exiting the tent with Herman in tow.
----0----
"Oh my, would you look at the size of that sand storm!" Rarity exclaimed as they pulled into the Appaloosa station the day after they set off.
"Yes, reports say that this is one of the biggest on record." Twilight says staring though the windows.
"Here girls wear these." Shining Armor says as he throws each mare a pony sized dessert survival outfit.
"B-but, this clashes with my mane!" Rarity whines earning her a glare from everypony in the train car. "Fine."
"Jeez, you would think that the weather ponies here would have kept this sand storm from growing as big as it is." Rainbow Dash said putting the desert survival gear on.
"The weather ponies cant control this, because it came down from the north." Shining Armor said.
"But that's Griffon territory."
"I know." Shining Armor opens the car door.
----0----
"You see any activity Herman?" I said looking down the thermal sight of my sniper rifle.
"Negative. Wait, a train just pulled into the station." Herman says as he zooms in on the train.
"I see it, it looks like they are unloading troops."
"Yes, I can confirm that." Herman said.
"Oh no, not them." I said spotting the ponies that were there when I first arrived here, and when I recused Rudolph.
"You know them?" Herman asked.
"Yeah, they found us when my team and I first arrived here. Let's just say that the welcome was less then warm. Also, they have connections to the ruler of this world."
"Well, do you think we should radio that in?" Herman asked getting out the backpack radio and handing it to me.
"Yeah." I said turning on the radio, "Base, this is Recon 1. Come in over."
"Recon 1 this is Base, go ahead over." Colonel Schubaltz answers.
"Base, be advised we have observed a train unloading troops, repeat troops are being unloaded, break. Also, our little friends from when my team and I first got here have arrived as well, over." I said.
"Roger that Recon 1, come on back to base, over." Colonel Schubaltz says over the radio.
"Roger that, we will leave in 5." I said shutting down the radio, "Hey Herman, whats the range of the ponies?"
"500 meters."
"Perfect." I said as I line up a shot that will land at the Ponies' feet.
"Danny, what are you doing?"
"Just giving them some warning shots." I said as I began firing off shots causing the ponies to scatter, soon I have finished and turn to Herman. "Let's go"
----0----
"You know this storm is actually supposed to st-." Shining Armor says as he is interrupted by small parts of the ground around him. "Take cover!"
"Ahhhh!" Everypony screams as they run for cover. Soon the ground stops exploding.
"W-what was that?" Twilight asks shaking.
"It was a warning. They are telling us not to screw with them." Shining Armor says as he looks for the source of the explosions.
----0----
"Looks like the storm is starting to dissipate." I said as Herman and I entered camp to everyone getting their Zoids ready to move.
"Looks like we are breaking camp soon." Herman said as one of the Gojulas roared and began to move.
"Jeez, I forgot how loud those things were." I said as we made our way to the Hammer Head.
"Yeah, you get used to it." Herman said as we entered the Hammer Head.
"Colonel Schubaltz, Recon 1 reporting in." I said taking off my helmet and goggles.
"At ease. You guys got here right in time we are starting to break camp. Herman your mother would like to see you in the conference room.
"Great." Herman said as he walked to the conference room.
"Now Danny, get to your Zoid."
"Yes sir." I said as I walked out of the Hammer Head. I then went to the armory to drop off the gear that we had borrowed for the recon mission, Before I walked over to my Red Horn, only to find Rudolph in the pilot's seat.
"Oh, hey Danny. Mind if I drive for a bit?" Rudolph asks.
"Sure go ahead, I need some rest anyway." I said jumping into the back seat.
"Thanks, Red Horn mobilizing."